There was a library in Syracuse…
Rosamond Gifford was the only child of a wealthy lawyer, who inherited a fortune in 1917, invested it with care, and left a greater fortune when she died in 1953. The first grant of the Rosamond Gifford Trust was a set of incubators for premature babies; her most recent grant brought me to Syracuse to talk to, and about, libraries.
Because of the size of this country, I had to fly in yesterday in order to give a talk tonight. And because I hate to spend a library’s money without getting the most for it, I offered to do something else for their fee than just the evening’s lecture.
Which meant that today I spent my lunch hour schmoozing with librarians, an informal event that didn’t interfere with the evening do, and gave a group of library workers an author to talk to for a while.
An hour of mutual admiration ensued. And for once, I was glad that the country takes an entire day to cross.
Well done you! Librarians are special people and books are magic. Here in Blighty (the UK) many of our local municipal libraries are under threat of closure as part of the budget reduction process. It was courtesy of my local library that I discovered Mary Russell, although to be fair it was the cover artwork to God of the Hive, which featured a Handley Page HP42 Heracles airliner of the mid-1930s … sadly not the type in the story … that got me flicking the pages and becoming engrossed.
Yes – I know – I’m an Aeroplane Anorak but I’ve always enjoyed Holmes. Now here’s a question – who would you cast as MR in a movie version and who would you cast as Holmes?
Thanks so much for visiting us on “Bridge Street” during your stop in Syracuse. We got terrific response from viewers and crew alike… and enjoyed talking with you. Hope you had a great trip east.
You were wonderful last night. I enjoyed every minute. Thanks.
Teresa
I was there last night, Ms. King, and enjoyed it tremendously. I am a Mary Russell fan (have read them all). The question I was going to ask last night (I was way up on top) was: when you wrote The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, did you already know that Mary and Sherlock would marry?