To Foyles tonight, to see Mark Billingham and Chris Brookmyre talk about their new books, and the other things that authors talk about at such events. It was an interesting experience.

I know Chris - this was the first time we’d met in years, but back when he was just an extremely promising author (rather than royally successful author) we both worked on the Edinburgh Evening News, and played football together. Well - he played football in what I recall to be a quite jinky way. I just tried to stop him.

Despite that, he graciously signed my copy of his new book tonight, and recalled my late-in-life conversion to the ways of diddy football teams through my adoption of Swindon Town. He’s a St Mirren fan - Swindon and the Saints share not dissimilar records of failure punctuated by intrusions of glory, although the Paisley side are on the up again now, while Town are plumbing new-ish depths. He’s had a wonderful season travelling around Scotland, visiting every away ground and managing to make the front of the Paisley local paper, dressed as Batman, for the final match. Of course.

It was fascinating to see the authors deal with the evening. You imagine being an author to be quite a solitary experience, but every year (or so) they have this scramble around the country dealing with large gatherings of very keen, very involved fans. The contrast between these two parts of their working lives must be huge.

Both dealt with the potentially awkward situation with aplomb, but I can’t help wonder if they get asked questions about their ideas (Billingham: “we just make shit up”) or how to get into writing (Brookmyre: “persevere”) at every stop. Then it’s back to the word processor, and it must be hard to not have the pleas of fans - for the return of particular characters, storylines or agendas - echoing in your mind as you take the huge plunge of launching into a new book. Remember: this is an 80,000 word, six month gamble of imagination that may - or may not - bear fruit. And your professional reputation hangs on it all. What voices in your head do you listen to?

One thing I had confirmed from the evening: Chris, on his perseverance theme, said everyone had a book in them, but fewer had a second in them when they realised, or were told, the first one was crap. He wrote three before getting his fourth accepted. The first three, he said, were him learning.

He learnt well. And Having read and admired both Billingham’s and Brookmyre’s work - indeed, been slightly in awe at the imagination and research of both - I still very much doubt I have the first book, let along the follow-ups.

I may be wrong, of course. If so, there’s the intro for my first unflattering review.

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