Two of the things that authors enjoy most are meeting readers and talking about their books, and last Thursday afternoon, three of us had the chance to do both of those things as Jean Fullerton, Janet Gover and I had been invited to give a talk at a Romantic Afternoon Tea, to be held at Hoddesdon Library as part of the Hertfordshire Literary Festival.
And what a lovely afternoon it turned out to be! Throughout the afternoon, there was a warm and friendly atmosphere in a room so crowded that people were standing at the back. We were thrilled to learn from the Hoddesdon librarians that the turnout for our event was their highest turnout for an adult event.
Not surprisingly, we all thoroughly enjoyed telling the readers about our writing and answering the questions they put. At some point, too, each of us gave a short reading from one of our novels.
With Janet and Jean as we get ready to start the event.
At the end of our session, we joined the readers for tea, cake and chatter. Amazingly, I met a reader who’d actually been born in the same hospital as I!
I’d intended to take a photo of the delicious selection of cakes on my plate but funnily enough, they’d all vanished before I remembered my intention!
The librarians couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly, and the audience couldn’t have been more delightful. It was my first visit to Hoddesdon Library, but I certainly hope that it won’t have been my last.
A temporary (I hope) farewell to Hoddeston Library
Lovely pics of you all.
Thank you, Carol. It was a really enjoyable occasion and blogging about it gives me a permanent reminder that it’s lovely to have.
Very interesting, Liz. This shows how important it is for authors to get to together to promote their books – and eat cake!
Many thanks for your comment, Heather. Yes, having company when one does an event is lovely, and I think it’s highly enjoyable for the audience to hear from more than one author about their writing. We all write in such different ways.
What a lovely description of a what was clearly a very happy day. Great to see a smiling audience packed into the hall. A well planned event.
Thank you, Linora. The organisation, as you rightly said, was excellent. Everything was set up before we arrived, in an area which was colourful and highly attractive. The whole afternoon ran like clockwork.
Thanks for this Liz. Encouraging! Our little gang of ‘Authors of A Certain Era’ (ACE!) are booked to do something similar at a literary festival. I got the idea for working together like this when it dawned on me thatit is uch easier to talk up other people’s work than one’s own. And I very much like my three colleagues – Heather Rosser, Elizabeth Mapstone and Pam Nixon – and their fascinating novels.
Many thanks for reading the blog and commeting, Barbara. I wish you the very best of luck in your forthcoming festival venture, and hope it proves as enjoyable as our Thursday in Hoddesdon Library.
Many thanks for reading my blog and commenting, Barbara. I wish you the very best of luck with your forthcoming festival event, and hope that it proves as enjoyable as our Thursday in Hoddesdon Library.
It sounds like a wonderful session, Liz. I love reading about your literary get-togethers and seeing the photos of authors and readers. Thank you!
It such a shame that you’re a weeny bit too far away, Beverley, being in Australia as you are, to join us. But when you next come to England …
Lovely, Liz. You all look beautifully colour-coordinated too! My mind is now working on the idea of joining with another author or two as I’ve been asked by my local library to put something together for a May event.
I think it’s a lovely way to give a talk, Jill, whether to readers or writers or, as is usually the case, to a combination of both. We all have different writing experiences and approaches, and this can make for a lively session. It must also help the libraries, too, in a small way as there are three authors whose books have an increased likelihood of being taken out by those in the audience, rather than one. That’s good news for the authors concerned, and for the library whose issue count will benefit.
Sounds like a wonderful afternoon, Liz and I bet the three of you were your usual entertaining selves! And how could an author event take place without cake? 😉