● Exclusive Book Signing: Meet me, Ally Aldridge, author of Ocean Heart and Sky Heart, and get your copy personally signed and an official bookmark. ● Ask away: Do you have a burning question you want to ask an author? I am looking forward to answering any questions on publishing, writing, or my books. Or just come and say hi. ● Fantasy haven: The shop is full of delights to get Fantasy fans excited. There’s something for everyone, so come treat yourself.
Don’t miss out on this magical event to immerse yourself in a love of fantasy. Mark your calendars, gather your friends, and prepare for a mermazing book signing on 31st May!
Location: Fantasy Paradigm, 7 Orwell Road, Felixstowe, IP11 7HE Time: 10am to 4pm
It’s May, the month of Herts Book Festival and I’m sad that I won’t be attending. This Book Festival is special to me because it was the first Book Festival to accept me. Sadly, for 2025 I’ve made the hard decision not to go.
For me, I always do well at this event and make good sales. However, the sales are not enough to cover the expense of doing the event.
Petrol – This cost is roughly £70 there and back.
Hotel – About £240 for two nights, including breakfast
Eating – I tend to take snacks with me to eat during the day and have a proper meal in the evening. This is about £40 for two nights.
Stall – This is £40, a very fair price.
Overall it’s almost £400 for me to do this event before I make a penny. In addition, I often give attendees a good discount on my books which reduces my profit per sale.
In previous years, I’ve written off the loss for a few reasons.
The first time I saw it as a learning experience. I’d never done a festival before and the organiser and fellow authors were so supportive and helped it be less scary. A big shout out goes to author Roxy Eloise and organiser Katie.
Another reason was that I saw this as a good networking opportunity. I love being solitary but appreciate that I have a lot to learn and meeting up with fellow authors is really beneficial. I think of this as a retreat to connect with other authors.
Thirdly, probably the most important reason of all, it helps me to be seen by potential readers. There are so many amazing books out there competing for the spotlight but when I do an event I’m right there in front of people for them to see and meet. And, I love chatting to readers.
If I never did Herts Book Fest, I doubt I would have done many of the events that followed as it was through meeting other authors and building friendships that I got told about other events, like April Grace outing me forward for MK Lit Fest, or Rachel Churcher getting me in with Foreword Festival.
Last year, one of my close author friends couldn’t make Herts Book Fest due to her health and I really missed her. This year another author friend can’t make it as she’ll be heavily pregnant. So, I decided not to go too. The thought of staying at the hotel alone without knowing anyone else in the building makes me extra nervous. Hopefully one day, my hubby will be able to come with me to an event but he is often busy with the kids so I can go without worrying about them.
Previously when I’ve attend Herts I’ve only had Ocean Heart. Now I have two books I hope that it would benefit me to have more to sell. Plus I am writing book three; Maybe, by next year I might even have three books – wouldn’t it be exciting if the launch for Forest Heart was at Herts Book Fest 2026!?
To all the authors and readers going to Herts Book Fest for 2025, I hope you have an amazing time. I miss you all and I hope to see you at the next one.
On Sunday, 8th Dec, I did my last in person event of the year.
I met up with Suffolk authors, Laura Graham to share a stall to sell books at Dunelm in Bury St Edmunds.
We met for the first time, a few months back at Felixstowe Book Festival.
Dunelm allowed us the space as they wanted to support small local businesses. They charged us only £10 for the stall and donated this money to charity. I think the charity was Age Concern.
Blurb for Odd Wolf by Laura Graham
An Own Voices take on paranormal romance in which a chronically ill misfit becomes a werewolf and develops a target on her back. She’s used to living in a society that’s not built for her; but not one where many want her dead.
If you like flawed characters, ultra slow-burn romance, healing after trauma and own voices disability rep then this just might be for you.
Sometimes an act of violence strips away the last lingering illusion of romance in a relationship.
When one of her mysterious blackouts leaves her covered in fur, Alice feels normal is definitely out of her reach.
And when she gets kidnapped by the local shifter pack, Alice knows her life will never be the same.
Terrified and more alone than ever at their rural estate in England, she learns that wolf society and wolf laws are drastically different from what she knows. Most want Alice dead. But the Alpha claims to have other plans for her. To survive will she find allies or will she again choose freedom?
What a lovely surprise to discover a display in the library, showing me and my book, to promote WAM Fest happening next week.
WAM Fest is a celebration of Women in Arts and Music. I’ll be attending on Saturday. I will have a stall and be on the lunchtime jam panel with other authors.
You do need a ticket to attend this event. These can be bought from the WAM Fest website.
Here is a Bookshop.org list I created of the books of some authors from this YA Lit Fest, arranged as part of the Foreword Book Festival, at the Stowmarket Library. These are affiliate links and support local high street bookshops.
Here is a collection of the books of authors mentioned in my Hert Book Fest 2024 series that I could find on Bookshop.org. These are affiliate links that support local bookshops on the high street.
