This past weekend saw the third annual LFest come and go, the UK’s only lesbian festival. A mix of arts, culture, music, sports, cinema & workshops, it was bursting with women, wine and song, along with stilt walkers to pole dancers, writers to comedians, ballroom dancers to speed daters. With so much on offer, it was difficult to take it all in – but here are some of my highlights… Continue reading » “Top Ten Things About LFest 2014”
Writing
Books About Town
Like books? Like sitting down? Then you’re going to love the National Literary Trust’s latest art project, Books About Town. The NLT has commissioned 50 book benches based on authors across the ages, magicked into being by artists from around the globe. Trip around London from now until September and there are 50 to sit down on, ranging from Dr Zeuss to Charles Dickens, Bridget Jones to Virginia Woolf. As 11 of them are lounging in my home borough of Greenwich, I decided to track a few down…
A Day In The Life Of An Author
This month, I’m taking part in an independent author panel at LFest 2014, giving a reading from my debut novel London Calling as well as chatting about the process of writing. It’s going to be sharp, bold and sassy, and I’ll be appearing alongside other indie authors Clare Ashton, Kiki Archer and Cindy Rizzo. Above is a promo video I did for LFest, A Day In The Life Of An Author – all tongue in cheek of course. I actually spend far more time faffing around on social media every day than is shown here…
LFest is taking place from July 18th-21st at Uttoxeter Race Course. Find out more and buy tickets here.
London Calling Does London
My debut novel London Calling is set in London – the clue’s in the name, right? To me, London is the greatest city in the world, bursting with character, characters, love and life. Tired of London, tired of life? Never a truer word spoken. So to celebrate, I thought I’d take my book on a trip around the capital, show it some sights and get it to meet new people. It had a great time… Continue reading » “London Calling Does London”
Review: The London Book Fair 2014
This week I’ve mostly lived up to my female stereotype. No, I haven’t been baking scones or screaming at children in supermarket aisles, rather I’ve been multi-tasking like a wizened ninja. Monday was admin; Tuesday & Friday were music; and on Wednesday and Thursday I went along to The London Book Fair ready to immerse myself in its soft, papery underbelly… Continue reading » “Review: The London Book Fair 2014”
Self-Publishing: Ten Things To Consider
I recently self-published my first novel London Calling: the key words in that first sentence are ‘self-published’. The debate rages on about whether authors should put their work out via traditional publishers or do it yourself, but for me it made sense to go DIY because I wanted to get my book out this year. So is it the right move for you too? Here are the top ten things to consider when self-publishing… Continue reading » “Self-Publishing: Ten Things To Consider”
The Debut Novel Whirl
Today is nearly two weeks since I gently pushed my debut novel London Calling out into the world and watched it take its first breath. The past 12 days have been exciting, tiring, liberating and exhilarating. But most of all, it’s been an absolute blast to watch my book climbing the charts in the US & Oz, to hit No.1 in the UK & Canada and then yesterday, to hold it in my hands for the very first time… Continue reading » “The Debut Novel Whirl”
My Debut Novel London Calling Is Here!
Today is what you could definitely call an exciting day. A monumental day. A day I’ve thought about ever since I was a little girl with glitzy dreams. Some little girls dream of becoming a princess, some of meeting their prince, some of playing football, but I dreamt of writing a book. Today, I publish my first book. Yikes! Continue reading » “My Debut Novel London Calling Is Here!”
How To Write A Book Dedication
My first novel, London Calling, is coming out this month and now I’m down to the nitty-gritty of getting it primed for Kindle & all that schizzle I’ve come to the conclusion that writing it was the easy part – it’s the rest that causes pain. For instance, what exactly do you write on a copyright page? Where do you get an ISBN number? And crucially, who should I dedicate the book to without sounding like a complete sap? Continue reading » “How To Write A Book Dedication”
Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions
It’s January 3rd already. I know, the year’s just flying by isn’t it? So how many of your New Year’s resolutions have you stuck to so far? All of them? None of them? Didn’t make any? I’m sat squarely in the final category but maybe I could be persuaded to change that if I could think of some really top-notch resolutions that would truly change the world. Well, my world at least. Here goes… Continue reading » “Top Ten New Year’s Resolutions”