This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
INTERVIEW BY AMANDA KEATS
Amanda: It’s always exciting times when Kirsty sends over invites to events and asks if you can go. Being the only Novelicious Londoner I tend to get dibs and it’s one of the greatest perks I could ask for. But this time, things were slightly different. We’ve been invited to drinks for a book launch ladies – Kirsty told us – oh and it’s for Jane Fallon… at the Ivy.
Hold up – the Ivy? To celebrate the launch of a book by the author who got me into chick-lit/women’s fiction with her brilliantly fun tale Foursome?! Oh and it doesn’t stop there folks… it’s just for bloggers.
You can imagine how long I spend deliberating whether or not I could attend.
Fab author – check.
Fab bloggers – check.
Free drinks at the Ivy – yeah you get my point.
Kira: Getting off the Tube at Leicester Square with it tipping down with rain, I stood there for a moment wondering where the hell I was meant to go. Being an out of towner I had absolutely no idea where The Ivy was so I went about asking every Londoner possible, then finding out I managed to ask people that weren’t even from the city, don’t ask me how I managed that but I did!
Amanda: It was lovely getting to meet two more Novelicious ladies on the night – the lovely Kira who made it in all the way from Reading and Anna (who had her Chick Lit Blog hat on for the night) who’d come in from Portsmouth.
So Anna and I made our way up the magical lift with an outward-opening door, trying to “blend in” and were greeted at the top by the lovely Helen from Penguin who took us through to meet the team. As introductions carried on, we reached the “Oh and this is Jane” moment.
Er hi? Yes, you’ve guessed it folks – we were the first to arrive!
Of course after my initial shell-shock at meeting the woman who started me in my Novelicious path to women’s literature, I realised of course that she is just like anybody else. She is a lovely, friendly person – who just happens to write books. We also discovered that this was going to be the only launch – so to speak – as Jane is not a big fan of big speeches. I suggested she write a speech and make somebody else read it. She started to think of her ideal A-lister…
Brilliant.
Kira: Upon finding The Ivy tucked down a side street, I politely asked the doorman if this was where the launch party for Jane Fallon was. He nodded and directed me to the most opulent lift I think I’ve ever seen, it was so fancy I didn’t even know which way the lift door opened, which was highly embarrassing for me. It’s not often small town Brummie girls get to visit The Ivy, so I was trying to be as classy as possible and look like I belonged there!
Once inside I met a few of the girls from Penguin and some lovely blogger people. It was so nice to meet people who I had so much in common with that I think I could have gladly stayed there all night chatting. Upon meeting Jane Fallon I found her to be lovely, down to earth and very easy to chat to. The party in itself felt very quaint and as there were a select few groups of people, it was easier to chat and get to know each other.
Amanda: I also got to chat to the lovely PR ladies at Penguin some more and learned that my review for one of their books had been discussed in their weekly meeting *blush*.
I love writing – whether it be stories, reviews, discussion topics or just general scribbles. But get me in a room with other bloggers, writers and avid readers and I am at my happiest. Everybody is the same. Everybody there loves books – simple. And getting to talk about them with others is almost as much fun as reading them.
Massive thanks to Penguin for sorting it out and getting us lowly bloggers out from behind our laptops for a night and actually meeting each other face to face. It was a delight!
Kira: On the whole my experience of The Ivy and of Jane herself was very memorable and one in which I’ll be regaling to anyone who will listen (the postman, bin man, customers at work-nobody is safe!)
Many thanks to Jane Fallon and the Penguin team for such a fantastic night.