Amethyst Pledge is due for release on the 17th of April. I was going to have a lovely affair down at Double Picc, one of our local cafes where I often sit to write, involving coffee, snacks and book signings.

This is looking incredibly unlikely right now.

We’re not ‘locked down’ as such (although I suspect it might be ‘watch this space’), but we have new COVID-19 guidelines for gatherings under 100 people which I cannot see being lifted for weeks, or even months at this point. And of course, practicing social/physical distancing makes things incredibly difficult.

So, new plan. Probably. Most likely, anyway.

I’ve just signed up to Zoom. There’s four weeks last Friday to the official launch date, and somehow we’ll try and do this thing online. I’m sure we can be creative enough, and I reckon we’ll all need a non-COVID-19 moment, even if it’s virtual. Besides….BOOKS!

We’ve been chatting to Simon from Double Picc, so working on the premise that we can’t do a physical book launch, we’ll be arranging Double Picc vouchers instead, for those who would have attended and bought books.

We live in a small town. Our businesses are precious to us. We have a launch budget, so we’ll still spend it. Can I encourage us all to continue to try and do this in some way, shape or form?

Details will follow as we figure them out!