It began with a conversation at Lincoln’s Steampunk Festival over the August Bank Holiday 2018.  Steampunk fan Jo Portway, who was standing in a long queue, past the SS&M stand, for the stall next door (!), introduced herself as the head librarian at Chard Library, and asked if I gave ‘library talks’.

Because I owe such a massive debt of gratitude to libraries – I wouldn’t be typing this now if it hadn’t been for the Kensal Rise Library in north-west London, shaping my passion for books at a very early age – I happily agreed to visit Chard. I’m always keen to visit libraries, to bang on about their importance and field questions from the audience.

Photo ©Jo Portway

The stage is set…

​

Thanks to the creative industry of Jo and Debbie Grabham Ingham, the ‘library talk’ evolved into a ‘Steam, Smoke & Mirrors Murder Mystery Evening’, written by Jo and Debbie, with the proceeds going to the development of the library’s Wellbeing Zone.

Despite my advertised attendance, a capacity crowd of 60 citizens of Chard and the surrounding area packed into the library to polish their magnifying glasses, don their deerstalkers, and try to figure out ‘whodunnit’.