My Magic Moment of 2006

With the media awash with all kinds of lists for 2006 I thought I’d restrict myself to a single ‘best of’ moment – the first night of my US book tour in Washington back in May.

I was staying in the Hotel Helix, a funky, tacky, retro kind of place that was full of college kids celebrating the end of another academic year by playing Safety Dance by Men Without Hats. It was warm and humid and when I went out for dinner with my publisher, Lori, the streets were crackling with energy.

I was buzzing too. I’d never been to DC before and I was so excited and nervous about being published in the States for the very first time that I promptly lost my pass to the BEA book fair.

I ended the night back in my room, kicking back on the veranda with a cold beer from the bar fridge listening to Up Against The Legends (by The Legends). I’d ordered it through Amazon.com and had it delivered to my publisher’s address. It was the first time I’d listened to the album but the optimism of the sound and the lyrics captured the mood of the night so perfectly I almost cried.

I’m hoping there’s a whole lot more of those kind of moments in 2007.

(Have a listen to ‘Kids Just Wanna Have Fun’ here on Last FM)