Blog
A fond farewell…
30 January, 2014
I can scarcely believe it. But today is my last day at Allison & Busby. After many happy years here, the time has come for me to leave this lovely home and its large family of authors. I’ve followed A&B around London, from the humble pad in Brixton, to the lovely offices in Charlotte Mews […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Great Minds…
29 January, 2014
Last week you might have seen that the entire office was cooing over the advance covers for Rachel Caine’s brand new, post-Morganville novel, Prince of Shadows. And who can blame us, not only does our cover girl look rather lovely in her Elizabethan outfit, but the shadow of a boy cast behind her hints nicely at […]
Information re-imagined…
28 January, 2014
If you’re anything like me, information enters your brain, is processed and then drifts out again approximately one week later. And although I know that learning is as much down to the efforts of the student as the teacher, wouldn’t it be fantastic if everything you needed to know was presented as beautifully and engagingly […]
What great women are on your bookshelves?
27 January, 2014
I was prompted by some discussion on twitter last week to think about who, not what, I’m reading. At the moment that’s Simon Garfield and his To the Letter, as well as Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. While I wouldn’t have said that I read more male than female writers, there’s been much discussion online […]
Showing some bookish love this Valentine’s
24 January, 2014
We are nearing the end of January and the sugary pink displays have popped up: Valentine’s day is fast approaching. But if you’d like to avoid the trappings of what’s arguably the most over-commercialised holiday, I’d like to point you in the direction of International Book Giving Day. Run entirely by volunteers, the initialive is […]
Behind Scorsese is a good book…
23 January, 2014
This week movie-goers have been enjoying release of the much-anticipated The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese. The film is based on Jordan Belfort’s memoirs of the same, depicting his hedonistic and scandalous time as a corrupt banker on Wall Street. Scorsese is widely seen as one of film’s […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Now, you look familiar…
22 January, 2014
Earlier this month there was a piece in the Evening Standard about Dido Belle, the black Londoner who helped end black slavery in Britain (in light of the upcoming film Belle which will hit cinemas in the UK this spring). A spotlight on a remarkable woman, and a very interesting article which begins so: ‘Among the […]
Hostages – a new favourite?
21 January, 2014
Tipped as the new Homeland, Hostages (helpfully similar sounding), on Channel 4, is my new favourite winter drama. It began earlier this month with a stellar cast- Toni Collette playing a mother and doctor faced with a world-changing decision, and Dylan McDermott- portrayed as both loving father and terrorist, and whose identity as a ‘goody’ […]
I’m looking for a book, I think it’s about a monster
20 January, 2014
I often read or hear about a book and then make a mental note to track down a copy. But sometimes, no matter how interesting the book sounds, I fail to remember the title or it’s author. This was the case recently with an illustrated book I was trying to find – all I could […]
Friday Giveaway: The perfect way to deal with winter…
17 January, 2014
There is really only one way to deal with a cold and chilly winter. 1. Stay indoors and get comfortable under your favourite blanket. 2. Choose a pertinent novel set in the dead of winter (pun intended) so you don’t lose the wintry atmosphere but can feel doubly snug and smug at the fact that […]
Train Spotting
16 January, 2014
For three months of last year, I was a commuter. I didn’t change from comfy shoes when I got into the office but I did have a ‘spot’ on the platform, which I liked to wait at, opposite some ornamental graffiti. Whilst my regional network provider was one of my least favourite people on the […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Return of the 3D Cover
15 January, 2014
You’ve heard of 3D printers, right? Over the past year these clever machines have been cropping up in the news as they’ve churned out the mundane (dental work) to the sinister (a functioning gun). But finally someone has brought 3D print back to it’s roots of books. Check out this limited edition slipcase for Chang-Rae […]
Sale Shopping
14 January, 2014
Now that Christmas is over, the January sales are under way. There are several things I’ve had my eye on but in the run up to Christmas, it’s difficult to justify spending £30 on a quirky cushion for myself. But thankfully with the New Year comes more price slashing and I can finally afford to decorate […]
Sherlock Fever
13 January, 2014
Sherlock concluded its third mysterious and marvellous series last night and the Sherlock fever is palpable in the air. Since Benedict Cumberbatch first donned the deer hunter hat and dark collar, a new generation of Sherlock was reborn. Cleverly coaxing Conan Doyle’s adventures into every day modern life has been a triumph of all three […]
Maintaining those NY’s Resolutions
10 January, 2014
Every year I jump on the New Year’s resolution bandwagon and promise to make a few positive changes. I can’t even remember the ones I made last year which is a testament to how unrealistic or unimaginative they were. So this year I’ve resolved to keep up things I’ve already been doing such as attending […]
Celebrity spotting
9 January, 2014
What is it about celebrity that is just so fascinating? I’m not an avid Twitter follower, celebrity magazine reader or watcher of reality television, but every so often a celebrity comes along and I will hang off their every word and watch or listen to their entire back catalogue over and over. Sometimes our famous […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Revealing The French Promise
8 January, 2014
If you loved The Lavender Keeper, by Fiona McIntosh then you’ll be one of those readers waiting impatiently for the sequel. The French Promise will be out in March, but to whet your appetite, here’s a sneak peak of the cover as Christina’s just finished designing it. Et voilà… For those who have yet to […]
The Art of Keeping Resolutions
7 January, 2014
We’re a whole week into 2014 and I wonder how many of you are feeling a little on the guilty side as good intentions begin to slide? So how about taking the finger-wagging spectre out of this year’s resolution and make it positive goal which, dare I say it, you might actually enjoy. For instance, […]
Revisiting an important time in history
6 January, 2014
As we gear up for the Academy Awards season, the talk of the moment is 12 Years a Slave – a film which will hit UK cinemas on 28 January and follows the story of Solomon Northup, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the 1840s. Already nominated for seven Golden Globes, critics appear […]
Conspiracy, anyone?
3 January, 2014
I’ve just been working on what will be A&B’s new edition of Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain, by Max Wallace and Ian Halperin (out March 2014) which is an investigation into the suicide of the rock legend. The two investigative journalists believe he was murdered and set out to prove it with […]
Christmas round-up: Tech vs. Tradition
2 January, 2014
I’d just driven through something not dissimilar to a hurricane with my brother and sister, fairly pleased with my near rally-driving skill on route to our mum’s in Surrey, and I was quite ready for a cup of tea and some prime Christmas TV. But as we bundled our soggy selves through the door, the […]
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