An evening of romantic fiction

Fine spring evenings are wonderful. And they are even better when you can spend it in one of your favourite places.

For me this week that was Cecil Court in the centre of London. Cecil Court is a lovely old street, now a pedestrian way, filled with lovely old shops selling books – old and new, old maps and art and no end of interesting ‘stuff’.

My favourite shop in this favourite street is Goldsboro Books – where I have spent far too much money on several occasions.

And this week, it was my honour to be invited to be part of their annual ‘Romance in the Court’ evening.

This is a gathering to celebrate romantic fiction in all its forms – from grand historical works to chic lit and fantasy and women’s fiction.

There was a real party mood as authors mingled with bloggers and readers and even a few passers-by who stopped to see what all the fun was about.

As writers we spend a lot of time alone at our desks talking to imaginary people who live only in our heads – at least that’s how it seems. It is such a thrill to talk to people who have met those characters – people to whom Tia and Max and Trish and all the rest seem as real as they do to me.

So now I’m back at my desk talking to a new set of imaginary people. I really can’t wait to introduce them to my ‘real’ friends. But it’s going to be a little while yet.

The thing about writing a book is that it’s hard work and takes a long time. It’s lovely to have an evening off to enjoy the results of that work.