Many of those coming to get their books signed showed photos of their own holiday visits to Perigord. Some even had pictures of themselves with my friend Pierrot, our own policeman, who inspired the idea of mystery novels set in the Perigord and featuring a charming village policeman who loves to cook.
The German-speaking world is heaven for writers; people love books, enjoy coming to readings and enjoy hearing stories of life and food and wine in the Perigord. And the booksellers are very imaginative. Many evenings involved a culinary reading around a 3 or 4 or even 5 course dinner, usually based on Perigord recipes from my cookbook.
Because they now know my fondness for fresh Spargel, asparagus, many evenings feature a dish of white Spargel, Hollandaise sauce, new potatoes and a glass of dry Riesling. May is Spargel season in Germany, which is another good reason for making May my month for a reading tour.