Erotic Trade Only Award Celebrations 2016

I haven’t quite been able to write a blog post about this yet – I think I’m still in disbelief! On Sunday at the amazingly glitzy razamatazz evening hosted by Erotic Trade Only Magazine Show and Awards while partying with my friends and fellow nominees, The Brit Babes, I found out I am the ETO Best Erotic Author 2016!

The ETO show is the UK’s only trade show dedicated to the wonderful world of the erotic. There is many a feast for the senses including flavoured lube cocktails from System Jo – I may have a few samples and will be serving my guests a cocktail or two this weekend…

On Sunday I was hanging out with the mighty Rocks Off Crew who were nominated in five, FIVE!!! Categories including Most Innovative New Product for the Ruby Glow – which I was super excited about. I got to chat to some fantastic people who visited the stand and because the Brit Babes were instrumental in helping to refine the design of the Ruby, we all had our photos taken too (to follow).

Ok so listen, this industry is full of so many lovely people that it if you have been nominated, you are most likely in a category with peers that you respect, look up to and are probably your friends. And that’s exactly what happened to me! Brit Babes Victoria Blisse, Kd Grace & Kay Jaybee and I were all up for Best Erotic Author 2016 along with writer and journalist Emily Dubberly. Brit Babes Lexie Bay and Lucy Felthouse came along too and Marissa and Lily Harlem were cheering us on and giving moral support via the internet!

 

After a champagne reception we had a delicious dinner – because Ruby Glow was up for an award I was very well behaved and merely sipped at a single glass all evening. Unfortunately we didn’t win the award, but to even be nominated for such a new and unusual sex toy was utterly incredible – the winner was Jack Socket from Electra Stim. Rocks Off went on to win Best Pleasure Products Brand and Best Couples product – congratulations!  Full list of winners here! So the tension was over and I could now relax… a couple of glasses of red wine later and a hilarious time spent on the table with the ladies from Dream Girl – who gave the best acceptance speech of the evening for winning the best New Lingerie Range, and it was time for Best Erotic Author. I was so excited and hoped one of the Babes would win. When they called my name, I really was in disbelief. I got all the Babes to come up with me and we all accepted the award together. I also got to hug the very lovely Dale Bradford and Lee Schofield from the ETO. So that was an extra bonus. I was possibly not as graceful as I ought to have been since I had had a little wine, really not thinking I’d be getting on stage, but never mind!  The rest of the night was spent drinking more champagne and getting down on the dancefloor.

I met up with some awesome people over the two days – especially thrilled by the BlogSpot stand – a place for bloggers and writers to congregate, hang out and get to each other and traders. It was run by the beautiful duo Melissa Macfarlane from Voluptasse and Cheryl Kaye, Horny Geek Girl – Cara Sutra is also involved but we didn’t get to see her lovely face this year – she was behind the scenes.

Spending time on the Rocks off stand with Sue, Andrea and Lulu was fab – those ladies really are amazing. I loved seeing Tom and Ian on the Monday. I did a couple of interviews about Ruby Glow too, including Sign Mag and one with that joyously crazy rockstar lady who really ought to have been convalescing, Violet Fenn. Such a bloody fab woman! Chatted to Rhiannon from That’s the Spot and Samantha from Jo Divine.

Now to the show – catching up with Nipplicious, Doxy with their new oh so bloody powerful bullet with Godemiche attachments – phew! Kink Craft were making sexy toys and you could have a go – I’d already made a very nice black and red flogger at Eroticon. I talked sex toys with Girl On The Net who is gorgeous and eloquent and has utterly brilliant ideas – oh and a very fab pair of boots :D. Loved hanging out with Renee and Aphri from Sh Womenstore. Congratulations to all who won!

It was a real treat to meet Ruby l’Ace from Knicker Rocker – what a delightful woman! Do check out her very classy website Knicker Rocker Glory.

Who/ what have I missed?! Oh yes 😀

So to my thank you speech – to anyone who has read any of my work whether on my site on my books / anthologies, thank you – I hope you enjoy my saucy tales – to anyone who took the time to nominate and vote for me, thank you! To the lovely Dale and the crew at the ETO, thank you. To the publishers who take a chance on my quirky work, thank you!! To my Brit Babes and our wonderful street team who keep me sane, Thank you! To my mamma, who would have been proud – she was a saucy lass at heart. But most of all, to my muse, my A, my lover my life, Thank you for the inspiration x x xx

I also want to say thank you to anyone who nominated Ruby Glow – I was just blown away that it was up there! Thank you to Rocks Off for believing in it and making it part of your range, and all the help and enthusiasm and encouragement from all the people, Andrew, Brit Babes, ETO, and reviewers, bloggers and traders…

And now I think I will take a nap… zzzz

If I have left anything out, I’m so sorry, I will probably update this a hundred times…