Our first literary dinner with author Isabel Ashdown was a huge success and we would like to thank everyone for their kind support and wonderful company.
It was clear why The Old Town Hall is currently booked for up to two years in advance,
its beautiful high ceilings definitely lent a touch of grandeur to the proceedings.
Guests enjoyed a glass of Elderflower bubbly on arrival,
and Andrei Lussmann was ambushed at the last minute to say a few words about his restaurants and his philosophy on food by way of introducing the delicious menu.
Everyone attending received a free copy of Isabel’s first book “Glasshopper”,
and as dessert was being served she took to the floor to talk about her writing career.
We were so spellbound by this that we didn’t finish our Lemon Posset.
(and we don’t need to tell you how GREAT that was).
Reading from Glasshopper, Isabel introduced its two principal characters, Jake and Mary. 
Jake is 13 years old and growing up in the eighties.
Mary is his mother, and in the book we get to see her not only through Jake’s eyes, as his mum, but also before that time, learning how she had once had the same aspirations as her son.
It was lovely to hear an author read their work.
The tone of the piece, the voice of the character, every inflection, was as it should be, was how it was written.
It was also inspiring to hear how Isabel had left a secure management role to study creative writing, and she had lots of advice to share with the guests about how to get started, how to keep going and insight into the publishing process.
We were delighted that so many people asked questions, which we hope is a sign that there will be a glut of St Albans novelists to invite for future events.
The evening wasn’t without its serious side and we would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to our chosen charity The National Association for Children Of Alcoholics.
Supporting this event helped us to raise awareness of the 1 million children living with an alcohol-dependent parent and raise much needed funds for the National helpline.
We must say a special thank you to the team at The Sopwell House Hotel and Waterstones for supporting the dinner and for being such great company.
We’ve had a bit of time to rest over the bank holiday, and we’re busy planning the next one, so please get in touch with any comments, suggestions and ideas that you may have.
Thanks again for a great evening, we hope to see you soon!