The delectable Rachel Joyce was in town for a Q&A and to sign copies of her new book, Perfect. Her debut novel (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) was on the long list for the 2012 Man Booker Prize and her latest novel (Perfect) is a follow-up.

It was a great turnout, with a crowd of us cramming into the Main Lecture Theatre on the lower ground floor of the cavernous library. Shunning the sunshine to voluntary spend an afternoon indoors is unheard of – much can be said of the pull of Rachel Joyce. The keen audience made up of predominantly Bolton’s residents listened in rapt silence, as Rachel took questions from her publisher and later, the floor. 

The event kicked off with the author reading a riveting excerpt from Perfect, before engaging in a light conversation with her publisher, the wonderfully effervescent Alison Barrow. We heard what Rachel had to say about the book, her life and writing in general. She spoke with empathy about characters from her novel, and it was really interesting to see how an author imagines her creations to be tangible and real. We also heard about what inspires Rachel and how she writes. It was brilliant to be able to have the opportunity to pick a fellow writer’s brains, as my question to her was about her editing technique and how long it takes her to write a book. The seeds for Perfect were sown thirteen years ago, when she was ferrying her children on the school run. This is a great story in itself, because it highlights the fact that writers can be inspired by a single moment, and that an idea can take months, even years to marinate before a book is born.

The book signing was scheduled in an adjacent room, replete with light refreshments and scrummy biscuits. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet the author, have a book signed, as well as mingle with fellow bibliophiles. I have just started reading Perfect (review coming shortly) and I have to say that I find the pages are turning themselves. A note to the Bolton Central Library staff; great work for putting on a fabulous event. It would be fantastic to see more author signings and Q&As like this in the future. Keep up the super work!