To celebrate the publication of the second novel in the Teifi Valley Coroner series – In Two Minds – in May and to contribute a bit of a Welsh flavour to National Crime Reading Month (you did know that May is National Crime Reading Month, right?) I am proposing a tour of every independent bookshop in Wales. During the tour I will offer to sign books, speak about my work, run book group discussions, or anything else (within reason!) that bookshop owners imagine that their customers would welcome.
As far as I know, a tour of every one of Wales’s indy bookshops has never been attempted before and I’m hoping that as many bookshops as possible will get behind the event. The event is designed not just to promote my own writing but to make Welsh crime writing collective Crime Cymru known throughout the country and to promote and celebrate the work of independent bookshops.
My publisher, The Dome Press, is backing me and helping with admin, promotional materials and letter distribution. I’ve written to the Welsh Books Council and Literature Wales to see if they’ll support me. And the Guardian (see my Facebook Author page). All being well, letters will go out next week, giving details of the event and inviting each bookshop to take part.
So far, I have a list of 28 indy bookshops in Wales that sell new books. If anybody reading this is knows of any bookshop in Wales please can you leave the name in a comment below so that I can make sure I’ve got them on my list already. There may be some I haven’t identified, and I’d hate for anybody to miss out just because I haven’t been able to devote sufficient evenings to tracking down bookshops on the net.
So, that’s my big news for 2019. I’m both excited and terrified. Excited because this might catch the imagination of the media, both social and otherwise and make the whole enterprise really worthwhile for all concerned. Terrified because, by the same token, it might not!
Watch this space – and my Facebook Author page – for developments.
Alis Hawkins 
Do you have Great Oak Books in Llanidloes on your list, please?
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I do Pam – of you go to the events page on my website you’ll see I’m the on May the 4th from 10.30 till about midday. Hope to see you there!
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Penrallt in Machynlleth?
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Diolch yn fawr, Wini, oedden i heb wedi darganfod y siop lyfrau yma! Thank you very much, Wini – The Penrallt wasn’t on my list – just goes to show you can’t trust Google for everything!!
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Siop fach hyfryd yn cefnogi digwyddiadau yn Gymraeg a Saesneg
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This is wonderful! I hope I am close enough to be able to get to one ! Octavo in Cardiff maybe? I am sure better minds than me can think of indie bookstores!
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Hi Rachel – thanks for your comment and I hope to see you at one of the events in Cardiff. As soon as I know where the events will be and when I’ll put them here and on my facebook page – Alis Hawkins Author – and twitter – @Alis_Hawkins.
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Are Griffin Books in Penarth on your list?
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They certainly are! Thanks for checking 🙂
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When will you be there – do you know yet? I’d love to come along
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Sorry, replies don’t seem to have been appearing in the right place! Details aren’t yet sorted but as soon as I have any kind of timetable, I’ll post it on the Events page here and on my FB page – Alis Hawkins Author. But Cardiff is scheduled for the week beginning 20th May so I’d hope to be at Griffin one day that week if they are interested in an event at the shop.
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Great, I’ll make a note of it and watch out for the announcement
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