Handwritten Girl’s Adventure To Avon/Harper Collins

Authors from left to right – Laura Ziepe, (Essex Girls), Sophie Hart, (The Naughty Girls Bookclub), Gill Paul, (The Affair and Women and Children First), Julia Williams, (A Merry Little Christmas) Fiona Gibson, (Pedigree Mum), Claudia Carroll (A Very Accidental Love Story) and Erin Kaye (Second Time Around).

Last week, Handwritten Girl was a bit quiet as I had taken myself away on a little adventure to London, to the Avon Digital Drinks reception at the Harper Collins building.

Becke Parker kindly invited me along with with fellow book reviewers giving us the perfect opportunity to meet some of our favourite Avon authors. It was there that I met author of ‘Pearshaped’, Stella Newman and Sam Binnie, who’s latest book ‘The Baby Diaries’ has just hit the bookshelves. Both authors were so welcoming and we discovered a mutual love for Ryan Gosling.

Fiona Gibson, author of ‘Pedigree Mum’ was lovely, having travelled from Scotland was eager to hear all about the website and gave me a copy of her latest to review. Erin Kaye, fellow Northern Irelander is an author I had heard off but hadn’t had the chance to read, but this was soon rectified after she kindly gave a signed copy of her latest ‘Second Time Around’. Erin was particularly lovely, offering me tips and advice on my writing, whilst telling me about her own writing journey and how she thinks the writing industry itself, is developing.

Finally I got to meet the lovely bubbly Claudia Carroll, having chatted regularly on Twitter, it was wonderful to meet her in person and what a delightful character she was, chatting away and offering tips and ideas for what we could do during our brief stay in the city.

After wine and cupcakes and being shown around the offices where I was allowed to take books that caught my attention. I left Harper Collins on a high with a big bag of books including a advanced copy of Claudia Carroll’s brand spanking new book, ‘Me and You’. After a short but fun evening, I wish to extend a huge thank you to Becke Parker, for the wonderful invite and for looking after all of us!