An outing to the small Norfolk town of Diss this weekend to visit the bookshop there and sign copies of ‘Break Out’. The bookshop is situated at the ancient centre of the town and overlooks the mere. Not only does it have an excellent stock of books but also sells gifts and artists’ materials so there’s a real buzz about it. Dangerous for a reader like me to spend two hours there and, inevitably, I came away with yet more books to read, but it was a productive two hours and I spoke to children, parents and teachers, talked about ‘Break Out’ and signed and sold copies of the book. The local press came in to take photos, too, and the staff could not have been more welcoming and helpful. Friends dropped in towards the end of my session and we went off to one of the many local coffee shops and then had a wander round the mere and a look at some of the lovely old buildings in the town.

Thank you for inviting me, Diss Bookshop!