This may well be the post that finally makes you say she lost her mind. I feel a bit insane even considering pressing publish on this one. But I’m going to, because this wonderful little community has welcomed and inspired me more than I can describe, so I’m standing up and saying ‘I’ll do it.’

This is an open invite…

How many of us have said we would love to meet each other? I’ve said it countless times. We spend hours of our time, talking, supporting and encouraging each other. We become friends, colleagues, fans and sometimes tutors of each others work (Esther). We beta read, critique and promote each others work, yet we remain friends from a distance, stuck behind a 2d computer screen with no concept of what we are like in real life.

A couple of things led me to actually publishing this post.

1. Geoff posted a video of his bungee jump the other day, and I heard his voice, I sat bolt upright at my computer and realised he was actually a person! A real one with a voice he doesn’t just squirrel away behind a computer screen like a robot.

2. Dylan and Graeme mentioned the other day that they had already met each other. The idea to organise this has been floating in my mind for a while, hearing that they had actually met each other gave me the courage to know this was actually possible…. I think.

What am I actually blithering on about?

Ok, I’m saying, no, I’m volunteering to organise a meeting, a get together, a social, fuck it, a rave if you really want… But I’m putting my hand up and saying I’ll do it.

I will research, find a venue, organise dates, whatever else needs doing and I will figure out a way for us all to get together. An Annual Bloggers Bash. Ok, maybe not annual, I’m not brave enough to commit to that, yet, and you might all be axe murderers…

Maybe we will all descend on Hugh for a summer day out on Brighton beach, or maybe we will all descend on the Big Smoke stand on a stage and read our work out, maybe we wait till winter and November for NaNo and all sit in silence for a write in! I don’t know.

If this is a terrible idea then stop me now I don’t want to be sat in the corner of some pub eating my sunday roast dateless, stood up because none of you wanted to meet up.

But what of our wonderful international friends: Charli, Norah, Ula, Rachel, Ali, Ronovan and Keith to name just a few. Unless you are planning a trip to the UK anytime soon in which case I am happy to organise around you, then I think there are enough of us with phones, laptops, iPads and tablets to set up countless Skype and FaceTime streams simultaneously, or some other craziness.

This is a totally open invite, just because I haven’t mentioned you specifically on here, doesn’t mean you’re not invited, you absolutely are… hey if there’s enough pressure, we might even coax the ever elusive but wonderfully furry story reading ape down from his rainforest office.

The party specifics? I have no idea, until I know how many people are up for this, then I don’t know what to suggest. For now, drop me a line, share the post, spread the invitation…

If you read to the end of this post, then there must be a hint of enthusiasm for this… so leave me a comment, heck if you’re feeling generous offer me some help to plan this!

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