Sunday 22 November 2015

The RNA Winter Party - a week to celebrate!


This is me at the RNA winter party. It may look as though I'm smiling but in fact I am grimacing due to the ridiculous height of my heels! In fact, from the moment I arrived I was unable move from this spot and had to wait for people to come to me (a bit like the queen) for fear of toppling into someone if I worked the room. I seem to remember the same thing happening at my first party (there's a picture  of them in a post about it called 'I Went to the RNA Winter Party... Well Done ME!' which you can read here).

It was  a lovely evening, especially as I got to meet Viv Brown (who writes as Vivian Hampshire). It's always great to meet another magazine writer in 'real life' and we had lots to chat about as Viv has also been writing a novel alongside her short stories.

Talking of novels, it was due to the other two people in the photo, Natalie Kleinman and Elaine Roberts, that I even have a novel. At last year's winter party I went as a guest, not as a member, and I have these lovely ladies to thank for persuading me to join the RNA New Writers' Scheme which in turn made me get on with writing my book. It was certainly nice to be there this year as a novelist as well as a magazine writer.

I'd show you all my  wonderful photos if only  I'd remembered to take any! This one is courtesy of Francesca Capaldi Burgess... thanks, Francesca!

I had this great plan that during the evening I would make sure that I would stalk chat to some lovely agents and plug tell them about my amazing debut novel. When it came to it, though, the room was so packed and loud that even if I had managed to collar introduce myself to one of them, we would have been shouting and using sign language. I did manage to have a chat with Rebecca Lloyd from Accent Press though (who I'd had a one-to-one with at the conference). It was nice to see her again and she was very happy to answer some of my (probably rather naive) questions.

My biggest disappointment of the evening was not being able to meet up with half the people I wanted to. In fact, some people I didn't even see or saw so briefly that all I could say was a quick hello. I can probably blame my shoes again for that! Still, as someone said to me - there's always next year.

Now that's the the RNA party covered but what is it I'm celebrating I hear you ask. Well, it's two things really. The first is that I have a story in both The People's Friend weekly and the Christmas special.


... and the second is that since I started my blog three years ago it has had 150,000 pageviews WHOOP!

40 comments:

  1. Lovely to see you for a few seconds. xx
    Elaine Everest

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  2. You look lovely, Wendy. That's always the problem with a big 'do' - getting round to see everyone. Perhaps they need an all day party next time. Hope to hear all the details soon :)

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  3. Maybe next time you should ditch the shoes and get some roller skates?! Sounds like a lovely evening though!

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  4. Nice to feel I am part of even a small part of your journey. Looking forward to seeing what happens between now and the next Winter Party. Really enjoyed your blog. Thank you

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    1. I certainly hope something will have happened, Natalie.

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  5. Glad you had such a good time, Wendy - wish I'd been there!

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  6. I agree with Helen, or you need ballet pumps, then you can weave in and out. Great news on the stories, and good luck with the novel progress.

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  7. Glad you enjoyed the RNA junket. I've given up on heels. Anything over a couple of inches and my knees get very grumpy.

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  8. Glad you had a good time and congratulations on the publications.

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  9. Sounds like a great evening. Make a note in your diary - wear faster shoes next time :-) xx

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    1. Hmm... I'll have to work out what they might be - probably Helen's idea of roller skates.

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  10. It's a fabulously supportive group, Wendy. I'm sorry I was probably the one doing the most talking (it's a nervous thing!). :) Natalie and Elaine are just lovely - I only got talk briefly to them. *Waving to all now*. :) Well done on those shorts and best of luck with the book! :) xx

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  11. Sounds like you had a great time, Wendy. I got a tip from a dear friend about heels and I'll share it with you. The reason why all the stars carry huge handbags is to pop a pair of walkable shoes in that one can swap into when the going gets tough. I'd always wondered why such huge handbags are necessary :) So buy yourself a huge handbag and always carry a comfortable pair of shoes around with you :) Congratulations on all your successes. Have a lovely week.

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  12. Sounds like a wonderful evening, Wendy.

    Big handbags are essential, as are comfortable shoes. ;)

    Congratulations on the latest PF successes.

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  13. Glad you had a good time. Congratulations on the PF stories, Wendy.

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  14. Lovely to meet you albeit briefly Wendy. It is always so difficult at the parties to balance chatting to friends and trying to meet industry professionals. I recommend submitting and getting to know them online as if you've been on Twitter or emailed a submission, you've got an ice breaker. Also carry on being as lovely as you were and people will introduce you to their agents!

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    1. Oh you are sweet, Jules - it was lovely to meet you too.

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  15. Hi Wendy, congratulations on your continued short story success, I'm sure I'll soon be reading your novel. The problem with high heels at an event like that is that you need them to give you confidence but as you get older, your feet just can't take it anymore. I think us ladies need an invention that combines, height with comfort - any takers anyone?

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  16. Not sure I'm too good with heights, besides I need a least one hand free to hold a glass of wine!

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  17. Ohh dear I can understand your situation. Sometimes high heels really creates problem. Once this happened with me also in a holiday party thrown by my friend, and it was seriously embarrassing for me. Due to that problem I wasn’t able to move from my seat.

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    1. Ha ha! Yes, the curse of the high shoes. Yet we keep insisting on wearing them!

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