Alba in bookland: Book Event

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Spring Blogger Evening, organised by Books and the City. I'd attended a couple of their events so I knew it is always a great opportunity to hear about new books, chat with authors and bloggers and of course, eat all the cupcakes, but what made this event so special was the panel of authors. There were 10 authors invited! It was amazing to hear really well-known authors talk about their new books but also discover new talents and their debuts.

The first thing that caught my attention when I first arrived at the brand new offices of Simon & Schuster were the beautiful cupcakes. Restoration Cakes had designed a cupcake for each book and they really looked like a work or art.

The event was chaired by editor Jo Dickinson and she had the most interesting questions for our authors. Here's a little information in each of the 10 books presented:

Random Acts of Kindness - Part 3: Crossroads by Victoria Walters

Victoria Walkers' new book is a serialised enovel and Crossroads (the third installment) is out on April 2nd. This story is all about kindness and during her turn, Victoria shared with us how she felt when she herself experienced a random act of kindness from a stranger. It sounds like a lovely read and I am looking forward to discover more about this story. If you are curious too, you can get Part 1 for free here.

Our House by Louise Candlish

I've already read and reviewed this one and it left me completely speechless. What a clever and unique story (you can read my review here). It was a real treat to hear Louise talking about it. She basically wanted to write a story about a new crime, not what you usually find in books, and was inspired by an article about a house theft involving mafias. According to her, if you follow the book step by step, you can steal a house for yourself! Our House is out on April 5th and I highly recommend you get a copy of it.

The Sunday Lunch Club by Juliet Asthon

Next, it was the turn of Juliet Ashton. I got an early review copy of her latest, The Sunday Lunch Club, and devoured it immediately. It was such a warm and funny story and I'm over the moon that they are quoting me on the final book. Juliet talked about the Piper family, the stars of the story, and their love for bickering. And the short extract she read had everyone laughing. An extraordinary story about ordinary story, The Sunday Lunch Club is out on April 19th.

You Me Everything by Catherine Isaac

Catherine Isaac might look familiar to rom-com fans, as she is also the best-selling author Jane Costello (a firm favorite of mine). Catherine talked about her new story and how the more serious and deep tone of it called for a brand new name. She also stressed that You Me Everything is not a story about an illness but a story about love, all kinds of love. I've read this one already and I can tell you that this is, indeed, a very special story, out April 19th.

Starry Skies at Castle Court by Holly Hepburn

Starry Skies is Part 4 of Holly Hepburn's latest serialized enovel. I haven't read this one yet, but I loved Holly's previous books so it was great to learn a bit more about Castle Court. Holly talked about the research she did for this story: the main characters open a biscuit shop so she made, iced and ate biscuits herself (what hard work researching is!). Also, while writing this story Holly had in mind Kingly Court, in Carnaby Street, so I decided to go there to discover this location the following day. Following Holly's recommendation, I had some chicken and waffles in Dirty Bones, delicious! Now I cannot wait to discover Castle Court. Part 4 is out on May 1st.

Five Years From Now by Paige Toon

I love Paige Toon's stories, so for me, hearing her talk about her new one was a highlight of the night. Five Years From Now was inspired by en event in her own life, when something went quite wrong and her dad told her that five years from then she'd look back and understand why that happened, and she did! The story follows a couple and their encounters every five years and it sounds amazing. It's out on May 17th.

Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square by Heidi Swain

During her turn, Heidi talked about her inspiring story. She had always wanted to write but had never really gone for it. But when she finally decided to do so, she entered the one day submission Digital Original scheme organized by Books and the City. And 3 years later, here she is about to publish her 6th book! Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square sounds like a delightful story and it is out on May 31st.

Best Practice by Penny Parkes

Best Practice is the third book the Larkford series. I've loved the previous two books set in this lovely village, with the practice in its centre, and I am really looking forward to catching up with these characters and meeting the new ones. So I had so much fun listening to Penny talk about them! She sometimes forgets that they are not real and was shocked to discover that Elsie's house was being sold. Best Practice is out now in Hardback and will be released in paperback on June 28th.

The Temptation of Gracie by Santa Montefiore

I haven't read any books by Santa Montefiore yet, but I have heard great things about her stories. The Temptation of Gracie is her first novel after her latest series and it's set in beautiful Tuscany. Hearing her talk about the castle and the stunning area, I could already picture it in my head, so I cannot wait to be transported there! The Temptations of Gracie is out this summer on July 12th.

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris

And last but not least, it was Anstey Harris' turn. Hers was the only name I didn't recognize when I got the invite, so I was curious to find out more about her and her novel. She was actually not allowed to share a lot about her debut but what she shared had me really excited. Her story has music at its core, so imagine her surprise when she first sat to write and through her window she saw her neighbor playing the cello! The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton isn't out until January next year, but I would definitely recommend pre-ordering it!

What a panel, right? I am looking forward to discover this amazing stories!

Afterwards, we still had time to keep eating some more cupcakes, chat with the authors and get our booklets signed. All in all, it was a lovely bookish evening and as usual, I was left wishing I lived in London to be able to attend more events like this. But, thanks to SJV, I flew back home with a suitcase full of goodies. Thanks so much to Books and the City for yet another amazing event.

While I was in London last week, I was lucky enough to attend not only one but two blogger event. I already told you about the Spring Blogger Evening at the Book and the City HQ, so today I'll wanted to write about the bloggers and authors meet up organised by Kim the Bookworm, publicity manager at Bookouture, and author Holly Martin.

The event took place at The Waiting Room, a pub near Kings Cross. So after a yummy English Breakfast in Greenwich, Husband and I took the DLR to the city centre. The place was quite easy to spot as from quite a distance you could see, through the big windows, lots of women talking and moving around. That was the moment when Husband said "that's a lot of women! I think I'll go for a walk and come in a couple of hours". Poor thing, he felt a bit overwhelmed. So I entered the place by myself and instantly spotted some familiar face.

Once the lovely Kim has given me a sticker to put on with my name and twitter handle, so people would know who I was. And then the mingling started. There were so many bookish people around! It was quite unexpected to see so many people had made it. Also, as you can imagine, the noise we generated was quite high! I think the staff at The Waiting Room was not expecting that!

With Maryline

Anyway, I instantly got chatting with some lovely bloggers and authors. It was fantastic to finally meet Maryline, from M's Bookshelf, as we've been chatting forever on twitter. And she had come from Belgium with lovely Silke, from Silke reads and writes. I got to catch up again with fantastic blogger of the year, Rea from Rea Book Reviews, and some super bloggers like Sharon, from Shaz Book Blog, and Rachel, from Rachel Random Reads.

Thanks to Rea for the pic!

But the room was full of authors too! I loved meeting Holly Martin again and chatting to her about her new book(s). She had us in stitches more than once. Also lovely to catch up with Heidi Swain and meet Kerry Fisher, Tilly Tennant, TA Williams or Isabelle Broom, to name a few. During the day I heard about some amazing books and got home with many cards from authors (I really need to get some cards done for my blog), so I can't wait to check them all out.

Thanks to Silke for the pic!

By the way, Husband appeared after a couple of hours and joined us, chatting about books (he doesn't read a lot, so thanks for the support!). All in all, a great time was had! Bookish people are the best! I hope I'll be able to make another meet up during the year.

Thanks to Laura Bambrey for the pic!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Spring Blogger Event at the Books and the City HQ, which, as you can image, was a total blast. When we first arrived, the lovely SJ welcomed us all and offered us something to drink and some fantastic nibbles. I got chatting to some bloggers and soon we were called to the conference room. There, Clare Hey, editor to the stars, introduced us to these four fantastic authors: Juliet Ashton, Holly Hepburn, Paige Toon and Penny Parkes.

Each author read an extract of their latest book and talked a bit about the "behind the scenes" of their writing process. And then Clare Hey conducted a little interview with them. We found out some secrets and discussed sexy doctors and hot blacksmiths, that's what I call a great chat! The books they presented were:

These Days of Ours by Juliet Ashton. I've heard great things about this book and the bit that Juliet read left me wanting to pick it immediately. This is supposed to be a very emotional read with a twist or two along the way, my kind of read!

Summer at the Star and Sixpence by Holly Hepburn. This is the third installment in the Star and Sixpence Series. I've read the first two and really enjoyed the small town atmosphere. After hearing Holly's teasers, I know what I'll be reading this weekend!

The One We Fell in Love With by Paige Toon. Before the event, we knew almost nothing about Paige's new book. So I felt very privileged to hear her talk about it and reveal some details. It certainly sounded amazing and as soon as I got back to my hotel, I couldn't resist reading the first couple of chapters... this is going to be big!

Out of Practice by Penny Parkes. Penny's debut is all about sexy doctors and did I mention sexy doctors? Yes, there are sexy doctors and it sounded like another amazing read. So looking forward to diving in!

After this fun and entertaining chat, we were offered some bubbles and delicious cupcakes (which not only looked amazing, they were actually out of this world good). And then, it was time to get our goody bags (!!!) and meet the authors. Author Georgia Clarke, who publishes The Regulars in August, also joined us and we got all our books signed. They were all so fun and lovely and it was a pleasure to meet them all.

Afterwards, we had some more bubbles and cupcakes and I had some time to chat with bloggers, authors and lovely bookish people. Also, I got to meet talented author Isabelle Broom, and told her how much I loved her debut My Map of You, which is out next month. So all in all, a fantastic bookish evening!

Last Tuesday I had the opportunity of attending the Fabulous Night In with Lindsey Kelk, Lucy Robinson and Lucy Hollyday organised by Fabulous Magazine and Harper Collins. The event took place at the News Building, where Harper Collins has their new offices and just for the amazing view from up there, the night was already worth it. Meeting two of my favourite authors ever was just a plus... (just kidding). First, enjoy the amazing views and the wall of books (!!) they have:

Once I took pictures of all the angles of the amazing view, I took my seat, wine in hand, where there was a fab pink goodie bag with some lovely goodies (there's a pic at the end of the post). It was such a sunny day in London that at first, when the authors arrived we were a bit blinded by the sun. But soon Claire Frost, editor of Fabulous Magazine, started with the questions for the authors and the sun was forgotten. These lovely ladies were so fun and entertaining. It was a pleasure hearing them talk about their books, their writing process and so many other things. Also, it was very interesting how differently these authors plan, write and perfect their books.

Afterwards, it was time to meet the authors and get our books signed. It was such an honour to meet Lindsey Kelk and Lucy Robinson! They are totally awesome and such talented women. And I still can't believe that I got to meet them, I will treasure my signed books forever.

Also, it was a pleasure chatting with debut author Lucy Hollyday who is releasing A Night With Audrey Hepburn next week. It certainly sounds and looks like an amazing book and I can't wait to start reading it.

Did I tell you that they have a wall of books? There are so many books. I had a look and found Lindsey Kelk's I Heart Paris.

Afterwars, we had some time for mingling around and chatting to lovely bookish people. After talking to some lovely fellow book bloggers I spotted the amazing author, and also a favourite of mine, Holly Martin! What a wonderful surprise to meet her and chat to her. She was attending with Carina authors Annie Lyons and Karen Aldous. So I was very happy that I got to meet them and talk books.

At sunset, sadly, it was time to leave but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to go this Fabulous Event and chat to such wonderful people. A night to remember.

And I didn't leave empty handed. Here are the contents of the fab goodie bag and my signed books, ready to occupy a place of honour in my special shelf. I was very happy to see that there was a proof copy of Lucy Clarke's next book, The Blue, out this summer.

Thank you Harper Collins and Fabulous Magazine for organising such a wonderful event and to the authors for being so lovely and funny. See you soon!

On March 17th I had the pleasure of going to the first Spring Blogger Evening organised by the lovely team of Books and the City. When I got my invite I was over the moon and started planning the trip and counting the days until the date. Finally, the time arrived and I flew to London to enjoy some days at the city and go to the event.

When I arrived at the event, there were some fellow book bloggers I know from twitter waiting and we started chatting. It was so lovely to meet them in person.

Then the wonderful Sarah Jade, from Books and the City, came and welcomed us to the event. While we waited for everyone to arrive we were offered tea and coffee and some chocolates and sweets. And then, it was time to go to the conference room and take our seats. The five authors on the panel were Jane Costello, Iona Grey, Milly Johnson, Andy Jones and Heidi Swain.

Clare Hey, who is the editor of these fantastic authors, introduced them and was in charge of chatting with them and asking questions about their books:

The first one to talk was Jane Costello. She told us all about her new book, The Love Shack, that will be published next month. Then she read an extract that had us all in stitches. It sounds like a fantastic read, and for the first time, Jane wrote some of the chapters from the male character's point of view. I cannot wait to get my hands on this one!

Next, it was Iona Grey's turn. She talked about her debut, Letters to the Lost. I had the pleasure of reading it (I actually finished it on the plane to London) and loved every bit of this beautiful story. It was great to hear her read an extract and talk about the story and the characters. Letters to the Lost is out on April and you cannot miss this want. Truly fantastic.

After Iona, it was Andy Jones' time. Not a tiny bit overwhelmed for being surrounded by so many women, Andy made us all laugh and read an extract of his wonderful novel The Two of Us, which I had also read and loved (You can read my 5* review here). Already out in ebook and out in May in paperback, I highly recommend it!

Heidi Swain was next. Her debut, The Cherry Tree Cafe, will be released as a digital exclusive in July and it sounds just like my cup of tea. After hearing an extract and some bits she told us and learning that the heroine loves crafting (which I do too), I am really looking forward to this one.

And finally, it was Milly Johnson's turn. I love her books, actually, I love all of her. She is so fun and honest, had us all laughing in a minute. Her new novel, Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Cafe, sounds amazing. And it's all about chocolate (or not eating it), with a sexy chocolatier as a possible love interest for the heroine. I cannot wait for this one!

After the reads and q&a it was time to check all the books they had in display. It was like book heaven. I had to control myself and not take all of them because I had to fly back home but I am telling you, it was really impressive. Once I had the books I really wanted, I went to chat with the authors and got my books signed. They were all so lovely. Also I have the honour to say that the first book Iona Grey signed was mine! She even wrote a number one on it! How cool is that?

Also the food was delicious, there were so many good things I couldn't choose. And the cupcakes were to die for. I got the chance to talk some more with my lovely bookish friends and also to meet more book bloggers. The time flew by and it was time to say good-bye. Here are some of the pics I took:

When I got back, I finally had time to check the contents of the beautiful tote bag and I love it all. It certainly was a fantastic night and I feel really glad to have had the opportunity to go and meet so many wonderful bookish people. And got so many fab books, cannot wait to start them all! Thank you Books and the City for organising!