Last night a friend and I attended a fun event sponsored by ELLE Canada magazine and Girls Night Out Ontario wine to introduce Helen Fielding, author of Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Edge of Reason. Both books were smash chick-lit hits followed by equally successful movies starring Reneé Zellwegger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.

A cocktail reception was held in The Burroughs Building  at Queen Street West and Bathurst in downtown Toronto to celebrate the launch of “Mad About the Boy”, the final installment in the Bridget Jones trilogy. The venue, trendy raw loft space with exposed brick walls and an ancient elevator was once used for manufacturing furniture. In this hip atmosphere we felt quite Bridget Jonesey sipping wine and nibbling h’ors doeuvres and Purdy’s chocolates with all the young and beautiful creatures – and me.

An interview with Helen Fielding was conducted by ELLE Canada followed by questions from the audience. Helen has gotten married and had children since publication of her original books about 20 years ago and it has only been within the last couple of years that she felt she was ready to take Bridget to the next step.

While Ms. Fielding admitted to many similarities with her main character, she was clear in stating that the books are works of fiction. Her experiences resonate so realistically with female readers because she writes in her own voice, “just like I’m writing a letter to a close friend” she said. She confessed to wearing her Spanx for last night’s event in order to appear at her best which hardly a women in the room could not relate to.

At the end of the evening we went home with a signed hard copy of Mad About The Boy, along with a bottle of wine, some chocolates and goodies from Rimmel makeup. There’s nothing better than a good hen party. Unless of course it’s a Vicars and Tarts party.