Posted by: Alexander McCall Smith - author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

Early winter is my favourite season, particularly if the sky is clear and the air sharp. Those are the sort of conditions we have been enjoying in Scotland recently - and I have found it ideal writing weather. So I have now finished volume ten of the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which rejoices under the title of Tea Time for the Traditionally Built. I finished it last Tuesday, when I wrote the final words: ’ … the lovely smell of rain.’ That was it. There then followed a few telephone calls: to Richard Beswick, my editor in London; and Edward Kastenmeier, my editor in New York; and to my agents, Caroline Walsh and Robin Straus in London and New York respectively. These are all people who have been intimately involved in the Mma Ramotswe books. And there are others: Diane Martin of Random House Canada, Neville Moir of Polygon in Edinburgh and Rowan Cope of Little, Brown have also played a major part in the publishing of these books. Others who play a big role are: my assistant, Lesley Winton; Jan Rutherford, who is my publicist and press agent in Edinburgh; Bobby Nayyar, who looks after this newsletter and a whole lot of other things in London; and Michiko Clark and Russell Perrault, in New York. (I could mention many other names, but this list is getting a bit long and those not mentioned will know how much I appreciate them too!) In a way, it’s a bit of an extended family, with you, the readers, ultimately being the most important members of the family. Obviously I cannot be in touch with everyone, but I must say that little gives me more pleasure than to hear from people who read the Mma Ramotswe books and the books in my other series.

In Edinburgh we had the launch of my new novel, La’s Orchestra Saves the World. It was a wonderful affair, held in the Queen’s Hall, with about six hundred people present. The Really Terrible Orchestra played a selection of pieces from the era in which the novel is set, and their rendition of ‘In the Mood’ brought tears (of laughter) to many eyes. The trumpet section did its best, as usual, but … A donation was made to the Gurkha Welfare Trust, which was received by a tremendously smart Gurkha officer who marched into the hall in full dress uniform to accept the cheque. He was in fact the Queen’s Gurkha Orderly Officer, sent specially for the occasion, and so it was a great honour. We also had another charity represented, Sistema Scotland, which has set up an orchestra for children on a housing estate where there is a certain amount of need. This orchestra sent a group of its very small players (they are aged about seven) who enjoyed themselves greatly playing a little of what they had learned. Sistema Scotland has been strongly supported by my friend Peter Stevenson, who appears - as himself - in the Isabel Dalhousie novels.

What’s next? Corduroy Mansions is still running in the electronic edition of the Telegraph. In January I go to India to appear at the Kolkata Book Fair and to deliver lectures at the University of Kolkata. Then on to Australia and New Zealand - the details of the events there are set out below. In February Abacus brings out the paperback edition of The Miracle at Speedy Motors.

I’m very much looking forward to one event in particular - the one that will take place on April 1 in the Town Hall, New York. Those of you reading this who live in that part of the United States (or indeed elsewhere) may wish to come along and hear that extraordinary orchestra, the Really Terrible Orchestra (RTO). I shall be talking about the books as well and I do hope that it will be an enjoyable evening. Quite a few people are travelling over from the UK to attend this event, so if you feel like splashing out and treating yourselves to a short spring break in New York …

It is almost Christmas, of course, and I would like to wish you a Happy Christmas and a very good New Year. I hope that we shall have the chance to meet at one of my events in 2009, but if we do not, we shall still be in touch through my newsletter and through the books. Thank you very much for your support over the past year.

Warmest wishes,
Alexander McCall Smith

Posted by: Alexander McCall Smith - Author of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

This is Part 2 of Alexander McCall Smith’s March newsletter. You can catch up with Part 1 here.

The main book news is that volume nine in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series has now been published in the UK (and in some other countries, including Australia) and will shortly be published in the USA and Canada. The Miracle at Speedy Motors takes us back to the everyday world of Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi. There are anonymous letters flying around, and there will be no prizes for guessing who is writing them. And Mr J. L. B. Matekoni gets an idea into his head again — but Mma Ramotswe is, as usual, tolerant and understanding. Mma Makutsi continues to be engaged to Mr Phuti Radiphuti (when will they get married?).

While Mma Ramotswe leads her eventful life in Gaborone, I lead my own life here in Scotland. I am currently working on volume five in the Isabel Dalhousie series, and hope to finish that novel shortly after Easter. Volume five of the Scotland Street series has also just been finished, and will be published in hardback in the UK in July under the title The Unbearable Lightness of Scones.

In April I go to the USA for a lengthy tour (the details of which are set out below). I have just completed a German tour for my German publishers, in which I went to Munich, Berlin, Hamburg and Leipzig. Readers of the von Igelfeld series may be interested to know that in Hamburg I visited my old friend, Professor Dr Dr (honoris causa) (mult) Reinhard Zimmermann, who plays a part — as himself — in the books.

I also recently visited Paris and Madrid. In Paris I gave a talk at the American School and also in the residence of the American Ambassador. The Paris trip was organised by my American lecture agent, Steven Barclay, who does a lot to support the American School. He hosted a dinner for my wife and me, my New York agent, Robin Straus and her husband, Joseph Kanon (the novelist) and David Sedaris. Those of you who are not familiar with David’s work should look into it — he is very, very funny, even if his humour sometimes requires a strong stomach (he tells very funny stories about boils and other human difficulties).

I shall be in Botswana in June. I am involved in the setting up of a very small opera house there — the No. 1 Ladies’ Opera House. I shall write more about that in the next newsletter — in the meantime, I send you my warmest best wishes. And I hope that you enjoy The Miracle at Speedy Motors.

Posted by: Alexander McCall Smith - Author of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

This is an excerpt from Alexander McCall Smith’s newsletter. You can visit his website here.

Last night I went to the premiere showing in London of the film version of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. It was a bitter-sweet occasion: that very morning the director of the film, Anthony Minghella, that good and kind man, died in hospital from complications following an operation. We were all shocked by this sad news: Minghella was the United Kingdom’s most distinguished film director and The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is now his last film.

As I am sure you can imagine, I felt very sad. Anthony had been planning for years to make the film. I had complete confidence in him — indeed, I counted myself most fortunate that it was he who was going to make the film. And now this. And yet we must remind ourselves that the film he has made is a wonderful, joyous hymn of praise to Botswana and to Mma Ramotswe. Everything in it is perfect. The actors and actresses are just right: wait until you see Mma Ramotswe, Mr J. L. B. Matekoni and Mma Makutsi — each one of them is just exactly as he or she should be! And the whole film is permeated by love. The film is a stand-alone feature film that was designed to set up a subsequent television series. It will be shown on television stations throughout the world, but may also be shown in some theatres. We await news on that. But there is very important news on the television front: HBO in the United States and the BBC in the UK have teamed up to commission a thirteen-part television series which will start to be filmed in mid- to late-2008 and will be shown in the USA, the UK and throughout the world in early 2009. This is wonderful news indeed, and it came in time for Anthony Minghella to enjoy it. (I am not sure, by the way, when the film will be shown in the USA: I think that it will be shown by HBO closer to the time that they begin the series.) Anthony Minghella was a great man who brought happiness and a very humane vision to this world. I feel very happy that he loved Mma Ramotswe, and I know that she would have loved him.

Posted by: Alexander McCall Smith - Author of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

Here is the final excerpt from Alexander McCall Smith’s latest newsletter, with some updates on his latest projects.

During February, Scottish Opera will be performing part of the opera on which I have been working with Stephen Deazley, a composer, and Ben Twist, a dramatist. This will be part of a programme they are doing in which they are performing several works in progress, one of them being ours. It is based on my book Dream Angus. Also in February, I am going to Paris for a few days to do an event at the American School there. This has been arranged by my lecture agent in the USA, Steven Barclay, who has a strong connection with that school. Steven is great company and I look forward to being in Paris as his guest. I then go for a few days to Spain to do press interviews for my Spanish-language publishers.

In February the UK paperback edition of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive will be published. March sees the publication in the UK and elsewhere of the next Mma Ramotswe book, The Miracle at Speedy Motors, which will come out in the USA and Canada in April. In March I shall be doing a number of events in the UK and a tour of Germany for my German publishers. The details of these events will be on the website. In April I look forward to a major American tour, starting in New York and heading off in every direction thereafter. Those tours are pretty tiring, as they take me across the entire country and involve numerous flights. But they are really rewarding too, as they give me the opportunity to meet many readers of the books and I count that as a great privilege. Indeed I am very much aware of the fact that these books have given me a very great privilege in this life—that of being part of a prolonged conversation with many people throughout the world. Not a day goes past but that I think about the pleasure that that has brought me and how fortunate I am to have had that opportunity. So thank you for that. Thank you.

Finally: news of the film. It is now fully edited—the music put in etc. I have not yet seen it, but am told that it is stunning (I have seen a few excerpts). Jill Scott, who plays Mma Ramostwe, has done a really great job, as have the other actors. We will let you know when we have concrete news of when it can be seen.

Alexander McCall Smith

Posted by: Alexander McCall Smith - Author of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

This is the third of a series of excerpts from Alexander McCall Smith’s newsletter. We’re rejoining him in Sri Lanka.

My wife and I also went to lunch with Geoffrey Dobbs on the tiny island that he has about twenty yards off the beach. You wade to it and are presented with a towel when you arrive on the other side. Geoffrey explained to me that when the tsunami hit he was actually swimming in the sea off the island. He was swept away, but a fisherman threw him a line eventually and he lived to tell the tale.

Back to Scotland for a week and then, I’m afraid, I set off again, this time to Florida, to carry out two public events. The first of these was in Lakeland, which is an attractive town near Tampa. I spoke at Florida Southern College there, and signed books afterwards. As always in the United States, I encountered great kindness and generosity, and had a very enjoyable dinner in an ancient Mexican restaurant with two professors of English, Mary Pharr and her husband Donald. They are close readers of the Scotland Street series and we got on extremely well.

On to Palm Beach, where I addressed the Four Arts Society and did a signing. Palm Beach is quite a place—very fashionable indeed, and I am happy to report that the ladies there do a good line in very large hats. I had lunch with the Director and the Librarian from the Society and at a neighbouring table there was a Palm Beach lady wearing a hat which was as large as the table at which she was sitting. Again the warmth and kindness of the audience was remarkable.

Now I am back in Scotland and hard at work again on the Isabel Dalhousie novel. In fact, it’s going very well and I hope to finish it this month. I have just written a scene in which Eddie, Cat’s assistant at the delicatessen, has tried out his newly acquired skills as hypnotist on Jamie—with unexpected results. Sometimes when I am writing I find that I burst out laughing. It must sound rather sinister to anybody else in the house to hear laughter coming from a room containing only one person.

Scotland Street is also going well. I should finish volume five in that series this month. Poor Bertie. His mother has arranged psychotherapy with a new psychotherapist and is also going to go to cub scout camp with him. Matthew and Elspeth Harmony are back from their honeymoon in Australia, and Domenica has recovered the stolen Spode tea cup from her neighbour’s flat (there is, however a complication in that plot-line.)

Posted by: Alexander McCall Smith - Author of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

We left Alexander McCall Smith last week in Sri Lanka—this week we’re catching up with him at the Galle Literary Festival.

The Galle Literary Festival was founded by a very good man called Geoffrey Dobbs. Geoffrey spent much of his business career in Hong Kong before he ended up in Sri Lanka, where he set up a number of hotels. When the tsunami hit Sri Lanka he devoted a great deal of his time and energy to setting up a charity to help get the Galle region back on its feet, and he has done great and good work in that respect. He has been tireless in working for the benefit of people who lost everything in that disaster, and he is much appreciated in the country as a result.

But he is not one to sit about and, as well as being one of the inventors of the new sport of elephant polo, he decided that a literary festival would not only draw visitors to the region and help out in that way but that it would add substantially to the cultural life of Sri Lanka. And it has done exactly that. It is one of the most enjoyable literary festivals I have ever attended and I can thoroughly recommend to anybody who wants to spend a holiday in that part of the world to go to the festival as part of the trip. The next one will be in January 2009: details will be available on their website.

Who was there? As well as major figures from Sri Lanka, which has a lively literary tradition, international visitors included Gore Vidal, William Dalrymple (a friend of mine who writes books on Indian history) and Vikram Seth (with whom I share an editor in London). There were several remarkable parties and—this being a very important feature of the festival—a number of lunches and dinners where readers could choose to sit down to a meal with the writer of their choice. Those were wonderful, as they gave everybody a chance to meet a writer whose work they were interested in. I had an extremely enjoyable dinner attended by about sixty people, where I was able to speak personally to everybody and where we were treated to a superb meal by a famous Australian chef.

Posted by: Alexander McCall Smith - Author of The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

This is the first of a series of excerpts from Alexander McCall Smith’s newsletter. You can also visit his website, here.

January and February are months that I devote to writing and try to ensure that I have as few disturbances as possible. In theory. In practice, although this is a relatively quiet period, I have found that there have been several diversions, with more to come. Fortunately the business of finishing the next Isabel Dalhousie novel is going well, in spite of various other commitments.

The first of these was a trip to Sri Lanka to attend the second Galle Literary Festival. I have never been to Sri Lanka before, although I have been several times to India and have visited a number of other countries in the region. (Thailand and Singapore are both favourites of mine.) So the invitation to speak at the Galle Festival was one I was very keen to accept, even if it did fall in what should be a quiet period at home. I justified the whole thing to myself by saying that I would spend ten days writing there before the festival itself started, and that is, in fact, what I did. My wife and I established ourselves in a small, quiet hotel in the Old Fort at Galle (the Galle Fort Hotel) and every morning I wrote about Isabel Dalhousie while my wife read, swam, and saw the sights.

Sri Lanka is a gem of a country. We were in the southern part and did not visit the central area, which is hilly and where much of the tea is grown. That we shall do on our next visit—and I certainly intend to go back. Galle itself is a very old town that used to be a Portuguese and Dutch settlement before the British occupied it. These layers of history are all still in evidence, and one still comes across Portuguese and Dutch names in contemporary Sri Lankan families. The people, by the way, are particularly charming and make the visitor feel exceptionally welcome. It is a lovely place to visit, my only note of caution being this: you will not be able to visit the north and north-east until the tragic war which has simmered away there for so many years is finally brought to an end. The people I spoke to about this seemed to be universally distressed and despondent that the hostilities are proving so long-lived, and they all expressed anxiety about the ending of the ceasefire.