Husky Galore

Battersea is having a Literature Festival (name me a town that isn't), and one of the events on the programme was an Agent-Led Dog Walk at which, in return for a £5 donation to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, you could go on a group walk in the company of a literary agent and their dog.

Obviously this is the kind of thing I'd sign up for even without the added incentive of an agent, so I got my name on the list right away, and this morning I joined the other participants at the Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park.

We were introduced to the four dogs and their agents, and invited to choose our group. I went with Maisie, a medium-sized brown dog with setterish ears who had brought Jo Unwin, because she (Maisie) looked like the kind of high-energy dog I enjoy. Sure enough, I spent much of the next hour throwing an increasingly soggy and ruptured tennis ball, and remembering every now and then that I probably ought to be networking or something.

It was lovely to chat with other aspiring authors about our ambitions and works in progress, as well as a variety of other subjects including dogs, Classics, dogs, jobs, and dogs. Jo very fairly made time to talk to each of us individually, and we also sat down as a group to drink coffee, ask questions and receive advice (I tactically sat where I could receive a warm doggy shoulder against my back).

So, dear readers, did I go home inspired by this golden opportunity and get some writing, or even editing, done? Or did I wash my bike and make a date loaf? Take. A. Wild. Guess.