I had the most amazing, magical time at the Book Lover’s Ball last night, which is an event to support the Toronto Public Library (which just happens to be the the busiest urban library in the world). I was invited to to attend the ball as a “celebrity author” (don’t giggle!) and I had the most beautiful time. Last night reminded me how much I love being a writer, how much I love meeting other writers, and how great it is to talk to people who love books. Though I’ve lived in the Toronto area most of my life, it was my first time at the Fairmont Royal York. What a lovely, grand hotel.
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| All dressed up and ready to go! |
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| Lots of beautiful people all dressed up. |
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| The team at Simon & Schuster Canada (my publisher here) made sure I had a great time. This is Max Arambulo, publicity guru at S&S. |
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| And this is Felicia Quon, Director of Marketing at Simon & Schuster Canada. |
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| There was all kinds of entertainment (yes, I found the man on the screen very entertaining)… |
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| And a fashion show of sorts… |
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| And I got to spend some time with my lovely friend Laurie Grassi, the books editor at Chatelaine magazine. |
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| Hanging out with author Brad Smith (we didn’t realize we have the same agent in New York, Victoria Skurnick!), Max, Laurie, and Felicia. |
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| Having a great time with one of my beautiful table mates, Mary. |
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| And another gorgeous table mate, whose name has fallen out of my head now! Must have had too much wine, but she was lovely. |
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| And unwinding in the bar at the end of the night with the S&S team and their authors, including the very dashing Andrew Pyper, author of THE DEMONOLOGIST (out in March). |
All in all, it was a fabulous event, and I hope I get to go again! The dinner was absolutely delicious (steak!) and they even catered to my food allergies. We writers don’t get many opportunities to feel glamorous, and every girl needs a night out like this once in awhile. I was so flattered and happy to be part of something this worthwhile, and the Toronto Library raised a lot of money through everyone’s donations and the silent auction. Fun for a good cause!
Hope your year is off to a great start!
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