The Alternative TV Book Club Summer Reads List…
14 September, 2010
It’s an accepted fact that most (if not all) of the books picked for the Richard & Judy Book Clubs and now the new TV Book Clubs tend to come from the larger publishers. This isn’t a gripe, it’s just stating fact. We’ve been on the shortlist several times, but unfortunately not yet made it […]
Spot Susan Wooldridge in Tamara Drewe!
10 September, 2010
The brand new film Tamara Drewe (out now) has been garnering rave reviews from the critics. I’ve seen the trailer and have to admit, the scene watching the jogger trip up beside a herd of cows had me sold. Why on earth should I find that so funny? But I have another reason to want […]
Eat, Eat, Eat (all Italiana) – forget the Loving and Praying…
7 September, 2010
I have just returned from a weekend in Perugia visiting my Italian nonna (almost 103!) which means I’ve spent the last three days gorging on fresh pasta with homemade pesto, polpettone (meatloaf), fat and flavoursome sausages, minestrone, figs and prosciutto, more pasta, platefuls of borlotti beans with salt and butter (so simple, so delicious!) and […]
Blindness and Seeing
23 August, 2010
Last night I watched the film Blindness – about an epidemic that spreads through a city causing people to suddenly go blind. It is a harrowing story that follows a group of people infected with blindness who have been quarantined and abbandoned in an asylum – a place which quickly descends into squallor and where […]
Crime-writing Short Story Competition
20 August, 2010
Lancashire Libraries has been focusing on crime fiction and true crime this year, recommending a variety of books in all crime sub-genres (from classic crime to psychological thrillers), hosting special author events and organising other (legal of course) crime-related activities… And here’s the latest: Crime-writer Zoë Sharp, author of the hugely acclaimed thrillers featuring female […]
Where did I put my…??
19 August, 2010
Yesterday I left home to go to work, got to Wimbledon station and then realised I’d left my travel card at home, in the pocket of another jacket. Arrrgh! Great start to the day. I am forced to text my colleagues to admit my oversight, letting them know I have to head home again so […]
One Foot Wrong and Room – two books, same story?
13 August, 2010
Last year we published the uniquely memorable book One Foot Wrong, by Sofie Laguna – a novel both exceedingly dark and exceedingly beautiful, and the kind which lingers with you once you’ve turned the last page. It was (as we never failed to say to anyone we’d speak to about it) unlike anything we’d read […]
Rediscovering Julia Child
12 August, 2010
Earlier this week, I watched the movie Julie & Julia – in which Meryl Streep brilliantly plays the larger-than-life character and American National Treasure, Julia Child. Being the food-lover that I am, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie – not least because I grew up seeing the Joy of Cooking (mentioned several times in the movie […]
The pleaures of direct customer contact
10 August, 2010
The People’s Friend magazine recently picked A Moment of Silence as their Book Club choice for July (including a reader offer if the public bought the book direct from us) and we’ve since been bombarded with calls, cheques and online purchases of said book. Besides the obvious thrill of knowing the moment one of our […]
Root canals, fillings and….fangs.
5 August, 2010
As I thumbed through my free copy of Stylist on the tube yesterday, I came across a rather surprising news story. Apparently, teenagers across the United States have been flocking to cosmetic dentists this summer in order to get….vampire veneers. Yes, you heard right – that’s fangs – at $200 (£135) a pop. The result […]
Does my computer do it on purpose?
30 July, 2010
This week has been a bit of a more technical week for me…ie I’ve been glued to the computer working on a lot of web related content ready for our August highlights and also on one of our fab Morganville Vampire Competition prizes, the Morganville Yearbook (School Diary). That means a lot of work in […]
Where the Sidewalk Ends
22 July, 2010
I was incredibly suprised to read in The Bookseller that Penguin will be publishing Where The Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein for the first time in the UK this autumn. Surprised, because I couldn’t believe the book had never been published here before! This book – a collection of quirky, funny and imaginative poems inextricably […]
It’s official: I am a Survivor
9 July, 2010
Last night, the rest of the A&B girls and I, sauntered off (yes, we sauntered) to the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith to attend the hit show How to Survive A Zombie Apocalypse – an interactive seminar on surviving the undead. If you haven’t seen this show – all I can say is G0. Go now. […]
Creative fan mail
2 July, 2010
It’s always lovely to receive fan mail from readers who love our books, and such a pleasure forwarding them on to our authors. But one particular fan letter was such a delight that I can’t help but share it on the blog. Here is the card we received from Brian Howard-Heaton – fan of Edward […]
Spotlight on The Lit & Phil
28 June, 2010
The Guardian ran a lovely little piece over the weekend about The Lit & Phil (a.k.a .The Literary & Philosophical Society). It flagged up this Newcastle Library as a wonderful example of a library which has retained its traditional aura as a sort of home outside your home – a place “where you are implicitly […]
News from the Morganville Vampire Tour…
11 June, 2010
It doesn’t have to be ALL about the World Cup you know… No, there are other exciting things happening this month – such as the Morganville Vampires 2010 UK Tour. Rachel Caine, bestselling author of the Morganville Vampire series, has been busy for the past two weeks traipsing around the country meeting her legions of […]
It’s official: Martin Edwards is the Ultimate Criminal Mastermind
24 May, 2010
I love pub quizzes. I’m absolutely rubbish at them but I do have a competitive streak so enjoy the thrill of trying (albeit in vain) of winning. Apparently, I need coaching from author Martin Edwards. Yesterday Martin won the Criminal Mastermind quiz at Bristol’s CrimeFest for the second year running. He was up against authors […]
My Raw Food Challenge
21 May, 2010
Bar my recent attendance at the launch of the new Saf Restaurant in Kensington, the “raw movement” is probably one of the few culinary arenas I’ve not really explored. So, after browsing on Amazon, I decided to add to my collection of cookbooks the book Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Kitchen. The health benefits of eating […]
Morganville Vampires 2010 Tour – Waterstone’s Northampton
17 May, 2010
Tuesday 15th June, 3-4 p.m. Rachel Caine will be at Waterstone’s Northampton (19 Abington Street, Northampton NN1 2AN) to meet fans and sign copies of her books. Further information on Tel: 01604 634 854
Morganville Vampires 2010 Tour – Bradford Central Library
17 May, 2010
Thursday 10th June, 1 p.m. Rachel Caine will be at the Central Library (The Local Studies Service, Central Library, Prince’s Way, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD1 1NN) to talk about her writing, meet fans and sign copies of her books. Further details T. 01274 433688
Morganville Vampires 2010 Tour – Waterstone’s Southampton – last port of call!
17 May, 2010
Thursday 24th June, 5 p.m. Your very last chance to see Rachel Caine will be at Waterstone’s Southampton (West Quay Shopping Centre, Western Esplanade, Southampton SO15 1QE) where she will be meeting fans and signing copies of her books. Further information from the store on Tel: 02380 232118
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