AND LO, THE BOOK SHE WAS LAUNCHED

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Stefen's Books this last Saturday to help launch Marching Dead. A fabulous time was had, with a smattering of readings, a plethora of signings-- including my first ever autograph in invisible ink (ask Carol Ryles)-- and as always, when catching up with friends and colleagues, brilliant conversation. Books were sold, a simply amazing window display was sighted, and all in all I came away feeling like a special and pampered little writer boy, the better for being able to do it all in front of Lyn (who was too sick to come to the Corpse-Rat King launch) and my kids for the first time.

My thanks to Stefen Brazulaitis for hosting the event, and to everyone who came along and picked up a book or two.

So, to let you know what you missed out on if you didn't make it it, here are some photies:

Author boy, with books. Oh, do say mine is the prettiest, teacher!

I may be slightly biased, but I say this is the most amazing window display ever.

A pile of corpses, all stacked up.

If a joke's funny once: a pile of dead, all stacked up.

Jovial author boy.

With the family, mugging it up. Our 'Ian Dury & the Blockheads' moment.

With the inimitable and indomitable Stefen.

Signing with the aid of the Junior Helper Squad

I promise to owe the bearer....

Milling crowd mills.

I don't know what they're talking about, but I can make jokes about it all day...

Enjoying the reading. I hope.

Friends and mentors, Stephen Dedman and Dave Luckett, power-chat, while Sally Beasley looks on indulgently because she knows who really has all the power.

The photographer gets all artistic about it...

And if I thought the occasion couldn't get any better, these little darlings arrived on my doorstep while I was at work yesterday. Admittedly, most of them will go out to awards panels and the like, but even so, it all looks damned pretty to me :)