Last Sunday I finally got to do something I never thought would happen. I went to my local library in the heart of Fitzroy and talked about my book.

I spent quite a bit of time in Fitzroy Library while I was writing the book. For three years, I scoured the shelves (call sign 919, top right hand corner of the adult non-fiction section) for books that might teach me how to write a good travel memoir. I hid in the corrals when I needed a break from the internet/emails/phone calls and had to focus on my manuscript.

Before we left on our trip, I borrowed every one of their Harry Potter audio books (the Stephen Fry versions) and downloaded them onto our iPod. I began to talk about that on Sunday and suddenly realised that I didn’t know if that was legal. (The audience promised not to tell the librarians.)

And, well before that, the kids and I spent many mornings and afternoons at Fitzroy Library. We went to the weekly storytime sessions for years and then borrowed so many books that sometimes I struggled home under their weight.

I love my library.