As the man turned to leave, he spoke in an injured tone. 'They were handmade in Portugal.'
'When I approached you to tell me about your boots, you didn't mention that interesting fact,' I replied.
'Well you never asked. Anyway, are you one of yon folk they call a shoe fetishist?'
Had I been younger, I might have started the conversation as a chat up line. Instead, I had to confess, 'No. I'm looking for inspiration to describe a villain who'll feature in a book that I'm planning and your fetish remark's just given me an idea that he might be one. Thanks.'
I was at Brodie Countryfare doing a book signing as part of their celebration of forty years in the business. It's always flattering to be invited but I have to confess to a certain ambivalence about book signings.
Some authors boast of long queues dying to have a word with their most favourite writer, but that's not my problem. An unbidden image of a broken down tart trying to flog her wares might be.
Still, I do meet lovely people and on my day there, Brodie Countryfare had more than its share of them and I did have a lovely time and when I came home was able to give my villain a beautifully coiffured head of luxuriant grey hair and a pair of brown suede boots so smart, they could have been handmade in Portugal.
I
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Meet Agnes, one of my lovely customers.
www.janeyeadon.co.uk
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