Paradoxical Undressing, Scratch'n'Sniff, and being interviewed.

It's been an interesting week of culture. On Monday I went to see Kristin Hersh perform. She read from Rat Girl, which over here is called Paradoxical Undressing, and played some songs. Afterwards I queued, mainly to get my copy of Paradoxical Undressing signed, but also because I wanted to give Kristin a copy of Before I Go to Sleep. In some hard-to-define way her music was one of the things that helped me realise that to not devote my energy to writing was in some way selling my self short, and she's been a constant artistic inspiration since I first heard Hunkpapa in the eighties. Whether she'll like it or not I don't know, but in some ways that doesn't really matter. I just wanted to give her a copy.

I've also been back to Scratch'n'Sniff. Another great night, marred slightly by me dousing myself in the scent I bought after the last event ('Eau de Gloire') which, despite sniffing coffee beans like mad to try and get my nostrils working (‘They’re broken!’ I said at one point) rendered  me incapable of detecting the nuances in the scents that everyone else could. It was another great night, though. I think there’s something really lovely about an event held in a bar but that is dedicated to something as nebulous, yet fundamental and evocative, as scent. We chatted to two women with whom we were sharing a table, which is another lovely thing about the night: it’s not often that people chat so freely at events held in bars. I suppose everyone there is united by a love of, or at least appreciation for, scent. The theme was ‘Around the World’ so we went on an olfactory expedition to Russia, Morocco, Indonesia, Japan, The Alps and India, all in the capable hands of Odette Toilette and the ‘curator’ of Les Senteurs  (a specialist scent shop near Victoria), before coming back to land in the Shoreditch rain feeling thoroughly refreshed. It really is amazing the way scent can transport us, both in time and place (the smell of baking bread takes me back to a holiday in Torquay when I was about seven; the smell of bubblegum transports me even further, to a time and place I can't quite pin down specifically, but which is very real and the same every time) but smell is a sense that's rarely written about - perhaps because it's very hard to do so. Suskind did it brilliantly with Perfume, of course, but I don't know of any other novels that really deal with smell. Does anyone else? 

Finally, yesterday I spent an enjoyable afternoon with Sara, a very lovely journalist who is profiling me and the book for an overseas magazine. It was a lot of fun - and as we chatted about the book I soon forgot the microphone on the table between us (we'll see whether that's a good thing or a bad thing when the article comes out!) Sara has read Before I Go to Sleep twice, which was lovely to hear. I'm a great re-reader (some books I've read five, six, seven times) and I felt a thrill of delight  when, presuming she'd had to in order to research her article, I asked her why she'd read it again and she said 'Because I wanted to!' It really is lovely to hear that people have enjoyed the book, and to hear they've enjoyed it twice is even better!

Patient H.M.

I've just come across an audio recording of patient H.M. - Henry Molaison - whose story was one of the things that inspired Before I Go to Sleep. In writing the book I tried very hard not to trivialise his story, or that of any of the other amnesiac patients whose lives are so devastated, and in a weird way he came to mean a lot to me. Hearing his voice was very odd indeed.

It's fascinating, and well worth a listen. The link is here.

About Before I Go to Sleep

Listen here to Virginia Stanley, Director of Library Marketing, talking about Before I Go to Sleep.

Towards publication, and Rat Girl

Things seem to be coming together. I received the proofs of the (UK) jacket the other day - Transworld have tried a glossy version and also a matt version with 'spot varnishing' on the lettering. Both look gorgeous, and luckily we both agree that the matt is slightly nicer. So that's how the book will look. It could so easily have been different - the book wrapped in a jacket I tolerated, yet didn't love, or worse. As it is I can honestly say I'm very happy with the skin my baby will be wearing out in the world.

Things seem to be gathering pace elsewhere, too. I suppose it was inevitable as the calendar ticked from 2010 to 2011, but we're in the year of publication now so it seems that much nearer, and more real. People are reviewing it, too, on Amazon, and Goodreads, and my friends and family who have received copies are telling me what they think. They're being extra nice, of course, but the general consensus has been positive and very gratifying.

What else? I've just finished reading 'Rat Girl', by Kristin Hersh. In the UK it's been released with it's original title, 'Paradoxical Undressing' (named after a phenomenon in which people close to death from severe hypothermia will mysteriously remove all their clothes). It's a wonderful book, a very powerful memoir, heartbreaking in places but without a shred of self-pity or whining. It tells the story of a pivotal year in Hersh's life, a year when her band Throwing Muses were beginning to find their feet, a year in which she was diagnosed bipolar. Fans of Throwing Muses will love it, of course, but I'd recommend it to anyone. Unlike some memoirs it's superbly written and structured beautifully, and the story it tells is touching, sad, funny and, ultimately, uplifting. It's would be a shame if people who have never heard of (or don't like) her band feel it's not for them.

Why Write?

There's a fascinating discussion over at FictionBitch. Why do we write? What can creative writing courses teach us?

I've commented. I'd done 'When', so it seemed a good time to do 'Why'...

The first reviews

Things have been trundling on as far as Before I Go to Sleep is concerned, but there's not that much to talk about. I have been invited to two very special, very exciting events, but unfortunately you'll just have to trust me on that, as I'm not (yet) allowed to say what they are. I know this is tremendously annoying and probably makes me seem like a bit of a tease (and probably far too cocky for my own good - both of which might be true) but I really can't say until everything's finalised. Of course, when it is, I'll post all about it on here. 


What else? I've been very excited by Before I Go to Sleep's first couple of reviews on Amazon. They're through the 'Vine' programme and are very pleasing - not only because they've both been glowing but also because they're both really well considered and I think describe the book very nicely. I think that's going to be one of the nerve-wracking aspects of the year ahead - seeing my book reviewed. I'm not naive enough to think that everybody's going to love it. As long as some people do then I shall be happy, but I wonder how I shall react when I read a write-up from someone who doesn't like it. I don't suppose it can be easy - seeing something you've worked so hard on held up to scrutiny and found to be lacking - but it's all part of the process.


Finally, I'm a day late, but happy New Year everybody!