Afternoon tea with Rebecca Raisin

On Sunday 29th March around thirty book bloggers met in London to celebrate Rebecca Raisin's arrival on British soil!  Despite travelling from Australia just the day before, the author looked relaxed and glamorous, and perhaps most surprisingly, wide awake! 

Rebecca has a huge following here in the UK and as her Gingerbread Café trilogy is being repackaged as a collection it was certainly cause for celebration.  The venue was well selected for a host of bibliophiles- the 5th view bar on the fifth floor of Waterstone's Piccadilly, the largest bookshop in Europe. 

We were treated to a gorgeous selection of what our table described as 'teeny tiny food'-the mini Yorkshire puddings and chocolate brownies were dwarfed by the delicious and generously sized scones.  We also had a glass of Prosecco to accompany it, plus a choice from a variety of different teas and coffees.


The teeny tiny food

I had a brilliant time on my table sat with Tay (Chicks That Read), Rebecca (Brunette Lifestyle), Laura (Little Northern Soul), Lisa (Reading Room with a View) and Trish (Trish B's Blog).  We chatted about anything and everything (although admittedly, mostly books) and had a real laugh.

Rebecca gave a short speech thanking everyone for coming and supporting her work, and it was so, so wonderful to spend time talking to her in person.  She's been a huge inspiration and support to me on my own writing journey and given me invaluable feedback, so being able to give her a real hug rather than a virtual one was lovely!



Me with Rebecca Raisin

I finished off my time in London with a visit to the British Library where I pawed at the glass covering the manuscript of Jane Eyre and dreamed about a CIP catalogue record of my book being available from there one day (I have no idea what that actually means, but I ALWAYS notice that phrase in publication details at the start of books.  Whatever it is, I want it.  It sounds awesome.)

At the British Library

All in all a wonderful day full of bookish fun. Huge thanks to Rebecca and Carina UK for allowing me to be part of it, and to 5th View for being so accommodating.