Event: Stripes blogger YA showcase

January 20th I went along to the Stripes YA showcase hosted at The Coin Laundry, where editors, publicists and authors presented their upcoming publications. On arrival we were asked to write our names and twitter handles on a label so other bloggers knew who we were, I know I’m not the only person who struggles to recognise bloggers in person. We then had the chance to grab a glass of orange juice and chat.

The presentation started with a video of 2017 highlights, from magazine reviews to last year’s YALC. Then it was time to get started with upcoming books.

First up we had Sophia Bennett talking about the Unveiling Venus, the sequel to Following ophelia. Sophia talked about the inspiration s behind these books, showed us some photos from when she was in Venice. I definitely need to pick up a copy of Following Ophelia asap!

Then we had Emma Young presenting She, Myself and I – This is a story about a girl who undergoes a brain transplant and how she adjusts to life in a new body. I can’t wait to read this. I read a book that follows a similar theme from a very different angle so I’m looking forward to this one.

Next up was Bryony Pearce. Who talked about her new book in the Stripes Red Eye series, Savage Island. Set on an island belonging to a rich man where teenagers take part in a brutal form of Geocaching. This sounds amazing, the first thing I did when I got home was request it from Netgalley. Bryony also played a quick Geo Tracking game with us, followed by a brief Q&A chaired by Stripes very own Charlie which was awesome!

Next up was Katy Cannon presenting her new book, How to Write A Love Story. Which sounds amazing, and this is coming from someone who isn’t the biggest contemporary reader. Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

Tilly March has grown up reading her grandmother’s bestselling romance novels – so when the one and only Beatrice March is taken ill, Tilly offers to help with typing up her latest work. Soon Tilly realizes that her grandmother needs much more help than that – it’s time for Tilly to put her own writing talent to the test. But how can Tilly write a steamy romance when she’s never been in love? Can she turn her school crush into something more? One thing Tilly should know is that the course of true love never did run smooth…
If you liked FANGIRL, you’ll love this!

This was followed by a game of Blind Date, which involved audience participation. Each person played a different fictional character. This was concluded with a game of two truths and a lie, which was so much fun even though I wasn’t very good at it.

After the presentation we had the chance to get a goody bag, pick some books up and get some of them signed before the food came out. I got to chat to so many bookish people.

I Had so much fun, thank you to everyones involved for an awesome afternoon of bookish fun!