I don’t blog, OK? And I certainly don’t twitter. But my Administrator keeps bugging me for something about the tour, so here it is. The U.S. tour ended officially in Grand Cayman on March 8, but with hardly time to catch my breath for a couple of days in Toronto, I then had to head out to give a talk at a fundraising luncheon for the Brandeis National Committee in Tucson, AZ. The travel was far worse than the event, which was delightful. In the first place, I have to thank Sharyn and Nicole at Morrow for realising that it’s a good idea to arrange for most of an author’s February/March tour to take place in the southern parts of the U.S.A. Apart from stops in New York and Michigan, I was able to enjoy a bit of warm weather.

It was great to revisit some of my regular stops, where I found the audiences as welcoming, lively and intelligent as ever, and the owners and staff most accommodating and enthusiastic. It was therefore a great pleasure to be back at M is for Mystery, Stacey’s, The Mystery Bookstore, Book ‘Em, Vroman’s, Mysteries to Die For, Book Carnival and Poisoned Pen. It was also great to revisist, after a lengthier absence, Partners& Crime, Mysterious Galaxy, Murder by the Book and Murder on the Beach. Thanks, everyone!

It’s always interesting to visit a store I’ve never been to before, and in this I was especially blessed. First was Aunt Agatha’s, in Ann Arbor, where I got a far bigger crowd then I had expected, not to mention a cup of green tea and a cheese roll. A few days later, it was a bit of drive from San Francisco to Rakestraw Books, in Danville, but well worth it. The town itself is gorgeous, and the audience was terrific. Next I went to Salt Lake City for the first time, where Betsy Burton of the King’s English bookstore took great care of me, and the wait-staff at Squatter’s brewpub proved that you really can get a decent pint in Utah. I also had the honour of having dinner after the event with George Easter, of Deadly Pleasures magazine, a gentleman and a scholar. And last but not least, what can I say about Grand Cayman? Well, it’s not part of the U.S.A., for a start, but Books & Books has recently opened a beautiful store there in Camana Bay and they were kind enough to fly me out from Miami to do an event. Susanna De Saram and her husband Al took good care of me while I was there, and we had one of the best seafood meals I’ve ever eaten in my life. The beach was only about a hundred yards from the hotel, and I’m sure you can imagine the colours of the ocean and the sand. In case you can’t, I’m including a photograph. All in all, it was bloody hard work–especially the early mornings and the almost daily airport hassles–but more than worthwhile. Now all I need is a two week holiday on Grand Cayman to recover, but I’m not going to get it!

Peter is doing an event this evening from the Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona, which will be webcast live at 7pm Arizona time. That’s 9m Eastern Time, 6pm Pacific Time and the middle of the night in Europe. You can view the event on the Poisoned Pen bookstore’s website. It should also be available on the site’s archives afterward; we’ll post a link to it then.

Some random notes from Peter as he goes from city to city on his book tour…

It was wonderful being a guest at Janet Rudolph’s beautiful home and being provided with such a large glass of fine wine. The company was most stmulating. California went well on the whole, and it was a real joy to get away from the cold and snow for a while and meet up with fans at M is for Mystery Rakestraw Books, in the Bay Area, then the Mystery Bookstore, Book ‘Em, Vroman’s, Mysteries to Die For and Book Carnival in L.A. and Ornage Country.

It was almost too lovely a day to spend in a bookstore on Sunday afternoon in San Diego, but the people at Mysterious Galaxy made it more than worthwhile, and it was great to see Bob and Fred again. The one sad note among all of it was to find out that Stacey’s, on Market Strret in San Francisco, is closing down. I have been there more times than I can remember and was honoured to appear at their lunchtime session. It’s a pity there will be no more.

Flights and airports are as miserable as ever, and I’m never quite sure when the next meal is coming. But that’s par for the course. Right now I’m in chilly Salt Lake City looking forward to an event promoted by the King’s English bookstore to be held at the central public library at 7pm tonight. Tomorrow, it’s the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, AZ, and that interbiew and Q and A will be webcast very soon.

The US edition of All the Colors of Darkness is now available. As you can see in the post below, Peter is planning a major US book tour to meet readers across the country. You can find out more about the book on this page.

With All the Colors of Darkness now available in the US, Peter’s getting set for a long US book tour. You’ll be able to meet him and get books signed, ask questions, and hear him read, at dozens of locations. Here’s the current list, with dates and times. We’ll add new information is it becomes available.

(Click the link below to see the list of dates.)

Continue reading “Peter’s Upcoming US Book Tour” →

It’s a long overnight flight from Toronto to Sao Paolo, about eleven hours, and that wasn’t the end of my journey. After clearing customs and immigration I had to take an internal flight to Porto Alegre, which meant a two hour wait and another hour and a half in the air. Needless to say, I was in dire need of sleep when I finally arrived in Brazil’s tenth largest city (around 1.5 million) for the 54th Feira do Livro. But the festival people take very good care of their authors, and that doesn’t always result in much time for sleep!

The view from the hotel in Porto Alegre.

In the hotel lobby I was introduced to my “Angel” Vanessa, who was to take care of me during my stay. Luckily for me, she had spent a year in London and her English was near perfect, as I don’t speak Portuguese, and it’s not always as easy as people assume to get by in Brazil on a little Spanish. And Carol Zappa, from my publishers, Record Editions, was also around to help. Between them, they got me to events, interviews, lunches and dinners on time–or at least as late as is reasonable in Brazil.

Peter with his “angel” Vanessa.

Continue reading “Peter’s Report from Brazil” →

Peter answers questions in the Guardian’s Why I Write column today. Find out his favorite books as a kid, why and how he got started writing, and learn about his daily writing routine. Also, find out what Peter’s working on as his next book; or not. :-)

The University of Leeds has announced the Peter Robinson Scholarship, which “will be awarded for the first time in autumn 2009, providing a total of £1,000 for each of the 3 years of the degree programme.” Peter is doing this to help up-and-coming writers.

Discussing this, Peter said, “As an unemployed young man, I wanted to study English so that I could fulfil my dream of becoming a writer. A University education didn’t seem a viable option until I came here and had a chat with the head of English, who set the wheels in motion. I’m delighted to help support the next generation of talented English students at Leeds.”

Peter attended the University of Leeds in the 1970s, after which he “moved to Canada where he completed an MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, Ontario followed by a PhD in English at the University of York, Toronto. Peter now divides his time between Toronto and North Yorkshire.”

Published two weeks ago, All the Colours of Darkness has shot up the best-seller charts. It debuted at #5 on the Maclean list, and at #8 on the Globe and Mail list. It’s also #3 in Mysteries and #23 overall on Amazon.ca, #5 on Chapters “in store” bestseller list, and #10 on their “online” bestsellers list.

The book is off to a rousing start, and you can get a chance to meet Peter as he embarks on his Canadian tour to promote the book. If you’re a fan of Inspector Banks, make sure to come out and say hi.

Things have been rather hectic on the travel front lately. First, a couple of weeks ago, I had a trip to Washington, DC, for the National Book Festival. This was a great thrill, as it is by invitation only and includes breakfast at the White House. I hasten to add that it is a non-political festival to promote reading and literacy, so we’ll keep the politics out of it!

The first evening there was a gala banquet for the 70 or so attending writers at the Thomas Jefferson Building, the Library of Congress. My taxi got stuck in rush-hour traffic on my way, and just before we arrived the heavens opened. For some reason I couldn’t fathom at the time, all the streets in the area were blocked off by police, so I had to run about two blocks to the entrance through the torrential rain, wearing my brand new tux for the first time. No raincoat. No umbrella. I was soaked through when I got there, which made standing around sipping white wine (the only kind available) at the reception a bit uncomfortable. Also, I didn’t know anyone there. I searched for Alexander McCall Smith, the only other writer on the list I do know, but I couldn’t find him. And I prefer red wine. Still, it’s a magnificent building–all marble columns and colourful frescos–and there were plenty of cops and secret service people to watch, so I didn’t get bored.

We were soon ushered into the Coolidge Theatre, and in no time at all I saw the reason for the heavy security. The President and the First Lady walked across the stage and sat down a few rows in front of me. The cameras flashed and suddenly the hall seemed full of men with wiggly wires growing out of their ears. As the evening went on, with performances from four of the festival writers, I started to dry out. By dinner time I wasn’t feeling too wet. And there was red wine. I didn’t know anyone at the table, but it was a cosy enough group and in no time we were all chatting away. The food was excellent, and I would like to give special thanks to the young lady who kept my glass brimming! Getting back to the hotel was another nightmare of rain and scarce taxis, but volunteers from the festival kept us dry with umbrellas while we waited at the street corner, and I ended up sharing a ride with three delightful ladies.

Breakfast at the White House was early and I wasn’t particularly hungry. I can’t even remember what I ate. Still, it was interesting to wander around the east wing and look at the portraits and exhibits of historical presidential china and crystal ware on view in glass cases. And I finally found Alexander McCall Smith. Security didn’t seem quite so invasive here, except for the sniper on the roof. After a group photograph, I found myself standing next to Laura Bush, so I smiled and she stuck out her hand and said hello.

The talks and signings took place on the Mall just below the Capitol building, and the whole event had the atmosphere of a fair. Everyone seemed to be having a good time despite the heat and humidity and the occasional shower. I wasn’t on until late afternoon, so I spent much of my time before that in the authors’ pavilion near the massive air-conditioner. The event was short and sweet, and I got to chat with lots of people at the signing. I even met some fans from Yorkshire who just happened to be on holiday and saw my name. Hard to believe, but we even had a mutual friend!
Continue reading “Peter’s Journal: Washington, Baltimore, Movies, Books and Music” →