I was asked to write an Opinion piece for the Observer about reaction to the publication of The Day that Went Missing, including my own reaction to having written a memoir. How does it feel once it's out there? What was the point? 'Now I’m faced with the question of what happens next. What is a memoir actually for? There seems to be a lot of memoir about, but I can only speak for myself and wordsearching the typescript I discover the book contains 434 instances of the word Nicholas or variants. I have filled the pages with Nicky, with Nick-Nack, Nickelpin, Pinwin, all my brother’s various rescued nicknames. His solo photograph in beach-tinted Kodacolor is bold on a hardback

I'll be on the island of Guernsey for the weekend in May of the literary festival. On the Friday I'm talking about my new book The Day That Went Missing, while on the Saturday I'll be doing my Public Edit on two prose submissions picked at random from members of the audience. The details of how to submit are on the GLF website, as is the full programme, including my attempt to keep a panel of amateur cricketing writers in order on the Sunday. The Authors CC cricket club will also be playing two games of cricket against tough local opposition - no doubt to provide material for epic sagas yet to be written.