LINCOLN INSPIRED

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday!

Just popping in this week with a flying reminder that I'm going to be at the Lincoln Inspired Event in (you guessed it) Lincoln on Saturday the 9th of May, doing an event with other local authors Kerry Drewery, Georgia Twynham and Cassandra Parkin. We're going to talk about reading and writing young adult fiction, take questions from the audience and sign books too.

I've met Kerry before and can vouch that she's a fascinating and thoughtful speaker, and I'm sure that Georgia and Cassandra will have loads of interesting stuff to say too (luckily I'll be there to crack jokes and be awkward, in case the mood needs lightening). I think it's going to be lots of fun.

More details about the location - the art museum The Collection - and where/how to get tickets to the event can be found in this leaflet and on the Lincoln Inspired website. Please do come along if you're in the area. Lincoln is one of my favourite places in the world and there is loads of other stuff to do - not only at the Festival, but in general - if you want to make a day of it. Dear Readers are, as always, kindly commanded to MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN, and also to tell me if they have an objection to being tackle hugged because otherwise that's a thing that will happen.

Have a lovely Wednesday and - taking a moment out to be extremely serious now - if you're eighteen or over I really, really, really hope you're going to vote tomorrow. Remember that no matter what problems you have with our current political system, refusing to use your vote doesn't mean you're refusing to play the game, only that you're stuck in the game with everyone else, but simply not taking your turn.

Women fought and died for our right to vote in this country. Those women are all too often forgotten about, pushed to the margins of history, or defamed and denigrated as 'too extreme' or 'too violent' today, even though without them it's certain nothing would ever have changed. It was LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO, in 1928, that all women were finally granted the right to vote. There are many places where women and other oppressed groups still haven't got any say in their own democratic process. So it's precious. It's a right we were denied for too long. Don't throw it away, please.

Read you later, chums!