I was delighted to be invited to do a five minute turn at the Bardaid Literary Festival a couple of weeks ago. Having seen the professional speakers who preceded me, I was tempted to turn tail and run away. My husband confessed afterwards that he felt the same way. His exact thoughts were - how on earth is Loretta going to follow these? Some of the authors who also had turns afterwards felt much the same. Doing a quick turn is one thing, following the professionals, quite another.

Anyway, I stiffened my spine and waited my turn, not quite consumed with nerves. I could do this - I hoped. The wonderful Poeterry introduced me, his waistcoat a feast for the eyes, and it was too late to run away. And, I don't think I did too badly. My husband was kind enough to record me on his mobile. The quality is not good but if you'd like to see how I got on, here's the link to YouTube: https://youtu.be/pMmuBeEuyrk