Party Time!
Ruth Symes / Megan Rix
With the weather outside cold and grey I
thought I'd write about parties and in particular book launch parties - of
which I’ve had precisely one. Before I was published I used to imagine what a
launch party would be like - champagne, canapes, elegant people swanning about.
But 20 books later and time for my own launch party the type of event I used to
imagine wouldn't do at all, thank you very much.
After
writing children's books for 10 years I wrote my first adult memoir ‘The Puppy
that Came for Christmas and stayed Forever.’ It was about one amazing year when
we were puppy parents for a charity called Helper Dogs that trains assistance dogs
for disabled people. That year we had 3 different puppies, one after the other
from only 8 weeks old - not bad for dog novices!
As
soon as they heard the book was going to be published my friends from Helper
Dogs said I had to have a party to launch the book - and they'd organise it.
We'd have it at the Helper Dogs centre so the venue would be free and the
publishers, Penguin, gave us £100 towards the food to drink. I provided the dog treats and found some amazing ones that looked like designer chocolates in elegant
boxes. Dogs, of course, were more than welcome and the guests of
honour - as
the book's stars.
At the
party I signed endless copies of the book and stamped them with my pink paw
stamp. Our local bookshop came along with boxes and boxes of them which was just
as well as they almost all went and those that were left went at a book signing
the following Saturday.
I read
from the section where I was learning how to be a puppy parent - trained by a
highly experienced older dog called Rusty, who was at the party too, along with
Traffy who was the puppy we eventually got to keep and the star of the book.
Then
Helper Dogs did a demonstration and were given a cheque for £100 towards their
work. Helper Dogs’ friends made some of the food and we bought more with the
money from Penguin along with wine and soft drinks.
I
asked just about everyone I knew locally and was amazed at how many people came
as it was on a week day and in the afternoon.
What was/would your launch party be like?
Ruth's website is www.ruthsymes.com
Megan's website is www.meganrix.com
4 comments:
Oh, a paw-fect launch party!
Agreed!
LOVE the balloons! And the party sounds great. I had a launch party for my book about Alfred the Great, and thought, well - there have to be cakes - even if not burnt ones - but I'm not sure they went very well with the wine!
That is wonderful. My husband would love to adopt a puppy but he says he wouldn't be able to give it back, he'd love it too much. :0)
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