Blog
Entering the Realm of A&B…
29 July, 2011
It’s my first blog post at Allison & Busby, and I’m daunted by the example set before me. How can I possibly contend with such tales of Parmesan pencils, book barges and Mad Hatter parties? And in particular, how am I to top the goblin-ridden farewell post of my predecessor, Georgina? Well, that would be […]
Sharing the love for olive oil…
28 July, 2011
Being half-Italian, I do love my olive oil. Give me some bread to soak it up with and I pretty much down the stuff. Give me a rich extra virgin olive oil – be it Greek, Spanish, Italian (I’ve also been seeing a lot of oils from Israel lately which I will have to try) […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Sell-Out Book Cover Poster
27 July, 2011
We’ve showcased The LIterary Gift Company on this blog before – and rightly so, as it presents such a lovely array of inspiring gifts for book lovers. One of the things they offer are posters of book jackets, and amongst them the very stylish poster (so stylish that it was actually spotlighted in Stylist magazine’s […]
Today’s entrepreneurs…
26 July, 2011
Yesterday this little note popped through my letterbox. Clearly someone forward-thinking little soul has been staying up past their bedtime and watching The Apprentice. And to have embarked on such a venture on the first day of school holidays is particularly impressive. Unfortunately though, whoever’s behind this enterprise has neglected to include their business card […]
Books Ahoy!
25 July, 2011
When I was a young, impressionable teenager and had dozily watched ‘Summer Holiday’ on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I was seized by the idea of how cool it would be to convert a bus and live in it. The open road, the panoramic views, Cliff Richard… ahem. Somehow this idea seemed exotically cool while the […]
Spreading the Cosplay fever! (Brilliant video!)
22 July, 2011
We already knew that Susie’s brother, Rob Dunlop, was a talented man. A freelance web designer, editor and writer (he wrote the story for the popular Tozzer comics) he also happens to be a talented photographer (for the Rob Dunlop Photography facebook page click here). He’s made quite a name for himself photographing weird and […]
A classic and beautiful gift (eg. for a baby shower…)
21 July, 2011
A few weeks ago, I was thrown a surprise baby shower, complete with an inventive Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatters’ theme. Not only were the amazingly colourful foodstuffs decorated with ‘Eat me’ and ‘Drink Me’ instruction labels but everyone was in a wacky hat or white rabbit ears, drinking suspicious-looking punch out of mismatched teacups. […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Cover spotlight at Bodies in the Bookshop
20 July, 2011
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the annual crime extravaganza, Bodies in the Bookshop at Heffers in Cambridge – which we were delighted to sponsor this year. The event attracts a plethora of established and exciting debut authors, who like moths to a flame, come flocking to the bookshop every year to meet […]
Let’s not forget there are MANY writers inspired by the sea…
19 July, 2011
This weekend I strolled along the Southbank which is celebrating the Festival of Britain and the atmosphere was buzzing. There’s a beach bar, a small fun fair, a temporary mini croquet court, a sandpit for children to play in along a good portion of the waterfront railing, and on the Queen’s Walk (infront of the […]
Wish you were here?
18 July, 2011
The Guardian have done something of a real public service, in my humble opinion, with their recent article on the best summer reads and where to read them. We’re now in the thick of that time of year when, whether it’s your Kindle or your suitcase you’re filling with books, some recommendations don’t go amiss. […]
A night as a (temporary) insomniac…
14 July, 2011
Last night I simply could not sleep. I was extremely and unequivocably tired, and yet I could not sleep. After almost three hours of tossing, huffing and turning in bed, picture me at about 1.30am, curled up on the couch with my LED Book Light (nifty little thing), a blanket and a World Book Night […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Don’t you just Love (Inc.) It?
13 July, 2011
Following on from the huge success of the Morganville Vampire series, we have been searching for other worthy addition to our YA list. So I’m delighted to announce that we have recently signed up the brilliant writing pair of Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout! We will be publishing the hugely entertaining LOVE INC. in September […]
Author names, pseudonyms and baby names…
12 July, 2011
Posh has called her newborn daughter Harper Seven… Never underestimate the Beckhams; who’d have thought To Kill a Mockingbird was one of their favourite books? My own baby-naming task is coming up, and while I don’t have the celebrity or financial clout to allow my poor child to bribe the would-be bullies who would tease […]
The place for technology
11 July, 2011
I’m a fan of most technology and the internet (having the word ‘Digital’ in your job title does tend to demand that) particularly when it saves me time, money and inconvenience. Ordering groceries online – check – saving me from an interminable route around the supermarket on a Saturday morning, sidestepping toddlers and cutting the […]
Laurie aRrrgh! King’s Art Competition!
8 July, 2011
Get yer eye-patch, stuffed parrot and wooden leg out – it’s time to talk PIRATES. We know many of you are anxiously waiting for the next installment in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R King, and you won’t have to wait too long. Pirate King (which sees Russell investigating the criminal […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Find the Book Title Competition
6 July, 2011
It’s the middle of the working week, I didn’t win the Euromillions yesterday and the clouds over London are threatening to ruin the bout of summery weather we’ve been having, and so I feel it’s time to cheer things up with some fun and games and a chance to have you win some free books! […]
Titbits from the RWA Conference
5 July, 2011
One of our lovely authors, Susanna Kearsley has just returned from the Romance Writers of America (RWA) conference – a week-long event, which this year was held in New York. She’s reassured me she’s still in one piece despite a no-doubt gruelling schedule of socialising with other like-minded romance authors. (If you are interested in […]
Olympic confession
4 July, 2011
My name is Lesley and I got Olympic tickets. Phew, it’s good to get that off my chest, as in the past week or so I’ve certainly felt like a vulnerable minority. So, I’ve got a year to brush up on my badminton knowledge: ahem, did you know that the best shuttlecocks are considered to […]
Love your library…
1 July, 2011
The Women’s Institute has launched a Love Your Libraries campaign to fight councils’ plans to close many libraries, replace staff with volunteers and cut opening hours. It is now asking its members to sign up to their local library, to write to their local council sharing why they value the library’s services and explaining its […]
£5.99 for…um…nothing.
30 June, 2011
In our weekly meeting debating hyphens and curly apostrophes, I’m afraid to admit I switched off for a minute and daydreamed about the proofreading ‘effort’ required for this book: Currently outselling Dan Brown’s Da Vince Code and JK Rowling’s Order of the Phoenix (admittedly neither book are exactly at their peak at the moment), What […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Working the Trend
29 June, 2011
It a very very common current trend to play with parched-paper/sepia-like backgrounds and the dark sillhouette of a figure, in order to create an evocative book cover. Let’s take Jed Rubenfeld’s The Interpretation of Murder, and the Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón to name but a few. But there’s one cover following […]
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