I was thrilled to be invited to Watermark Books yesterday for the Big Bookshop Party event. It’s a beautiful bookshop at Kings Cross railway station nestled beside the Harry Potter shop and the Platform 9 ¾ where all the people queue up for their photos. It has a brilliant range of stock and a super atmosphere with very helpful and knowledgeable staff.
There was cake and drinks on offer and then I signed a stack of books:
and met up with fellow authors to celebrate independent bookshops. Simon and Poppy were with me:
and we met up with my wonderful agent Jane Conway-Gordon, as well as authors I’ve never actually met but have become writerly friends with through social media, such as the lovely Louise Walters (‘Mrs Sinclair’s Suitcase) and Antonia Honeywell (‘The Ship’).
Right to left, here’s Jane Conway-Gordon, Poppy, me, Louise Walters and Antonia Honeywell:
Also at the event were such luminaries as Meg Rosoff and Francesca Simon, both of whom were extremely lovely to Poppy – Francesca signed Poppy’s book:
& Meg enlisted Poppy’s help to put all the ‘Signed by the Author’ stickers on her books! I chatted to both of them and what delightful, fun and down-to-earth superstars they are. It was also lovely to meet and talk with Kate Mayfield, whose memoir ‘The Undertaker’s Daughter’ is out now.
Other writers there were Jake Arnott, Jason Hewitt and Catherine Hall, though annoyingly I didn’t get to talk with them as it was so madly busy, but hello to you all and I hope we get to talk another time. I did buy Catherine’s book and look forward to reading it – ‘The Repercussions’ looks very interesting indeed.
Earlier on in the day I popped into a super bookshop called Slightly Foxed in Kensington to sign a copy of The Visitors and say hello.
We met Tris who works there and had a browse through their excellent stock:
It really is a gorgeous indie bookshop so check it out the next time you’re in London, on Gloucester Road.
Last but not least, before the event we went on Pop’s first visit to the Natural History Museum and loved all the glorious old beasts on display!
All in all, we had a super day and thanks very much to Watermark Books, Books Are My Bag and particularly lovely Alex Peake-Tomkinson who invited me so kindly in the first place (also she has ACTUALLY MET Elizabeth Jane Howard, lucky thing). And thanks, as ever, to my lovely fella for taking all the brilliant snaps. A day to remember.
