I hadn’t heard of Sophia Blackwell until last year at L Fest where she performed to a room of about 20 people and had such a striking presence in the room. She performed poems, which to me thinking from a year later, were about femininity, working the red dress and being strong as whoever you are. Then in April this year she brought out her first novel After My Own Heart and it was bought for me as a present so I could read it before L Fest and then take it to be signed. I tweeted my five out of five rating and sent a message saying I loved it and she replied! J I hasten to add this is tantamount to wedding vows in the lesbian community.

So this weekend was L Fest, I spotted Sophia, as one would. And then had a few beers (and I think there was something illicit in the air) and started tweeting her again. *cringe* Later my friend and I were dancing in the Big Top and started dancing with (other people’s definition might have been ‘near’ rather than ‘with’) Sophia. She left through the side of the tent … and we followed … I don’t really know what we were thinking but even as drunk as I was I didn’t have the balls to speak to her! She left … boo hoo! … I tweeted her to come back…we got chucked out of the silent disco at 2.20am, I tweeted her again … *more cringing*. Fortunately, it appears she didn’t check her twitter account until the next day and I had by then deleted the early morning tweets because later she replied to my original tweet (a fairly sober one) that offered to escort her to the ball so she could wear her high heels. (I know there’s no end to cringe worthy ‘smooth operator-ness’ of me! I just love a girly girl.) But she had pulled off the beautiful dress finished with wellies, as one would expect, and looked great. And I found out the terrifying fact about myself that when drunk … I am a serious, scary, raging lesbian, mute stalker.

Next day: Sophia performs her poetry and reads an excerpt from After My Own Heart to a room of about 100 people. She was great and because I forgot my novel for her to sign I bought her collection of poetry. She asked my name to sign and then I had NOTHING TO SAY! I hate my inability to speak to beautiful women. I have the same curse as Rajesh Koothrappali. But then no, I do HAVE to say something so, yes I know, I reference the tweets and that fact that she chose heels over wellies today! I think she then realised she’d come face to face with her stalker when I said my name but then again I had nowhere to go with my words…FAIL! So, with the help of hindsight, sobriety and wishful thinking this post is dedicated to what I’d have said to Sophia had I not been, well, me:

That was a fantastic performance and I’m so happy you read from AMOH because I really enjoyed it. Would you mind signing Into Temptation for me.

I thought ‘Hair’ was a great poem, it was great fun and reminded me of my friend.

Do you think you’ll write another novel next or publish another collection of poems?

Were all the poems you performed from this collection? I love how you perform them and bring them to life.

Are you enjoying L Fest? It’s great that it’s got bigger since last year and it’s still got that amazing chilled, non-pretentious atmosphere.

Are you going to the comedy tonight, do you want to come with us?

Do you have a girlfriend?

Ok so perhaps it’s better I didn’t say anything. But even if I scared a lovely poet and writer this weekend I had a lot of fun and got my poetry collection signed … you don’t think I’m that much of a loser … do you?!

OH TOTALLY FORGOT TO SAY … after all this I saw Sophia later and ran AT her and asked for a photo … she obliged (through fear?) here it is:

Sophia Blackwell and Me at L Fest 15.07.12

And here’s proof that I got her signature …yep, ‘Lots of Love’! :)

Into Temptation, poetry collection, signed by the author Sophia Blackwell