The first time I attended The London Book Fair was way back in 2012. And I found it completely by happenstance. At the time, I lived in Earl’s Court and I would take my dog Miles (who sadly passed a few years ago) by the Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre, where the book fair used to be. One day, while escorting Miles to Brompton Cemetery, I spied a sign announcing The London Book Fair would be there the following week.

At the time, I hadn’t published my first book, but I was working on A Woman Lost, and I thought attending would be a good experience as a wannabe published author.

Truthfully, I was sold when I saw the words: book fair.

My first time, I had no idea what to expect. Turned out, I really enjoyed it. Surprise! A book lover fancied a book fair.

Some photos from this trip:

I kept going over the years, until we moved to Dublin in 2016 for eighteen months.

During that time, I started the website I Heart Lesfic and began reaching out to other lesfic authors via email.

Many friendships developed from those emails, including ones with Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss.

In 2018, after moving back to London, I met up with Clare and Harper at the London Book Fair, and we had a blast. This year we attended again. Also, the three of us, along with Harper’s Mrs., traveled to the Cotswolds together in a minivan. It’s hard to get more lesbian than that! The purpose of the trip was to scout out a setting for a series the three of us are working on together.

(From left: Harper Bliss, Clare Lydon, and TB Markinson)

Over the next few months, I’ll share more about the series.

For now, I’ll end with the thought you never know how one thing, like stumbling upon an event, can lead to life-changing events. Embrace experiences, even if they don’t change your professional life, because the friendships you find along the way are so very worth it.

(From left: TB Markinson, Clare Lydon, Harper Bliss, and Harper’s Mrs.)