Dear @edbookfest

Dearest darling Edinburgh International Book Festival / @edbookfest / #edbookfest,

I think I love you.

I’ve had a wonderful 3 weeks in Edinburgh, and a good portion of the credit must go to you. I’ve met some truly amazing world-class writers and readers who have talked, listened and played. Some of the writers have been heroes of mine for years. I felt so overwhelmed meeting Phillip Pullman that my hands shook and voice trembled. I never thought I would get to meet him! That would have been enough, more than enough, but there was lots more! So many generous, delightful people, like Alexander McCall Smith who shook hands with and chatted to everyone and Seamus Heaney who had the most glorious voice and smile. I could have listened to him for hours.

I chatted to strangers as we waited in line and met twitter friends for the first time. I sat in Charlotte Square Gardens and read my books and shifted my chair along with everyone else as we followed the path of the sun. I even visited the gardens on days when not attending any talks, just to sit in your ever-so-relaxing space and enjoy a good coffee.

Thank you for having good coffee!

While there I’ve developed fast crushes on boys ahead of me in line, boys in the audience, boys on stage – my kind of men – tall and slightly nerdy who (obviously) love to read and take delight in being there too.

I’ve spent evenings (for free!) at the Spiegeltent drinking (free!) Highland Park whisky, then buying some more because it was so damn good. You had some great musicians play there as well as fab talks, like Eli Horowitz talking to Ryan Van Winkle about McSweeny’s and ping pong while getting his head shaved. That was bloody awesome.

And the books – I’ve bought so many! But each one has that extra shine of having come from that place where I was surrounded by my kind of people.

Most of the time I’ve just felt happy and inspired and encouraged. What more could a girl ask for? Apart from one of those nerdy boys perhaps. Hmm. Best that it not be entirely perfect, yes? But it’s been a blast. I wish I could return every year but it’s an awfully long way and that ain’t going to happen. But I will return, I will. Someday. Until then, keep on being fantastic, ok?

Lots of love,

Francesca.