Fantasy in the Court and Nine Worlds Blog (Part One)

Isn’t it always the way – nothing much going on and then two events in one week – plus both in London and there’s a tube strike!

First was Fantasy in the Court http://fantasyinthecourt.com/index.html which was held by Goldsboro Books at their book store in Cecil Court. It sounded like great fun so although I had planned to go straight to my hotel in Heathrow Thursday afternoon for the Nine Worlds GeekFest, I decided I’d try and somehow work out a way of getting to both. It was actually quite doable. Train from East Grinstead to Victoria, tube to Green Park then change to the Piccadilly line to Heathrow. Book into hotel then have something to eat and head on back out to the Goldsboro Books event.

Then the strike happened. Hmm! I had to put my thinking head on. I tried every which way, but nothing seemed to work without me having to get taxis at some point. Well to cut a long story short, despite National Rail’s website telling some very weird convoluted routes I worked it out and actually had not too bad a journey to Charing Cross the nearest mainline station to the event, which was only about 5 or so minutes away.

I actually arrived about two hours early! Fortunately while I was checking out where I had to be for 6 O’clock I came across my lovely publisher Jo Fletcher and she asked me to join her and the gang in having a late celebratory meal for my editor Nicola’s birthday.

Anyway suitably refreshed we trotted along to Goldsboro Books for what was like a small street party. Wine was flowing and there were lots of other authors there to talk to including Stephanie Saulter, Snorri Kristjansson, Sebastien de Castell, Tom Pollock (all signed with JFB), and Liz de Jaeger, Stark Holborn, Peter and Emma Newman and Anna Caltabiano to name but a few others. I spent a lovely evening talking to other authors and making new friends. I spent a long time talking to Sarah who has moved here from the States and a few other people, a couple even very kindly asked me to sign their copies of Marked. I must admit I’m beginning to feel a bit like a real author now.

At the end of the party several of us had to somehow get to Paddington to get the Heathrow Express to the venue of Nine Worlds https://nineworlds.co.uk/ but Jo was having none of it and organised a taxi for Snorri, Sebastien and myself and Snorri convinced the lovely Mieneke van der Salm (the Fantastical Librarian) to join us. It was the first time I’d met Mieneke and as I owed her a big thank you for saying such nice things about my book on her blog I was glad to get the opportunity.

Having three fantasy authors and a fantasy reviewer together in a taxi for any length of time must have been an experience for our driver. He did say afterwards it had been one of his most interesting journeys he’d ever spent and it was true we did have a lot to talk about and trip flew by.

We went straight to the Nine Worlds venue (the Radisson Blu Edwardian) to register to save time in the morning and then Sebastian very gallantly escorted me to my hotel (the Renaissance, which was very nice indeed).

Once booked in and settled I wasn’t actually at all tired as I was still pumped from the conversations we had in the cab. I very rarely get to talk to other authors so I was on cloud nine, hence I didn’t get much sleep. Even so I wasn’t at all tired the next morning and was up early, bright eyed and bushy tailed for the first of the morning’s events; well actually bleary eyed is probably more like it but you get the idea – I was excited!

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