Hearts in Herts.
10/26/2011 8:48:53 PM
Having spent a great evening with my brother, I returned to Hunton Park on Saturday morning, ready for whatever the day was about to throw at me.
Saturday was a day of firsts.
First, I went to the For Her Eyes Only panel, to discuss reading and writing of erotic romance and erotica. There is a growing market for erotica, if you’ll excuse the pun, and there were a few people considering turning their hand to it.
I then had a group meeting with Choc Lit’s editor, Lyn Vernham. I think we should all look out for Chock Lit – I believe they are going to grow and grow.
They have a rigorous screening process, but this ensures quality books only are published.
Before lunch, I went along to the panel entitled From Chick Lit to Hen Lit. Hen Lit is a term now used for stories that have an older heroine. That works for me.
Lunch was followed by a rather spectacular Authors Fashion Show, a panel entitled Not What Your Mother Might Expect, discussing gay romance and a presentation by Mills and Boon.
The keynote interview was with Carole Matthews. This was a wonderfully warm interview with a lovely and humorous lady and personally, one of the draws of the Festival. Carole’s new book, Wrapped Up In You was shortlisted for the Reader Awards.
The next half hour was spent in the presence of a bare-topped Loveswept hero handing out cupcakes. Things we romantic novelists and writers have to endure.
With cupcake in hand, my final event of the day was an informal chat with literary agent, Jane Judd.
After a wash and brush up, the evening’s Have a Heart Ball commenced, raising money for CHF and GUCH, two charities who support children and teenagers with congenital heart disease. The Reader Award and New Talent Awards were announced and I would like to say well done to all those short-listed and congratulations to Sue Moorcroft, Jean Fullerton and Henri Gyland for winning their categories.
The evening was made complete by the genuinely kind and beautiful people I had the pleasure and luck of meeting.
Was it purely a coincidence the Festival of Romance took place in Herts?