June 7, 2008

I bid farewell to the Book Fair today and what a program it was this year! I even managed to convince my father to join me on Sunday which was quite a treat.

I wasn’t planning on going on Saturday but of course I was there as soon as the doors were opened, and I ended up leaving with a big carrier bag of books. (Like I do every year)

Then of course it was the Mnet and Via Afrika Awards on Saturday night where I received the M.E.R youth prize. I spent the first half of the evening leading up to the announcement in a state of pure terror and then upon hearing that I had won, I lapsed into a state of utter panic. I think I managed to walk into about three chairs during the duration of the evening. I’m utterly delighted at receiving the award but I think I’m going to let the shock last a bit longer. I’m still rather unsettled by it all.

Sunday was of course Fathers Day so I dragged my Dad off to the Fair to hear me speak for the first time in public. I think he was bit overwhelmed but I could see that he was proud as punch. After all, pleasing our dads is what its all about really isn’t it?

Today’s panel discussion with Sven Eick and Derick Muller focussed mainly on our novels and the characters within those novels, a subject that hasn’t come up in discussion before so it was a bit on the spot but enormously fun. I get very tongue-tied when I have to speak in public but it was nice sharing the floor with people you feel so at ease with. It makes it so much easier.

As far as loot goes I came out with quite a haul this year.

• 30 Days of Night graphic novel
• Constantine graphic Novel
• Edgar Allen Poe’s Haunt of Horror graphic novel
• Neil Gaiman’s The facts in the case of the departure of Miss Finch graphic novel
• Signed A Veil of Footsteps by Breyten Breytenbach
• Signed Apetown by Sven Eich
• Sweeney Todd – the novel
• Moxyland plushie