Author’s perks. What better excuse to visit a warm and welcoming independent bookshop than when they ask you to pop in and autograph a batch of copies?
Yes, that is a real fire.
Broadhursts bookshop in Southport is my guilty pleasure. As a child, I would be sent there by various enlightened teachers whenever a good book needed to be found. I still have two poetry anthologies I chose there as school prizes.
As well as a wonderfully curated selection of new books on the ground floor, there is a maze of rooms above jam packed with thousands of second hand titles.
We travelled up in the car. Last time I visited it was a struggle to carry all the books I ended up with. My shoulders ached for days after the train journey.
On this visit, my husband picked up a forty-year-old motorcycle servicing manual perfect for the restoration project he is working on. And I bought a gorgeous Moomin-themed magnetic notebook.
When I became a published author, Broadhursts was one of the first places to stock Rockstar Ending. I will never forget them for taking a chance on me. There it is, peeping out of the scifi section.
