It might not feel quite like spring yet, however Wednesday 16th March saw myself and numerous other bloggers descending on the Simon & Schuster London headquarters for their annual Books and the City Spring Bloggers Event.
I had the fortune of attending the 2015 event (which was amazing!) and was hugely excited to be invited back this year.
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| SJV introducing the evening’s events! |
The evening started with fabulous talk and a Q&A with some very exciting authors who were showcasing their latest books – Holly Hepburn, Penny Parkes, Paige Toon and Juliet Ashton.
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| The fabulous panel of authors & the lovely Clare Hey |
First, we were treated to an exclusive reading from each of the authors.
· These Days of Ours by Juliet Ashton (released 1 March 2016) tells the story of childhood sweethearts, Kate and Charlie, and how their lives join, separate and intertwine over a period of 35 years, told by way of snapshots from a series of important milestones in their lives.
· Summer at the Starand Sixpenceby Holly Hepburn (released 25 April 2016) is the second in her series of novellas following sisters, Sam and Nessie, as they take over a rundown country pub inherited from their degenerate estranged father.
· The One We Fell inLove Withby Paige Toon (released 19 May 2016) tells the story of identical triplets, Phoebe, Eliza and Rose and their relationship(s) with boy next door, Angus. The one they all fell in love with…
· Out of Practice by Penny Parkes (released 28 July 2016) is her debut novel following Holly Graham, a GP who transfers to a large country medical practice which proves to be a hotbed of rivalry, resentment and romance.
After the readings, Clare Hey then proceeded with an interest Q&A session intended to tell us more about the books, the characters, themes and the authors’ inspiration when writing the novels.
After the authors talk, we were then sent off for a chat, some nibbles (including SJV’s favourite cheese straws!) and a glass of fizz before picking up a fantastic goody bag containing the books mentioned above and a sample from a new novel by US author, Georgia Clark, who had just flown in from Barcelona to join the party.
· The Regulars by Georgia Clark (released 11 August 2016) is her first adult novel and follows three best friends, Eva, Krista and Willow, struggling as twenty-somethings in NYC who are introduced to Pretty, a magic drug which gives the gift of beauty for one week. This gift comes with a dark side and begets the question – what would you sacrifice to be pretty?
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| The Goody Bags! |
After picking up our goody bags, and some additional books put out for us, we were able to have a chat with the authors and get our books signed, before some more fabulous cupcakes from Cakes and Doillies and a further chat with my fellow bloggers. It was great to run into Alba (@albainbookland), Annette (@AnnetteHannah), Rachel (@Gilbster1000), Rachel (@Raarchel), Julie (@JulieBoon), Rea (@bookreviewbyrea) and loads of other familiar faces (apologies to those not listed!).
So, all in all, another brilliant event and a massive thanks to SJV, Clare and the rest of the team at Books and the City and Simon and Schuster for a fantastic book-filled evening!
The Curious Ginger Cat 