Hello for the (admittedly small) intersection of people who look at my blog and live in Bedfordshire (or even Cambridgeshire), I will be at the Bedfordshire Readers’ Day in Flitwick Village Hall. There will be other authors, including the fab crime writers Erin Kelly and Ali Knight, and I’m fairly sure some good biscuits too.

Back from holiday, back to school, back to trying to update my blog on a relatively regular basis… Wendy Holden in the Daily Mail wrote a pretty positive review of the book (‘deliciously rude’ apparently, not sure my parents would agree). And The Lady, too, thought it was a ‘hugely witty read’. Another review, also good phew, can be found here at Fabulous. Since that’s behind a paywall, here’s a … Read the full entry

To update the last post written a week ago about how my book is out ‘next week’, it’s now upon us. Just Like Proper Grown-ups is published today and available in all good bookshops, Amazon etc. It feels a little anti-climactic because, let’s face it, at the moment you’re nothing if you’re not an Olympian. I’d like to draw parallels between the athlete’s dedication and hard graft and the way that … Read the full entry

Fixabook.com is a brilliant site authored by two graphic designers with a ferocious interest in book design and covers. All publishers are beware of their merciless eye for a much-aped trend. They’ve turned their gaze towards the paperback cover for The Pile. I’m thrilled to report that, essentially, they love it. Here are their thoughts, generally welcoming it as a fresh approach to the genre: ‘At long, long last… a women’s … Read the full entry

I was compiling my kids’ school’s PTA newsletter this morning including an item on a local author and friend’s novel being the chosen work for this month’s parent book club.* My first response was envy given that book clubs are such a great way of selling lots of copies of your book. Why wasn’t mine chosen, stalwart parent that I am? Then of course this was followed by relief, since … Read the full entry

There’s been a lot written about ‘confessional writing’ recently (which usually involves yet more confessing as well as referencing previous confessions). There were Yvonne Roberts and Lucy Cavendish in the Guardian last Saturday, and then in its sister paper, the Observer, the following day a similar piece in which the topic was discussed by Christa D’Souza and Tim Lott. This was all in response to  Rachel Cusk’s book Aftermath in which she discusses … Read the full entry

My friend Wendy Jones published her first novel, The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor or Superior Funerals (which is an even title worse for tweeting than mine) last week. She had a very lovely launch at Daunts in Marylebone, which was as warm and generous as the book itself. Any writer will tell you that it can be a teeny bit irksome when people at parties tell you … Read the full entry

I do think a book is a perfect Valentine’s Day gift, if you’re into that sort of thing. Certainly better than chocolates or flowers. And what better romantic present than a book about a couple who really hate each other? I’m very excited about the publication of The Pile of Stuff at the Bottom of the Stairs in paperback and it’s now only one week away…