Q. I love your series of books and read all of the time. I was wondering if you have any tips for me, I have always wanted to write a book of my own but dont know where to start? With publishers or what to write? I have some good ideas I am told but […]
As anyone with the same appetite for books as the A&B office will know (and which Chiara has demonstrated in her recent hunt for new bookshelves), there comes a time when it is impossible to keep any more books. When your bookcases are so full that you’re stacking books on the floor around that piece […]
Today is World Aids Day and as I thought about the AIDS issue I had a quick browse on Amazon to see what books were out there on the topic. And my search brought up a fair amount, but mostly quite stern, scientific, textbook-looking books. Of course, AIDS is indeed a very serious topic and […]
Historical figures and events have days named after them. Allison & Busby authors are getting weeks celebrated in their honour! First we had the Morganville Vampire Week at Chrissie’s Corner Blog in honour of Rachel Caine‘s hit series (links to all the week’s posts can be found at here at our UK Fans of the […]
Hear ye, hear ye! In the battle of vampires vs zombies, the bloodsuckers may have peaked in popularity in the past year or two, but zombies are proving to be the slow and steady burners. Thanks to the Oxford English Corpus which tracks how language is evolving, we have at our disposal this handy graph […]
This week I went to the Novello Theatre to see the play Onassis, by Martin Sherman (based on the novel Nemisis, by Peter Evans). It wasn’t what I had expected; less of a story with an actual plot than a sequence of vignettes – moments in Onassis‘ life in which the audience gets a glimpse […]
None of us are going to escape the budget cuts but one of the saddest consequences is the effect this is going to have on libraries nationwide. As Joan Bakewell recently explored in her column for the BBC , how can the ‘happiness index’ research the government is undertaking conclude that taking away the opportunity […]
No matter what kind of cover design is chosen for a book, the goal is for it to stand out. And this clever design has taken that goal very seriously…and indeed literally, with a brilliant 3D effect. I take my hat off to the designer who has managed to make a striking cover out of […]
So, Will and Kate are getting hitched, yawn. Predictable as the announcement was, along with the ridiculous wall-to-wall news coverage, so was the rush to cash in. For those of you interested (I won’t think less of you…much), you can get a bargain version of the engagement ring and while there’s a bit of a […]
Spotted in this morning’s Metro – an ad for a special viewing of Get Carter, the classic cult film starring Michael Caine. A title which always catches my eye since it is based on the novel by Ted Lewis which, I can proudly say, we publish. The special screening will take place on 2nd Dec […]
Sunday 23rd January, 9.30am THE WORDSWORTH HOTEL, GRASMERE Crime author Martin Edwards will be celebrating the new paperback release of The Serpent Pool (the latest in his Lake District mystery series) with a talk at the Wordsworth Arts & Books Festival at The Wordsworth Hotel, Grasmere, Cumbria, LA22 9SW. For more information about the […]
Have you ever wondered who is behind the dedications that authors add to their books? And who would you mention if you were to publish a book? I’ve often thought about it and always enjoy hearing the stories associated with the named individuals. So, it’s with very great pleasure, that I introduce young Imogen Rose […]
Statues are a recurring feature in cover designs for modern classics, or books which want to position themselves as such in my mind. There was the cover I chose among a few different editions when buying a copy of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which perfectly suits the story superficially (a group of students brought […]
Following my recent bookshelf-building exploits, and the fact that I’m still short of space, I’ve been on the hunt for innovative ideas as to how I could store more books in my flat. And there are plenty of interesting ideas out there, albeit some more useful than others (considering a few assume you must reside […]
Saturday 27th November, 1:30-2.30pm COUNCIL HOUSE, NOTTINGHAM Enjoy a full day of author events celebrating Nottinghamshire’s Reader’s Day taking place at the Nottingham City Council, The Council House, Old Market Square, Nottingham NG1 2DT. The long list of events includes a talk by crime writer Martin Edwards, author of the popular Lake District mysteries, who […]
Susan Wooldridge’s novel The Hidden Dance has won the Best Debut Novel Award in the Big Red Read as well as taking second place in the Fiction Awards.
Did you know that last week London hosted Internet Week, Europe? No, me neither. But apparently, around the city, events were taking place with such fascinating names as: Protein Forum: Data Visualisation, Urban Computing and the Virtual Goods Summit. Most interesting though was a workshop where the talents of 10 year old kids were pitched […]
Today, after emailing a reader who bought one of our books, I was greeted with this charming response: ‘You’re obviously not the daughter of Commissario Brunetti in the Donna Leon novels!‘ He was, of course, referring to Chiara Brunetti – whose Christian name I share. Ah, if only I could say that I was indeed […]
Thursday 2nd December, 10.15pm RTE One THE PANEL Don’t miss this episode of The Panel on RTE One featuring Dr Dale, the world’s renowned (err, only) Zombologist and author of Dr Dale’s Zombie Dictionary: the A-Z Guide to Staying Alive. He’ll be sharing his expertise about zombies and zombie survival with host Craig Doyle. Because […]
Friday 3rd December, 2.00pm BBC RADIO NORTHAMPTON Catch crime author Adrian Magson live on BBc Radio Northampton for an interview about his work and new books including Death on the Marais, the first in a brand new Lucas Rocco series set in rural France in the 1960s.
Saturday 4th December, 11.00am – 1.00pm WATERSTONE’S NORTHAMPTON Come and meet local crime author Adrian Magson who will be meeting fans and signing copies of his books including his new release Death on the Marais at Waterstone’s, 9 Abington Street, Northampton NN1 2AN. For more information call the bookshop on 0843 290 8517.