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To the Wivenhoe Bookshop! …early on Thursday evening for the hyperlocal launch of the latest publication from Mr Mule. The Stars on a Tray is a selection of writings from the award winning Saturday column in the East Anglian Daily Times.

Wivenhoe is without a doubt the centre of the East Anglian hyperlocal universe. Which much make the Bookshop the epicentre of literary activity for the region. Thursday was the Wivenhoe thing; Friday and Mr Mule takes the roadshow down the road to the Golden Goose of firstsite in Sunny Colch.

The world tour then commences.

Only joking…

It was very much an intimate Wivenhoe moment on Thursday. With bruising estuary skies and the first aroma of log fires loitering over the air, I was pleased to be packed into the backroom of the Bookshop for a publishing parlour game of There Were Fifty in the Bed and the Little One Said…

Do move along dear, there’s room – just – for another lover of estuary verse.

The Stars on a Tray were complemented by cheese on a stick. And booze. It became clear shortly after 6:30 that Wivenhoe loves a good book launch. Or even a late, late, liquid lunch.

It wasn’t just the early sitting for the pub participants either that had come out to support Mr Mule. Martin’s career and reputation spans many styles, and often what seems like different worlds altogether.

It was rather wonderful to find at a literary launch a couple of fifth generation glam kids, making the journey all the way from Liverpool Street to enjoy the latest work of the lead singer from Colchester’s finest glam band from way, way back in the day.

The Glam Kids were welcomed into the Bookshop, as they had been at the Rose & Crown and elsewhere throughout the afternoon. Mr Mule may have long since stopped putting on the silver spandex and eyeliner, but his back catalogue can’t escape him.

Glam and cheese on a stick in a tin foil potato – I think I’ve just created my own sub-Glam music and mouth-watering North Essex scene, pop kids.

But back to the book…

The Stars on a Tray is the first publication of Autumn Girl Publishing. This is a new Wivenhoe venture, backed by Hilary Lazell, with the aim of promoting much of the fine written work that is produced around these North Essex Estuary parts.

Regular readers of Mr Mule’s fine Saturday column will be aware of the depth and randomness of the local observations. Complimenting this is the fine illustrations from Autumn Girl, giving The Stars on a Tray very much a local visual feel.

A couple of white wines were sunk to calm the nerves after seeing off the threat of a Glam revival in Wivenhoe, and then Mr Mule did the book launch thing in delivering an anti-book launch address, with a reading that mocked the traditional book bore circuit.

Conversations followed, books were bought. Autumn Girl has managed to set up an impressive distribution chain. But when in Wivenhoe, it makes sense of course to purchase your copy from the Wivenhoe Bookshop.

The after show party predictably retired to The Greyhound, gatecrashing the regular Thursday evening pub quiz that was occupying the front saloon.

Sample question:

Which short lived early ’70 music genre would start off by causing a run on supplies of bacon foil and eyeliner, but would go on to produce one of the leading writers of local verse and East Anglian observations?

Um…

Would that be the Great Bentley R & B revival of ’71?