I always hated parties – the sort of big occasions where people drank too much and talked a lot of rubbish all evening. I was never very good at it. Firstly I didn’t like the feeling of being drunk. I’ve always been a control freak and an introvert, and I hated the feeling of not really being in control of my body and my brain. Secondly, I was NO GOOD at small talk. Seriously. I found being with people I didn’t know a) boring and b) exhausting.
Thankfully, I’ve got better at parties, and now I actually look forward to them. The party I get most excited about is the annual Christmas party thrown by my publishers, Random House. Not only do I get to put faces to names I’ve only known by email (e.g. the designer of the Looking at the Stars jacket cover, Dominica Clement) but also I GET TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS JACQUELINE WILSON. AND SHIRLEY HUGHES. I mean, it doesn’t get more exciting than that for a children’s author.
So last Thursday I got all glammed up and got on a train with my fellow author and good friend Susie Day. This was us in the toilets after we arrived, making sure we looked our best:
We were REALLY impressed with the decorations – there were SWEETS everywhere! Look at this display behind the bar! (The lollipops were on a conveyor belt!)
Susie was very impressed with a giant Gummi Bear under a glass dome
And Steve Cole and I were similarly entranced by a giant Cola Bottle
But it was LOVELY to meet up with my fantastic editor, Ruth (Susie and I share adoration for her)
and similarly brilliant to spend time in the pub afterwards with Penny, my literary agent and the person completely responsible for my career in publishing
I drank far too much (yes, I did feel quite out of control at times and my mouth said things that I’m sure my brain didn’t approve of!) and came home hoarse and exhausted – BUT IT WAS WORTH IT AND I HAD A GREAT TIME!
I’ll just leave you with this pic of Great People
From left to right: Bali Rai (author – read Killing Honour and then see if you look at the world the same way again), Dom Clements (fab designer), Anthony McGowan (author – we sat on a panel earlier in the year and he was very entertaining!), Steve Cole (author – all-round lovely guy and currently working on the Young James Bond novels) and Ruth Knowles, editor extraordinaire.
I’m taking it easy this weekend and trying to go to bed early!
Jo Cotterill 