Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm - Book 4 in the series, a look at Chapter 10 and 'The Enormous Moustache'

The Enormous Moustache
Chapter 10 in BOOK 4 'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm' - 'The Enormous Moustache'.

'When Nora began down the hill after parking her car the next day she almost fell over with mixed bafflement and mirth. Filling up a large part of the castle wall that ran towards the gate she and Humphrey had used to visit the Duke’s library was a huge moustache. It had been fixed there as a work of art, made out of willow sticks.'

I had some fun writing this chapter which takes place during the week of Castletown's Summer Festival and the 'Art Trail'. I was able to include a particularly amazing piece of art that has appeared in the town - an enormous moustache.

The actual moustache currently in Arundel for the Gallery Trail is the work of Environmental artists Mark and Rebecca Ford from West Sussex (my home county). I think it is fantastic and loved seeing it arrive in Arundel. It simply had to appear in my novel and as I was completing the end of my book for summer I was able to include a mention of it and even named Chapter 10 after it.

Although it has now been five years since working in Arundel where I ran a secondhand bookshop for ten years, I am able to visit the real town regularly. My cousin still works in the bookshop there so it's fun to catch up with him and glean numerous new bookshop stories and events. Arundel and the bookshop have changed a lot since my days but I like to spot amusing and interesting things to include in my novels whenever I visit. Of course, I always exaggerate them or change them into humorous events and situations, drawing upon my own archive of bookshop and town memories too.

It is true that it is easier to write what you know, and for the most past I have kept a similar layout in my fictional town in my novels to the layout of the town of Arundel. This means I can easily wander through familiar streets and roads as I write, seeing it all clearly in my mind's eye. I have of course fictionalized and changed/created houses, people, customers and characters, occasionally drawing upon situations and events that actually occurred and transforming them into fictional stories. It is very different now and many of the shops and people that were there when I worked in Arundel have gone.

In Book 4, Nora Jolly, my protagonist, has moved into a flat above a new fudge shop at the top of the steep street. It would be located further down on the right where the castle walls end in the picture above. So Nora Jolly has a good view of the enormous moustache that has appeared overnight when she steps out of her front door!

Arundel festival takes place this year between Saturday 18th-Monday 27th August 2018. While I have completed my fourth novel 'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm' which draws upon ten years worth of festival events I may go along to soak up some of the atmosphere for future writing as I am sure there are plenty of interesting and eccentric things occurring that will always make for a good story!

In chapter 10 of my novel I was pleased to be able to remember a former work colleague at the bookshop, Jason Hill, who was killed in February this year at the Grand Canyon with his brother in a helicopter accident. I worked with Jason for several years and we worked together during the summer holidays he had off from college. Jason's is the only real name and similar character I have included in my novels because I wanted to remember him in my writing. He was a really nice young man, polite, hard-working and very funny. I have dedicated this novel to the memory of Jason Hill.

In 'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm', as well as the art work of the enormous moustache, a man arrives at the bookshop with his own enormous moustache and causes a bit of a stir. Here is a teaser excerpt from later on in the chapter:

Two men entered the shop, one wearing a neat, black bowler hat, the other with a moustache similar to the one on the castle wall. They both headed for the window.

"There’s a book in your window. Can I have a look?” Moustache-man asked.

“I’d like to look at a book from the window too.” Bowler-hat man said.

Nora left the counter to oblige, noticing a band setting up in the square through the windows. As she passed Flohchen he growled at her. She yelped and darted aside, causing Jason to snigger over the till as he counted out the lady’s change.

“What books are they?” Nora asked the two men.

“Nan Shan and Port Arthur by Trekyakov.” They said in unison.

Nora stared.

“I saw it first!” Bowler-hat man said.

“Excuse me, but I saw it first!” Moustache-man said.

“I beg to differ. I was looking at it for at least five minutes outside, making my decision.”

“My decision was made before I came into town. I saw it in the window last night.”

“I saw it last week!”

Both men were lying because Jason had only put the faded, cloth bound book in the window about an hour ago.

“Gentleman, gentleman!” Nora interrupted, glancing about her as other customers stared. “We are adults here.”

“Obviously this man isn’t.” Bowler-hat man said rudely. “I require the book for research.”

“I require it for my collection!” Moustache-man snapped.

Bowler-hat man reached for the book through the shelving. Moustache-man did the same. There was a shuffling, scuffling sound as they both attempted to grab the book. Several tomes went flying and the pyramid of mugs crashed as it collapsed again. Nora groaned.

“Really!” A woman tutted and left, shaking her head.

Two men hastily headed through the walkway into the back, glancing warily back.

“I say!” An old woman disapproved, leaving quickly.

“The book is mine!” Bowler-hat man shouted.

“I saw it first!”

Read more in 'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm' - book 4 in The Secondhand Bookworm series of novels available on Amazon Kindle and in paperback.

'Summer at The Secondhand Bookworm' is available to read on Amazon Kindle and is coming soon to paperback! Start the series today. The novels are based upon my ten years experience working in and managing a secondhand bookshop in Arundel. I started the series in 2008 for fun, writing two novels for my book colleague which were a great success. A couple of years ago I decided to rewrite the first volumes and continue with the planned series so as to make them available on Amazon Kindle. So far I have four in the series and am currently working on book 5.