Author! Author!

I'm always nervous before an appearance. Will anyone come? How will it go? Yesterday's event at Petrarch's Book Shop in Launceston went very well indeed. Peter and his staff had set the shop up beautifully, and friends travelled long distances from all over the state to be there with us.

As usual at these events I heard sad and remarkable stories. One man bought a copy for the widow of his heart donor as her mother has Alzheimer's. Someone brought along a well- thumbed copy for a friend who couldn't get away as she was caring for her mother who has Alzheimer's. And my blogging friend kittykatmandoo's mother came along on her behalf.

With my Launceston book signing behind me, my next appearance will be in Cooroy, Queensland at the Reality Bites Festival.

Here is what the organisers have to say about the festival:

Discover your reality in the words of some of Australia’s sharpest minds and gifted storytellers. Experience the diversity of issues and ideas currently shaping our world. Enjoy a feast of food for thought during two consecutive weekends of literary events; book readings, panel discussions, in-conversation interviews and workshops, presented by a range of authors, journalists and film-makers.

I'm really excited for this one. I will be on two panels, both taking place during the festival's first weekend. The first one will be:

SATURDAY 24 JULY

2:00pm – 3:00 pm PANEL: Grief, Loss and Recovery

Speakers: Dr Paul Valent, Vivienne Ulman Chair: Annette Hughes Venue: Butter Factory Arts Centre

Paul Valent is a psychiatrist who has specialised in treating victims of trauma. His book, In Two Minds, draws on his almost four decades of working with patients, as well as his own experience as a child survivor of the Holocaust. It's a remarkable book, easy to read and full of fascinating stories, but also thought provoking. What impressed me most about it was the author's humility, and his preparedness to expose his uncertainties and his personal trauma, as well as his undoubted successes. I'm thrilled to be sharing the stage with Dr Valent. I think this should be a fascinating discussion.

My second panel will be:

SUNDAY 25 JULY

10:30 am – 11:30 am

In Conversation: Absent Parents

Speakers: Vivienne Ulman with David Carlin. Chair: Steven Lang

Venue: Butter Factory Arts Centre

I've never read anything quite like David Carlin's Our Father Who Wasn't There. The book, which follows the author's search for details of the father who killed himself when David was a baby, is memoir, detective story, family history and fantasy, all woven together in a beautifully written package. I shared a session with David at the Sydney Writers' Festival and enjoyed it immensely, as did the audience. This is a session that I know will be moving, stimulating and entertaining.

I'll only be in Queensland for a little over 24 hours but I'm so looking forward to being part of this festival and also to the brief respite from the cold.