Purgatory and the Prose Pincher….

An interesting thing happened on Friday.

A local primary school was having its Christmas shopping night and I decided to have a table so that the literate could buy their grannies a book for Christmas, signed by the author.  At 3.00 all the stallholders set up – making their tables look as attractive as possible and then scooting home for tea before returning at 6.00.  I came back at 10 to – I was <em>keen.</em>  Writing is a solitary pursuit so any opportunity to meet old friends (drink mulled wine) sell books (drink mulled wine) and generally socialise is welcome.

My 13 year old son, being a fastidious fellow, checked when we got back that all was in order. He displayed the posters, checked the float and then counted the books…

There were two missing.

TWO MISSING!

Someone had actually gone to the trouble of pinching a copy of Toppling Miss April (with the new cover – maybe they didn’t realise it was the same inside) and Soft Voices Whispering.  They’d obviously read The Jigsaw Maker. How do you react to that?  As a practising Catholic at a Catholic Primary School fundraising event in the church hall, I really didn’t expect to need security cameras. I said so.

On my right, the Pampered Chef representative looked aghast and checked her table – all present and correct.  The Murano Glass Jewellery rep on the other side checked hers -  fine too.
All around the large hall folk ascertained that their supplies were in order and it emerged that I was the only victim….

RESULT!

Mine was the only stall deemed worthy of the effort, worth the risk of some serious explaining at the pearly gates. What a compliment (albeit backhanded).

So if anyone’s having difficulty getting his/her hands on a copy of either of the aforemnetioned books, hang fire.  There are  copies in purgatory and I won’t be pressing charges.  It kept me going all evening.

I didn’t need the wine.