We were on a walk through the grounds of Armadale Castle when we realised our mutual love of the Baby-Sitters Club.

We were already pretty close.

AC and I were on a trip to the Isle of Skye, just the two of us.

We were doing a master’s degree in theatre together in Edinburgh.

She had graduated from UVA, and I was born in Charlottesville.

We had spent the train to Skye analysing which Taylor Swift songs were about which Jane Austen characters.

But it was Karen Brewer that really tipped us into super friendship.

Mary Anne Spier.

Molly McIntire.

“B” is for Betsy.

Ramona Quimby.

Jo March.

Nancy Drew.

Skye O’Shea.

Abby Hayes.

^ These girls were more than just characters in the books I read as a kid. They were my friends.

In fact, my first ever blog post on Heroine Training was about how fifth grader Abby Hayes inspired the daily journaling practice I’ve kept for fifteen years now. [Her author, Anne Mazer, replied to my tweet about it and my life was made.]

Summer = Summer Reading.

What better way to kick off the summer than to gush about the books we read as kids that shaped who we are as adults?

I truly believe that I am running a business because of the BSC.

I became interested in journalism through Kit Kittredge.

I even had a momentary ambition to be a hockey player because of Skye O’Shea.

What about you? 

On Saturday 30 June, join us for a backyard tea party in Oakton, VA.

^ the city where I first read Goblet of Fire in the year 2000. 

This will be sixth Heroine Training Tea Party, an intimate, salon-style experience, where likeminded readers gather to connect with ourselves and each other through literature.

Our table, which seats 10, will be set in a private home in Oakton, VA [AC’s house. isn’t that cool?!], to be revealed in confidence to attendees.

> Reserve your seat for tea.

American Girl dolls welcome but not required.

P.S. Please write back! What books did you read as a kid?

P.P.S. You can browse all upcoming Heroine Training Events here!