Some are attending because they are genuine readers and hope to be writers one day, while others are just (to use the youthspeak of the day) CV-slutting. That is, they are volunteering because they want a certificate or a letter of recco from the litfest organisers to pad up their curriculum vitae or their LinkedIn bio.
All of these younglings had only one thing to say to me. 'Your books are unreal. Your romance is like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy and the G spot. It doesn't f*^%$ing exist! You and your ilk have ruined my life by setting unrealistic expectations.
Now, taken in the right spirit (I was taking vodka) this was a great conversation-opener. So I waded right in with, 'Okay, if we're talking unrealistic expectations, then what about porn? Isn't that unrealistic?' Things got suddenly and surprisingly serious after that.
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