Penny Vincenzi shares the secrets to great writing at Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation Annual Ladies’ Autumn Lunch
Hundreds of ladies eagerly surged into the Queen’s stand at Epsom Racecourse on Thursday, 6 October to hear Penny Vincenzi speak about her writing experiences and how she makes her novels such a riotous read. The occasion was Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation fourteenth Annual Ladies’ Autumn Lunch and was once again kindly sponsored by the Blair Foundation.
Penny explained to a packed Queens Stand her approach to writing: “I never have the faintest idea what is going to happen. This is what all writers say…Most of us just don’t know. All my books are what if’s. You have a destination in mind but you don’t know how you are going to get there. I’ve solved so many plots whilst driving on the M4!”
Penny also outlined the importance of character development: “Your characters are crucial in shaping the plot. You have to know everything about them. I never write a book without research.” Much of Penny’s inspiration comes from stories she reads in the newspapers: “One of the themes of my latest novel, Sheer Abandon, is how someone copes with being abandoned as a baby. This was an idea I developed after I read such a story in a newspaper, it’s amazing what still happens. The need for roots is so strong.”
After her speech Penny signed pre-publication copies of her latest paperback Sheer Abandon for fans. Guests also took advantage of the thirty stalls at the event and many ladies ended the day happily weighed down with hand made chocolates, designer sunglasses, jewellery and Argentinean handbags. The Foundation’s Training College and Development Centre were also on hand with a horticultural and hand crafted pottery stand respectively.
The funds raised from the event will go towards the Foundation’s Brain Injury Centre in Banstead.
Queen Elizabeth's Foundation is a registered charity based in Leatherhead, Surrey providing solutions to the needs of people with disabilities through the work of its five sites specialising in education, vocational training, brain injury rehabilitation, skills development and mobility as well as an information service.
About Penny Vincenzi
Having sold more than 3.5 million novels, Penny is undoubtedly one of the UK's most popular writers. Her fiery novels have become a benchmark in literary circles, noted for their heady mix of passion, intrigue and wonderfully exotic family dynasties. The Mail on Sunday has described her books as being ‘in a class of their own…Penny Vincenzi’s novels are rollicking contemporary fantasies’ while the Sunday Express has remarked that ‘Penny Vincenzi writes with such flair and gusto that I defy any reader, once they’ve taken the smallest nibble, not to gobble it all down’.
About Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation Brain Injury Centre
The Brain Injury Centre works with people who have been severely affected by brain injury during young adulthood. A team of specialist staff including physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, teachers and occupational therapists, together with trained rehabilitation support workers, work to help these young adults rebuild their lives. All the young brain injured people learn and re-learn lost skills and develop new strategies to help them compensate for those that are lost. In addition, the Vocational Rehabilitation Course works with those who feel they may be able to consider returning to work after brain injury and the Transitional Programme supports the regained independence and prepares the young people for a return to life in the community.
About Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation Training College
Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation Training College has been working with people with disabilities for 70 years. The College delivers an exceptional standard of training and education to enable its trainees to gain employment and independence. Providing a vibrant and stimulating environment, the College works to educate and retrain people with disabilities through a wide range of certified courses ranging from Information Technology and Horticulture through to Building Crafts. The Training College is one of the Foundation’s five centres dealing with complex disability, working with trainees from all over the UK.
About the Development Centre – The Development Centre is one of the five Foundation sites challenging the needs of people with severe disabilities. Providing a vibrant and stimulating environment for young disabled people, the Development Centre creates opportunities for these students to gain greater independence and maximise their own potential.
