The Week Of Wonders

It’s been quite a week – well, a week and a half, really. Today I’m just going to stop and catch my breath, because I feel I’ve been going full tilt.

It all began with my publisher sending me the review for Rusted Souls from Publishers Weekly, one of the big US literary trades. A good review in the trades can certainly boost sales. So I’d been waiting nervous, even though the book isn’t out until September 5. And…it was a starred review. What I’d been dreaming and crossing my fingers to have.

“It all culminates in a knockout conclusion that showcases Nickson’s unique blend of intricate plotting and well-rounded character development.”

Wow.

Then a meeting with Leeds Libraries to finalize details for the exhibition A Copper’s Eye: Tom Harper’s Leeds, 1890-1920. It’s going to run in the Family History Library at Leeds Central Library from September 25 to October 7, with photos from the Leodis archive, artefacts and more to illustrate the real incidents and people from the books. The event will have a few guests to spotlight items, plus a recorded song by Jennifer Reid (Gallows Pole), who’s set a poem by Leeds socialist politician Tom Maguire to music.

Then another review from the US trades, Kirkus Reviews. I was overwhelmed when they gave it a starred review, sating “The 11th and final installment of Nickson’s Tom Harper series ties up all the loose ends and breaks your heart…an excellent procedural paints a painfully accurate portrait of dealing with dementia.”

I was floating – I’m sure you can imagine.

Then, on eBay, I discovered a token for the Green Dragon Inn, in Leeds. In the Simon Westow novels, Jane lives in a cottage with Mrs Shields located behind Green Dragon Yard. What could I do? I bought it.

The real highlight came last Friday. I’d discovered online that a former English teacher of mine would be visiting my old school, and an old classmate happened to have his email. The teacher is someone I’ve long wanted to thank, because he was the first to encourage my writing. I emailed, and he remembered me. Not only that, he told me that way back then, he’d sent some of my poems to a New Writing programme on Radio Leeds, although nothing ever happened.

By the time we briefly met on Friday at the school, he was halfway through the second of my books that he’d read, and I gave him two more. And finally I had a chance to say thank you to a teacher who helped change my life.

Finally, yesterday I was interviewed for a piece about Rusted Souls, the Tom Harper series and the exhibition for an article to appear in a few weeks in the Yorkshire Post. Details to follow…

You can pre-order Rusted Souls in hardback – here is the cheapest price, with free UK postage. If you haven’t started the series yet, the first two books, Gods of Gold and Two Bronze Pennies, are under £3 on Kindle in the UK.