Blogger and Author Meet Up - The Waiting Room, York Way

A Day With The Best People!

The Waiting Room York Way London

Earlier in the year my good friend and author Heidi Swain invited me via Facebook - isn't Social Media a wonderful thing?- to attend Blogger/Author Shenanigans in London. How could I refuse?

Saturday dawned a little too bright and early for me. After the BATC event on Wednesday evening and then two 9 hour shifts on Thursday and Friday at work, I was absolutely knackered. I had the beginnings of a cold and everything ached. However nothing was going to stop me going to London to see Heidi Swain (author of The Cherry Tree Cafe, Summer at Skylark Farm - June 2016 and Mince Pies and Mistletoe at the Christmas Market - October 2016) She was travelling all the way down to London from Norfolk and I wasn't going to miss seeing this lady. This time I got hubby to drive me to the O2. he had been relieved of his hair curling duties today as I went with a plait. Adele was still playing, obviously she had a break between Wednesday night and Saturday, but parking was still a nightmare. 
I got myself some Halls Soothers and a Twirl - purely for energy - purchased my ticket and boarded the tube like a seasoned traveller. I settled down with one eye on the destination board and the other eye on Paige Toon's The One We Fell In Love With. After one change I arrived at Kings Cross. My phone on realization that it was now above ground pinged with messages, one of them from Heidi telling me she was at The Waiting Room already. I began my walk down York Way trying to look like I knew where I was going and thankfully bumped into Vicki Bowles.

Vicki & Me

It was already busy, us writers are a noisy bunch I think it is where we spend so much time alone! I saw some familiar faces, thankfully there were stickers for us to put our names on (red for authors and blue for bloggers) as most people look very different in real life from their tiny twitter pic. It did however mean that everytime we met someone new we looked at their face and then lowered our gaze to their boobies to see who they were!

Name Badge

 I managed to find Heidi who even in her heels is a tiny person. I managed to loose her several times that day!! We had a huge hug and a catch up. We don't see enough of each other although we do text and chat online. I loved the way her fans reacted to her too, it's lovely to see as she is a wonderful person.

Heidi Swain!!! #fangirl

I also got to meet Helen J Rolfe finally in real life too, who is really lovely and Natalie Meg Evans.

Heidi Swain, Mary Lewis, Natalie Meg Evans & Helen J Rolfe

Helen, Vicki, Mary & Heidi

They are bonkers and I love them

I also met Jean Fullerton who is author of Wedding Bells for Nurse Connie - May 2016. She is also a reader for the Romantic Novelists Associations New Writer's Scheme submissions, so she may be reading my finished manuscript. EEKKK!!!!
She was really friendly and gave me her card along with an invitation to email her for more information on RNA events and to contact her publisher for a book.
Isabelle Broom arrived a little later and again we had a quick catch up. I'm going to her book launch for My Map of You in April, so hopefully we'll catch up properly then.

At 4pm I had reached my peak. Unfortunaely due to my illness I get tired pretty quickly and starting a cold had wiped me out. I knew I would have to leave now or risk falling asleep on one of the sofas. I said my goodbyes and walked back to Kings Cross (Via McDonalds who had NO milkshakes!!). I took a few minutes to get some shots of St Pancras Station and then went to get the tube back to the O2.

Beautiful St Pancras Station

Hubby was there to meet me at the O2 and by about 6pm I was in my PJ's, on the sofa with a hot water bottle.

Thanks to Kim Nash and Holly Martin for inviting me and organising everything. Hoping to make the next one in May xx