On Thursday night last week, The Shining Girls did not win the Gold Dagger for Best Thriller in the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards. That honour was taken by Mick Herron, for his “wickedly clever send-up of the classic British spy novel”, Dead Lions, which sounds terrific, and he’s supposed to be very charming and lovely himself.
I did get to have a great night out with my publisher, my agent and my husband, scored a free pair of hipster-y frames, and I got a huge hug from Idris Elba, who was with me in the cool collective of lovely people who also did not win that night, along with Megan Abbott and Andrew Taylor, among personal favourite talents.
I also got subjected to a terrifying wall of paparazzi calling out my name on the black carpet, just like a real writer. (Wait, whaddaya mean that’s not what real writers do?)
Here’s one of those photographs by Keith Mayhew, who has given me permission to use it for my blog. (ie. Please don’t repost or use without express permission from Keith).
Going through my head at this precise moment: ohgodohgod-posturedammitlauren-ohgod-somanyflashinglights-ohgod-smile-likeyoumeanit-ohgod-getmeouttahere-aaaieeeeee
