Books Are My Bag 2014 - three events, five days, huge fun!

We had such a fantastic day with our authors at the 'Books Are My Bag' Bookshop Party on Saturday 11 October - but it was actually the start of an incredibly busy week. Not only did we have our own 'fab four' local authors in the shop (Alison Mercer, Tom Moorhouse, Neill Cameron and David Melling), we also hosted the book launch for 'The Word At War' on the Monday evening (with Peter Lewis and Philip Gooden), and then sold books at an event in Oxford for Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

So we thought we would share the week in photos - and thanks to all of our authors who created such a buzz in our little shop over a busy few days!

We started the Saturday with our 'Live Window' and the following schedule...

...We had Prosecco ready, and Imogen baked this cake (featuring the first and last words of all four authors' books - how cool was that?)

Author Alison Mercer - author of 'After I Left You' and 'Stop The Clock' - was first up into the window...

...so she got to cut the cake...

...and grab the first of our Tracey Emin bags as a big thank you!

Next it was the turn of Tom Moorhouse - author of 'The River Singers' and its brand new sequel 'The Rising' - to take the hot seat...

...and enthrall visitors young and old alike with videos of water voles that he helps conserve in Oxfordshire...

...Tom was able to stay whilst illustrator comic maker Neill Cameron got cracking on a truly awesome window illustration. He sketched an outline on the outside of the window... 

...and then got to work on the inside, breaking off periodically to sign copies of his books 'How To Make Awesome Comics' and 'Mo-Bot High'...

The shop was buzzing all day...

...Neill beavered away...

...whilst Tom looked on...

Tom was pretty chuffed to get a Tracey Emin bag...

...and then it was time for our final author David Melling to take his seat. Two incredibly talented illustrators in the shop at the same time!

...David spent the time in the 'live window' creating a 'Hugless Douglas' masterpiece for us...

Whilst Neill finished off the fabulous robot which is still adorning our window...

...which was beginning to attract a lot of interest!

David's finished work through the window...

...buzz, buzz!

...and another bag from a grateful bookseller!

On Monday we welcomed Peter Lewis and Philip Gooden for the launch of 'The Word At War' a collection of anecdotes and stories to show how language evolved rapidly during the Second World War.

On an awful, rainy night a packed shop steamed quietly as Peter and Philip shared stories of spam, chads and kilroy...

It's a cracking little book - a fab gift for anyone interested in how language evolves - and we have copies signed by both authors in the shop.

On Wednesday we were invited to provide books for an event with former Google CEO and current chairman Eric Schmidt and his co-author Jonathan Rosenberg. 

Despite Oxford's traffic chaos delaying Eric's arrival, the debating chamber was packed to hear Eric discuss everything from Google Glass to being hacked by GCHQ.

We were able take along some young coders from John Mason and Thomas Reade Primary Schools who got to meet Eric. A great was to round off our 'Books Are My Bag' celebration of bookshops and their communities!

Thanks to everyone who came along and supported all our events!

Books Are My Bag Bookshop Party! with Alison Mercer, Tom Moorhouse, Neill Cameron and David Melling

We're having a party - and we'd love you to come.

On Saturday, 11 October we are delighted to be welcoming local authors Alison Mercer, Tom Moorhouse, Neill Cameron and David Melling.

Throughout the day, they will be sitting in a special 'live window', drawing, writing, creating something special - and of course meeting readers and signing books.

It's all happening as part of a national celebration of bookshops called ‘Books Are My Bag’. And we are challenging you to be creative too and become part of our live window throughout the day. We are challenging everyone to come in, sit down, and get creative too with our authors: write a short story or poem, draw a cartoon or picture.

Everyone entering the shop can take part - and you'll be given a sheet starting "Suddenly at Mostly Books...". What happens next is up to you!

And if that isn’t enough to tempt you, there will be champagne, cake, and a few other surprises as well. You'll also be able to get hold of a limited edition 'Book Are My Bag' bag designed by artist Tracey Emin, available exclusively at High Street Bookshops.

We are very lucky at Mostly Books to have so many supportive readers (and writers) who help us continue to thrive. But as the number of bookshops around the country dwindles, there is growing support for those of us who are still passionate about a place for books on the high street. 'Books Are My Bag' is an opportunity for people to celebrate what makes bookshops so special, as hubs of culture and community and a place where literacy can be fostered.

So what's happening on the day?

From 11am, Alison Mercer will be in the window, talking and signing books, creating a piece of writing, and on hand to answer questions about the path to becoming a published author.

Her latest book 'After I Left You' was launched at Mostly Books earlier this Summer - learn more about the author and the book here.

Then from midday, we have wonderful children's author (and ecologist) Tom Moorhouse, author of 'The River Singers' and its follow-up 'The Rising' (just out). This captivating tale of daring, loyalty and adventure involving water voles - based on the author's own conservation experiences - has already been hailed as a classic animal adventure, and Tom will be 'in the window' talking about his experiences, and showing videos of his work with water voles!

Then at 1.30pm we have the awesomely talented Neill Cameron in the window, showing you 'How To Make Awesome Comics'. A regular contributor to legendary comic The Phoenix, and author of YA graphic novel 'Mo-Bot High', Neill will be inspiring comic talent, and creating something special for the Mostly Books window! Everyone shout 'Aaaaiiieee!'...

Finally, at 2.30pm we welcome Abingdon's very own David Melling, creator of the bear that has taken the world by storm, 'Hugless Douglas' (don't believe us? just take a look at the different language versions below). David's going to be creating something extremely special in the window, answering questions about his illustrator life, and signing copies of his books.

 

Wherever you are in the country, if you are lucky enough to have a great bookshop nearby, we hope as many people as possible will take the opportunity go visit, meet an author, be inspired, and browse some of the brilliant new titles being published.

To find out more - go visit the Books Are My Bag website...

After I Launched You: Alison Mercer and the launch of 'After I Left You' at Mostly Books

Second chances - and facing up to the past so you live in the present - are two of the big themes in Alison Mercer's second novel 'After I Left You'.

Alison was at Mostly Books on Thursday to celebrate its launch. Friends, family, fans and colleagues listened as she explained the genesis of the book, how it been in her mind as an idea for years.

But the story of Anna and how she comes to terms with bruising realities in her past, was the one her editor most wanted to see after a meeting to discuss publication of Alison's first novel 'Stop the Clock', in what Alison described as being 'like the most scary job interview ever'.

Alison thanked her husband, Ian, for his support in giving her time to write, to her supportive team at Transworld and also the support of her work colleagues and other writing friends. There were at least two extremely well-known authors in the audience, as well as editors, agents, bloggers - including the Abingdon Blogger.

She read from the opening scene, one in which Anna bumps into an old flame. Her attire, the bridesmaid dress in her hands, makes this excruciating, a bad-dream sequence that she would never have wanted to happen.

In a similar way to 'Stop the Clock' the action catches up with university friends after time has passed and analyses how their lives have fared - who made good on early promise, whose marriages are on the rocks, who is no longer even around. The Oxford setting ensures plenty of local appeal, but the themes - and the writing - ensure that appeal is universal. But the style has a definite darker side - and a creeping sense of unease builds imperceptibly as past history slowly bubbles to the surface.

'After I Left You' features a compelling mix of characters, back stories seamlessly woven in and will appeal to anyone who ever attended a reunion and couldn't help but measure up against all their old protagonists.

For Anna, life started off well, heading to Oxford from an ordinary background and falling in with a glittering group of privileged friends. Bumping into old-flame, Victor, seventeen years after she last saw him is painful enough. But Anna must brave seeing all her old group again as she tries to lay to rest the time she has not ever really moved on from - the time when she realised her friends were not all they had seemed...

Once again the weather played ball allowing us to hold another magical evening in the garden. Following the launch of her debut in 2012, we were honoured to host the launch of 'After I Left You', to welcome so many great supporters of Alison to the shop - and a huge thank you to Transworld for supporting their author and the event so strongly.

(Find out much more about Alison and her writing here)

Alison is - as the publishing world demands - already writing her next book. So we are definitely looking forward to another launch event. As Dorothy Parker said "I hate writing, but I love having written". And we love having launched a new book!