Well we’re almost there.

A flurry of last minute emails hither and yon. Can we get more Jon Snow titles ordered please?

Will somebody make sure food writer Sue Lawrence is fed and watered when she fetches up on Sunday morning after a two and a half hour drive?

Will it be handbags at dawn when Daryl and Celia slug it out over whether Chris's chocolate cake goes into the Green Room or the Café Bar?

Yes, yes I know. Book festivals are supposed to be literary affairs, but frankly their writ runs rather more widely these days.

So advance thanks to everyone who is making this coming weekend’s Cove and Kilcreggan Book Festival happen on time and on budget in Cove Burgh Hall.

One thing for sure – the audience will not run short of sustenance.

Not only is Rachel McCormack bringing whisky for a tasting and an alarming amount of free chocolate, but Uzma Mir-Young and sister Aasmah Mir are now turning up with a supply of home-cooked dahl and rice to let folks sample the secret of their Cracking Curries.

The combination may not quite cut it as a healthy diet, but just think of all the soul food on offer as well.