So, it was a busy couple of weeks in Scotland and Wales. Mimì didn’t want us to go and worked out a cunning plan – sitting on our clothes – which was guaranteed to stop us leaving.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. This was her response :-

Here’s a few photos from along the way. We met lots of old friends – including a couple who we literally have not seen in almost twenty years – and we made a lot of new ones as well.  Here’s hoping we can do something similar next year.

Holding forth at the lovely Edinburgh Bookshop (I signed the ladder as well…)

International Welsh Crime Writers : with Chris Lloyd and Cal Smyth

Crickhowell. An absolute little gem of a town, with a great book festival to book.

Waterstones, St Andrews

St Andrews, on a glorious sunny day. So naturally I took this photo in black and white.

In conversation with Toni Hill, Johana Gustawsson, and Craig Sisterson

Crime Writers against Climate Change, Stirling

We were lucky with the weather. Glorious sunshine almost everywhere we went although, during our final drive back, it was evident that large parts of South Wales were under water. We just about got away with it.

At the moment, I’m working on final edits to “Venetian Gothic”. Some other fun things are happening – I’m hoping to be able to do a few events in Germany when Das Venezianische Spiel comes out; and then there’ll be a few things back in the UK upon the release of Gothic.

Many thanks to Bloody Scotland, the Crickhowell Literary Festival, Waterstones and the Edinburgh Bookshop. Not forgetting Kate and Mungo, Michael and Carol, Jane and David and, of course, Mum and Dad, for both putting us up and putting up with us.

Oh, and, if you’re wondering, Mimì has just about forgiven us…