Dear Reader,
March has shot by like a hare in a series of book events and publicity – so much so it’s already April, April I tell you! Double or Nothing is released in the US on the 11th, so I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with folks across the country in the run-up.
It’s been a thrill to join up with some of the luminaries in the Bond universe. Look out for my spoiler-full chat with David Zaritsky on The Bond Experience. And for a deep dive into the Double or Nothing plus my writing process, The Bond Report has you covered – I was blown away by the time and production value Chris put into this video. Many thanks, too, to Birb, James Birb for having me as a guest to your Bond Book Club!
You can read my Q&A with The Big Thrill here. Watch out for my top ten spy novels centring female characters on CrimeReads soon, plus my essay on inclusivity and diversity in Double or Nothing, coming up on Criminal Element. You’ll also find upcoming interviews with me and articles on the book in Esquire, Fatherly, Geekwire, Cosmic Log, the Fiction Science Podcast, and The Week.
You can listen to me talking Bond on the Spies, Eyes and Private Eyes podcast, and my dulcet tones will soon grace the Spybrary podcast, Write About Now and the Crime Café Podcast, discussing both 007 and my journey as a writer. You can also listen now to my conversation with the brilliant writer and broadcaster Lani Diane Rich about Bond, A Wild & True Relation and creativity on How Story Works. This was a particular treat for me as I’m a big fan and long-time listener of Lani’s.
Some upcoming live publicity to look out for in the States: I’ll be speaking to WKRF “Talk Louisiana” on April 10th; and NPR/1A and the Lori and Julia Show on MyTalk 10.7.1 on April 11th, publication day.
Another highlight this month was giving a lecture to members of the National Portrait Gallery on the role of portraits in the writing of A Wild & True Relation. I gravitate towards portrait galleries in any city I visit because of the stories contained in the faces. For A Wild & True Relation, London’s National Portrait Gallery provided a vital window into the past, allowing me to lock eyes with the real historical figures in the novel. This can be especially important when the subject of the painting has vanished from cultural memory or barely exists in the historical record, often true of female figures.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, I focused on the room devoted to Dr Johnson’s circle, where the eighteenth century women who pioneered the novel form, diaries, travel writing, poetry, plays and art are often overlooked for their male counterparts. There’s a passage in the novel about this erasure –
How we remember history determines history. Women did not play a marginal role in our national story; it is the marginal remembrance of women that marginalises us.
I was honoured to have the opportunity to bring women into the centre of the frame at this institution I adore.
I also had the chance to appear at one of my favourite bookshops, Toppings here in Edinburgh, where it was a delight to discuss A Wild & True Relation in-depth, from how I set about creating dialogue that felt real to the eighteenth century to how I layer point of view. It was especially lovely to see so many former and current students there, though I think I may have scarred some by saying the book took fourteen years to complete – if you came along and I gave you nightmares, apologies!
I was absolutely thrilled have my first ever review in The Guardian, our newspaper with my favourite book pages! And it was such a lovely review I actually read it. You can check it out here. If you’d like to order a copy of the book, you can do so from any bookshop, but why not support your local indie?
The top highlight of March though, amongst all these japes and capers, was actually nothing to do with either Double or Nothing or A Wild & True Relation. It was the opening of the Aesthetica Art Prize 2023 exhibit at York Art Gallery, where my sister Rosie is featured as a finalist for her installation The Seagrass Walk. As you’ll know by now, my sisterly pride runs high on any given Sunday, so to actually walk up to a major gallery and see this international prize that’s showing Rosie’s work plastered on the façade was SO exciting I spent the next hour telling people, ‘This is exciting, isn’t it? This is very exciting. Very, very exciting.’
Because, reader, it WAS VERY EXCITING. Not simply to see Rosie in her element with so many other brilliant artists, but to see her work curated so beautifully in this white cube; to see people gather in front of her video art and discuss it with huge gestures; to see her receive the recognition her extraordinary art deserves, as well as her courage, work ethic and dedication.
Rosie has always had this incredible quality of generosity when it comes to her art. When we were teenagers, she’d involve me and our friends in her photography projects. It was an extension of our imaginary games as kids and it kept us joined in wonder. Since those days, Rosie has turned mine and other writers’ stories into limited edition artist books; made me notebooks for my writing; crafted unique gifts for our family. But more than that, Rosie’s way of looking at the world is a gift, whether it’s through her sculpture, photography or book art; and in The Seagrass Walk, Rosie turned that gift into a celebration the ocean’s wonder plant.
Seagrass is a natural solution to carbon capture that’s currently one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Through Rosie’s eyes, you’ll experience the awe and wonder of these vital sea meadows. You can see the video art element of the installation at York Art Gallery now, and the installation as a whole – which combines the sound and light of this submerged world through sculpture, analogue underwater photography, underwater filming, and soundscape – at the National Aquarium in Plymouth. I quite literally couldn’t be prouder. I’m still buzzing. You can read about this very special night in Rosie’s own words over at her substack, A Nomadic Rose, where you can sign up for free or consider going paid to support Rosie’s beautiful and important work.
Looking ahead, April has some fantastic events scheduled for the 70th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, the book that started it all, Casino Royale – so watch this space for martinis and more.
In the meantime, I’m exploring ways to reignite and nourish my creativity. It’s funny – after a month of talking about writing for publicity, the less and less energy I have to actually write! Some ideas on how to reawaken your creativity are below for paid subscribers. And on that note, a big thank you to all those who came along to the Zoom Book Social for paid subscribers, it was so lovely to chat Bond, books and beyond with you all. If you’d like to become a paid subscriber to join the next Social, I’d love to see you there! I’m meeting so many fantastic writers on my book journey, I’m also exploring setting up some virtual events for paid subscribers – watch this space…
From Kim, With Love x
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