February Giveaway

February competition is a wee bit different. As you know we like to support small businesses when we can, so this months giveaway is going to be for x1 of the scented bookish candles from Fictional Flames.

As you can see they have all kinds of bookish related themes but we also got a personalised one done with oor Luna, they really are fabulous and can do just about anything! Ours below was the one we got created.

This will be UK only (don't worry guys I have found a similar one that is US based so will sort this at some point), and we will be doing the normal, Rafflecopter to enter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Q&A with Fictional Flames and a wee giveaway

So if you follow us on our social media channels you will have seen the candle we got made by small business Fictional_Flames, we love supporting small businesses where able. As well as doing a fab job we have set up a Q&A with the owner Natalie and you have the chance to win one of her fabulous candles. You can choose one of her exisiting ones that have bookish quotes, you can request for a personalised one like we have or a specicial bookish quote, your choice.

Thanks Natalia for taking time to do a Q&A with us.

Tell us about the business

Fictional Flames makes premium scented soy wax container candles. What makes my products different is that all labels are fully customisable and I provide a bespoke service to make sure the end design is exactly what my customers want - which works great for other businesses and authors - who are always my favourite to work with!

How did you come up with the idea

Fictional Flames makes premium scented soy wax container candles. What makes my products different is that all labels are fully customisable and I provide a bespoke service to make sure the end design is exactly what my customers want - which works great for other businesses and authors - who are always my favourite to work with!
I started to make candles as a hobby and decided I wanted to share a product I'm so proud of with other people. I decided for a strong bookish theme because it's how i spend most of my time! As someone who is completely allergic to colour I decided I wanted my candles to be explicit, funny and bookish but versatile enough to fit in any room with any decor and on any bookshelf and I felt that the simple design was something that wasn't available with bookish candles

How long has it been going

It will be a year in April!

Where are you based

Nantwich in Cheshire

If authors et al wished to do a collab what is the best way to approach you

Instagram is always the best way!

How can people help small businesses?

Post engagement is super helpful! And any time that you buy from etsy, leave a review!!!

Where is the best place(s) to buy your candles (ie got your own website or list all where you are/sell)

I'm currently trying to set up a new website so at the moment Etsy

What scents do you recommend?

THERE ARE SO MANY!! Cherry amaretto, Pina Colada, strawberry daquari… there seems to be a theme here 👀👀

Anything else you would like to add we haven't asked?

I don't think so but I would like to thank you for including me in this, i fucking love talking about candles😂🩷


To enter please use the Rafflecopter below, if you are new here you complete the entries you want to, the more you do the more times your name is entered into the giveaway, entries are checked once the winner is drawn. Please note this is UK only as the business only delivers to the UK, the competition runs to the end of the month and will be drawn at the start of March. Good luck lovelies and as always thanks for entering/supporting the blog.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

First ever book festival - Edinburgh book fest

If, like me, you have tons of reader, blogger and author friends/people you follow on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram you always see when book events come up. Lots of people go, have fun, meet amazing authors, bloggers connect, book pals have liquid lunches and generally a blast! I see them all the time and want to go, but have never went, until today that is!


So, why haven't I made it to any? Firstly I didn't really know what it was about, is it free to enter, if you need to pay how much, what happens. The Edinburgh Book Festival is FREE, free to enter guys. There have a ton of events on and the events you do pay for. You can go on your first day, pick up a programme (also free) which gives you a day by day run down of what is on, how much it costs and you can buy online or call. There are wee parts you can buy food and drink, not masses of choice but enough to keep you happy or you can nip outside as it is bang in the centre so you can get food you fancy. There are wee book shops inside you can browse and buy, there is also bars, places you can buy drinks and sit and chill with your book, people watch (I loved I saw so many folks with books, reading or gabbing books).





Getting around from event to event, now I get really anxious about this is I have never been before and don't know layouts (an issue many of us have. Well right in the middle is the whole lay out on a big board and honestly, even with my recovering foot it was no issue at all. The walk from the train station to the festival was a wee bit of a trek (under a mile and flat pavements, maybe 0.7 miles) but there are loads of taxis and bus stops so you can get there no issue.





Whilst it is outdoors with tents, the top over the walkway is covered so even with weather like today where it was chucking it down, once you got inside you were grand.





The toilets are really good, I was worried it was going to be those portaloos you get at concerts and gigs *twitch* I really hate them. Nope and they have ramps as well as two stairs so caters to all. Also available are water stations dottered about.





As well as having issues going to somewhere huge like that I hadn't been to before, the train journey had me a bit twitchy too. However, the train terminates at Waverley station so if like me you fret you will go past your stop you are grand as it is the last stop (from where I travelled from, just check with one of the train staff who are lovely and helpful).





Edinburgh is so beautiful and on route to the festival are some stunning buildings and lots of shops so you have plenty to look at as you go. One thing that helped me was meeting friends there, some first time in person, some I had met before, the lovely Kelly from LOVE BOOKS GROUP Mary from Live and Deadly Joanne from Portobello blog and Katherine from Bibliomanic UK. and author Jane Simpson Anderson joined us for lunch, I owe that lady a drink! If you are a blogger or reader, just reach out, there is always someone going to these things and when you have someone to meet you it takes so much stress/pressure off you. One thing I can say, hand on heart, book folk are some of the best humans out there. I know I will be back at more of the festival, was meant to be tomorrow but I didn't manage to get tickets for the things I wanted to see and I hurt my foot trying to ensure I didn't miss my train. However, I could go otherwise much less stressy because these lovely ladies took me under their wing and showed me what it is all about.


I loved my first day at the Edinburgh book festival, I will do another post about the three events I went to but I cannot recommend it enough. If you are a book lover, get yourself out there, you will love it. Hope you had a great day, I sure did!


My side kick has blagged my press pass :P

Book Club meet up TBConFB

So Saturday saw the first meeting up our way for the book club TBConFB (THE Book Club on Facebook). The lovely Sharon, TBConFB admin, took on the arduous task of sorting it all out. I think there was about 30 of us in total, authors, reviewers and fabulous book lovers, I am only just getting my wee post on now because, well it is me you know what I am like, procrastinator! I did get most of the photos up on the club already so it isn't all bad/late!



This is one of the print outs holding our booked tables so I of course needed to capture a shot of it, you know me and my love for a billion photos.



A wee Blue Wkd was had, as well as being my favourite tipple, the author of Blue Wkd (read my review here) was coming so we needed the prop for the book :D



We had a hilarious and fabulous reading of The Gruffalo , Glasweigan style. Considering neither Alan Jones nor Owen Mullen had practiced or met each other before hand it was flawless, see my Instagram for a wee look at the video.



A captivated audience, I am sure someone from the club has the whole thing on video.

Sadly I didn't get to speak to everyone as I had triple booked the evening and had to leave early however it was lovely to put faces to the names you chat with online and speak to people in person! Not only did some of these authors give up time from their busy schedules, they brought signed books for raffle, personalised items (some of which I won by the lovely Fiona Wilson).


I love this and I am taking the wee chip to Las Vegas with me, hoping it will be a good luck charm.

And if all that wasn't enough, we also got a wee free pen, who doesn't love stationary! A great day with some beautiful people.