Susie, Author at Allison & Busby

How good a Storyman are you?

15 October, 2009

Here’s a little something to procrastinate with… And test your knowledge of books at the same time. It’s Hangman with a book title theme. I scored 20 first go. (Should I be familiar with The Wizard of Earthsea? ) Go on, have a go and see if you can do better… CLICK HERE (Feel free […]

Prepare for Halloween

14 October, 2009

According to Tesco, it’s already Christmas. I was in there yesterday and noticed they’ve already started putting out advent calendars. Is there really a demand for Christmas stuff two months in advance?? I thought it was customary to atleast wait until after Halloween. One festivity (pagan or otherwise) at a time please! So please, readers, […]

The BBC Panorama v Ryanair cat-fight

13 October, 2009

Last night I caught the last half of BBC Panorama’s exposé on Ryanair Why Hate Ryanair? – which basically slams the airline for its hidden charges and Michael O’Leary’s cost-cutting approach to business. Today, Ryanair has responded by giving away 1.1Million free seats to represent the 11 lies featured in the programme. Nice comeback. (Hey […]

Proof that there’s always a silver lining…

12 October, 2009

Nick Barley has now been announced as the new Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with immediate effect. There’s a nice interview with him in The Times today which tells you a bit about his background and his vision for the future of the festival. Nick’s future is bright, yet it’s interesting to read […]

Inflight movie reviews

8 October, 2009

I’m now back from my holiday in Oz and can attest to the fact that a return flight London- Abu Dhabi-Sydney will see you clocking up a total of 42 hours of actual flight time. That’s a lot of hours. And a lot of pressure on the inflight entertainment. Luckily, I had an array of old and new […]

Blog posting hiatus

7 October, 2009

Where was our blog posting on Monday? And what about Tuesday?? And today? Delayed flights and viruses have caused a temporary lull in the blog postings. I know it’s been long and empty wait. Must feel something like this… I’ll be back tomorrow I promise. Chiara Priorelli, Publicity Manager

Is this Molly’s car??

30 September, 2009

The heroine in one of our books, Molly’s Millions, is a florist who loves yellow gerberas and drives a yellow WV Beetle. Do you think this creation was inspired by the book?? Ok, so it’s actually a Chevrolet Matiz, not a Beetle but let’s not pick at details…Click here and scroll through the pictures for […]

Prints by Mick Wiggins

28 September, 2009

Christina (our Art Editor) currently has this image saved on her desktop and when I spotted it, I decided it would look very nice as a print in my living room. I asked her where she found the image and as it turns out, the illustrator happens to be Mick Wiggins, the man who did the artwork […]

Another recommendation from Oz

24 September, 2009

My favourite restaurant in Sydney has got to be the Doyles in Watson Bay – a well-known but unpretentious restaurant perched next to a lovely little suburban beach, from where you have a lovely view of the Harbour Bridge in the distance as you tuck into fresh seafood. I can’t say I have explored much the menu – simpy because […]

Liking this new Etihad airline

22 September, 2009

A blog from Down Under. Yes, I’m writing this from Sydney, Australia (and before you ask yourself what in God’s name I am doing on a computer when I am in this gorgeous city and on holiday – the answer is: jet lag. It’s 5am and options are limited. It’s either whiling away time on […]

Thoughts on The Shawshank Redemption play

21 September, 2009

In my blog post a few blogs ago, I said I was going to see Shawshank Redemption at the theatre. Well, I saw it, and it did not disappoint. I was worried that I would simply be seeing the film replicated on stage (and a poorer version at that) but I was very impressed with […]

How will The Shawshank Redemption suit the stage?

15 September, 2009

The Shawshank Redemption is my all-time favourite movie. I have watched it countless times. I have read the novella it is based on by Stephen King – called Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and to be found in the collection Different Seasons. I have bought the original screenplay which is interesting since (unlike many screenplays you buy […]

Mixed emotions watching 9/11 documentary

11 September, 2009

It’s been eight years to this day since the horrific events of 9/11. In the run up to this tragic anniversary Channel 4 have been running several documentaries to mark and remember that fateful day and I caught the middle of 9/11 – Phone Calls from the Towers. Listening to the voices of those trapped in […]

A £1million laughing matter…

10 September, 2009

News has it that Penguin (Michael Joseph) has signed up an autobiographical book by Michael McIntyre – the man of the moment in the UK comedy circles. Personally I think he’s hilarious. I saw him live at The Lyric in Hammersmith (before he hit stardom), I bought the DVD Live and Laughing and I series-linked […]

What would the Land Girls say about Land Girls?

8 September, 2009

Those of you that have followed our blog over the past months will remember us telling you about the flurry of calls we got from people wanting to order a copy of Muddy Boots and Silk Stockings – about the Land Girls. No doubt many of them will also be watching the new period drama […]

The thrill of the ride!

7 September, 2009

This Sunday I had the pleasure of trying wakeboarding at The Princes Club for the first time. No, sorry I lie. I went knee boarding – the beginners version. For anyone who doesn’t know what this is, it involves you grabbing hold of a rope attached to a fast-moving cable (and when I say fast, […]

The Curzon Group v Dan Brown…

3 September, 2009

Anyone who’s a bit tired of the Dan Brown hoopla (count me in) will enjoy this… Love the butter. Any other DB inspired titles/themes you can think of? Chiara Priorelli, Publicity Manager

Amateur running tips…

1 September, 2009

Lately, I have taken up running again. Mainly, I’ll admit, because my boyfriend has been training for 10k races and my competitive side feels the need to prove I am equally as fit. (I’m ignoring the fact that Reality is laughing in my competitive ego’s face.) Anyway, I knew I would need three things to […]

Online PR faux pas

27 August, 2009

Considering I’m a a relative newby in terms of exploring the realms of online PR, it’s a comfort to know there are others who don’t always have it down pat either. I came across this interesting article – click here – which I intend to study meticulously… Why learn the hard way through your own […]

Killer narrators…

26 August, 2009

There are hundreds of thousands of crime/thriller/mystery books in the world with murderous goings on (many of which we publish I might add…) but how many of these books are actually narrated by the killers themselves? Well, Richard Jay Parker has come up with a few of his favourites here on Flashlight Worthy. It’s a […]

The Brixton Bard and another Tap Natch Poet

24 August, 2009

Whilst most writers give talks at bookshops and libraries, Brixton-born Jamaican writer Alex Wheatle (acclaimed author of the cult classic Brixton Rock and the more recent Island Songs) is a regular speaker at schools and prisons. Inspiring young offenders and students with his background and story and encouraging them to read books and express themselves […]