Book tour: week one
an introvert leaves the house
It’s been a good week. A colleague said she spotted three different people reading my new novel Table For One on the tube. Above all else, this excites me the most. Someone on the Central Line reading my book!
My UK book tour commenced this week (in London—then Bude, Bath, Margate, Ink82, Hebden Bridge, Edinburgh, Henley!) and I’ve decided to keep a little diary of my tour for you, and for myself! I want to preface this post by saying: this is not what my normal day-to-day life is actually like! My normal life consists of writing in my office, going to the post office, taking the bins out, and going on sanity walks. Every now and again, my life appears much more glamorous than it is—and I am really enjoying it while it lasts! (But really: I’m aware this is a fun celebratory moment in time! The buzz of a new book comes to an end at some point, and that’s more than OK!).
When I burnt out badly in 2022-23, I genuinely thought my career was over. Writing that down, it’s hard to believe. Come on, really? But I really could not imagine a time where I would want to dress up / go on stage / do anything overly public again. I was totally broken, a soft little caterpillar in need of nature, walks, friends/family and miniature Dachshunds only. Now, I look back and realise that I was actually just taking the time to heal a lot of old things/narratives, and unbeknownst to me I was actually making space for a brilliant next stage of my life and career. I learned how to have boundaries the hard way, and thank god I did.
My debut novel OLIVE was never launched in real life because of the pandemic. So there is a sense of ‘making up for lost time’ here with my beloved second novel. Table For One is a book about chosen solitude and dinner with friends. I’m celebrating by doing both.
So, this week was pretty magical! I did three events(!), signed lots of books, and met lots of readers. Thank you so much to everyone who came along and made the celebration of my novel feel so special.
Monday
My new tarot deck arrived: Playful Heart Tarot. They are quite fun and child-like, and I do love experimenting with new decks. One of the cards I pulled was a bonus card that said “You are free” and I felt like it was a reminder that I am free to greet this book tour on my own terms!
For breakfast I met my fellow Women’s Prize Non-Fiction judges at the iconic Langan’s Brasserie at 10am—I had ‘the Stratton Egg’: a fried duck egg atop avocado and potato rosti. Then, I met my auntie at The Connaught’s Nicolas Rouzaud patisserie, where the cakes matched the cover of Table For One. I signed a bunch of copies for my aunt who was bringing some back for her colleagues (very sweet). I got ‘the hound’ cake which looked almost too realistic to eat (it had a tiramisu texture—mostly chocolate with lemon fruit curd inside.) This was a very fancy Monday in London. Not my usual Monday.
Tuesday
It will be my first book event for Table For One this evening, eep! I woke up with a sore stomach and had a bad stress dream where someone yelled at me. I had a slow morning, read a book (Consider Yourself Kissed by
) in the garden and then answered some emails. I walked to get lunch from a bagel shop near my house (chicken and pesto, yum). Then I did some painting! I immediately tried to turn my painting into a thank-you card for someone and got stressed about whether it was good enough, and realised that painting is meant to be fun and I don’t need to be good at it!I arrived at Second Home in Shoreditch, a co-working club in East London that is unique in style—mismatched colourful chairs, and apparently, over 1,000 plants (in which they hire a plant team to keep them all fed and watered).
(who was chairing the event) and I had a photoshoot on the rooftop which had incredible views and a bright blue sky. One of those evenings in London where everything just sparkles. Over a hundred people joined us for the events which also has a bar, and it was a lovely, lovely crowd. Felt lucky and grateful!Wednesday
I booked myself a makeover at the Trinny London counter at Liberty, because I am useless at makeup and needed a lazy girl’s guide to slapping something on my face during this tour. A wonderful woman called Tyla tried lots of new products on me (the brief was “natural and dewy”) and she nailed it. I had a meeting with my editor and agent at Bancone (delicious pasta) and beforehand, I popped into Waterstones Gower Street and spotted Table For One (with a Bookseller’s review label underneath) and signed a few copies. A nice moment, because there are many times where I don’t see my books at all. Then, I bumped into two lovely old friends from Marie Claire magazine on the street.
In the evening I spoke on a panel at the Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words, a new festival about covering journalism, fiction and screenwriting. Our event was in Stationers’ Hall, an iconic venue near St Paul’s Cathedral and famously registered Shakespeare’s First Folio in 1623. I kept thinking to myself: What would Will Shakespeare have thought of Substack? I think he’d approve of it. (Actually, I think he’d LOVE it.)
Thursday
I woke up feeling a bit pooped (and excited for my Substack dinner party in the evening!). I decided to put on Taskmaster and have some sofa time with my breakfast and a coffee (my lovely friend
stars in this season of the show!) Then did some admin, had lunch, read a book in bed, did some emails.I arrived at the brilliant venue at 5pm for my dinner party! The amazing team at Her Table arranged the venue and food and logistics. Emily and Ella set up Her Table to get people off their phones, into IRL spaces, around a table for connection and delicious food. My friend Melissa Hemsley hosted a little Q&A with me after the starters and we spoke honestly about what it takes to produce a book. We wore beautiful outfits from Damson Madder! The menu was insane—moreish focaccia, malfatti, gremolata, jersey royals, amazing salad, and..a rhubarb and strawberry tiramisu! Everyone went home with a signed copy of Table For One and hopefully a new friend. THANK YOU to everyone who came along. It was everything I had imagined and more. It felt like a dream. Hooray for hanging out in IRL!
Friday
Not gonna lie, I felt wiped. But my heart was very full. The sun was out. I went to the Lido for a cold swim to rinse away any cobwebs and feel genuine gratitude for having a better handle on my wellbeing (and everything I’ve learned since my burnout years.) I know how to settle my nerves, say no to things, and carve out time for myself and it has changed everything. <3
Here’s to the next two weeks of more events with friends! Currently on the train to Bude, for the Bude Literary Festival! Wish me luck <3
More May dates!
—Tomorrow I’m going to be at Bude Literary Festival (do you live in Bude or know anyone who lives nearby? Come along! Tickets here!)
— On Monday, I’m in conversation with Kate Young at The Bath Festival (tickets here)
— On 27th May I’m in conversation with at Ink82 bookshop (about her new book Pathways also! Tickets here)
— On 29th May I’m in conversation with in Margate at the Fort Road Hotel! (Tickets here)
Full line-up here:
Love to hear what helps you most with balancing your nervous system.... this has become my personal and professional special interest these days 😊
What a beautiful read! Such a realness of balance! Emma, you're so modest in your talents and merits. A celebration of you and your book and all the pages in between is so deserved, rich, gratuitous and sublime to read! Living in NI i can't really get to any London events, but I enjoy the joy of Substack connection and embrace the quips and quirks in "huh, me too" or nod of understanding at an articulation i can't muster, but often find i read. A huge congratulations. The book is amazing 👏 🤩 beyond the book, your entire stance, approach and you're (often you may not even be aware!) positive reach is palpable. Current vibe: zero wine. Book. Sun. Solo. Bliss and appreciation ✨️ xx