Summer is upon us and after the hibernation of a long and snowy winter, so is the party season! It’s one weekend after the other of birthdays, weddings, hen nights, baby showers and just-becauses. And then there’s the work parties… The lovely Victoria Connelly popped in to the office last week. She’s very excited about […]
I write this blog in haste because I probably have about another 5 minutes before the phone starts ringing again. Today, from the moment we stepped into the office, we’ve been inundated with calls from readers wanting to buy a copy of Muddy Boots & Silk Stockings, by Julia Stoneham which featured in this month’s […]
Zoë Sharp’s story Served Cold has been nominated for the Short Story Dagger this year.
Friday 10th July, 2 – 4pm LIVERPOOL Enjoy an afternoon of nostalgia and meet author June Francis as she talks about her wonderful book set in Liverpool and Chester at Crosby Library, Crosby Road North, Liverpool. You will also get a chance to get a signed copy of her brand new paperback Tilly’s Story.
Today is Marshall Karp‘s birthday. I could break out into song but no one would probably ever return to this blog again. So I’ll simply say, on behalf of everyone here at A&B: He’ll be celebrating something else later this month – the UK release of Flipping Out, the next book in his acclaimed Lomax […]
This coming weekend I’ll be popping over to see some friends in Cambridge – one of my favourite places in the UK or indeed the world. My favourite places there include the wide open space of Parker’s Piece, the cafés and restaurants at Magdalene bridge, the impossible-to-scale-whilst-riding-a-bike-bridge behind Trinity Hall and, predictably if you know […]
Am sending this book off to print – hurrah! Some people are reactive, others proactive. I’d like to think I plan my life but I have a sneaky suspicion quite often it’s more a case of life happening to me. George Friedman is clearly someone who thinks ahead and this book is the most riveting, […]
It can be disappointing for us publicists, when one of the books we’ve been promoting gets a bad review. We harrass and push and chase editors in the hope of getting the book reviewed at all, rejoice when we hear it has indeed been selected for coverage, and then get a big slap in the […]
Sunday 20th September, 11am BUDLEIGH H R F Keating, author of the best-loved Inspector Ghote series, will be speaking at the first ever Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, running from the 18th – 20th September. Keating is part of an impressive line-up of authors including Hilary Mantel, Simon Brett, Michael Mopurgo, Val McDermid and many more. […]
What? More Rachel Caine I hear you say? Ok, I admit it, we’re getting close to Rachel Caine overload but can you blame us? More and more people are clocking on to this brilliant series, including the reviewer John Loyd at The Bookbag who devoured the books and reviewed all four of them in just […]
Sunday 26 June, 7.30pm Carlisle Come join the fun at a Victorian Murder Mystery Evening written by Martin Edwards and performed at Carlisle Library. For details call 01228 227310.
My parents are over in London at the moment and renting out a flat for the time they are here. Beats a hotel. Anyway, the interior design is modern and minimalistic – no real sign that anyone lives there for some of the year. In fact, there’s a large built in bookshelf in the living […]
How lucky am I? I was the first person (from the A&B office) to get to see Rachel Caine when she arrived in London and I was the last to see her off on Saturday – the final day of her UK tour. The day was split as follows: morning – signing at Watertone’s Bluewater; […]
Friday 19th June, 6.30pm WATERSTONE’S, CARDIFF Award-winning dark fantasy writer Tim Lebbon will be celebrating the launch of his new book, The Island, set in the exciting world of Noreela, at Waterstone’s, 2a The Hayes in Cardiff. Enjoy the chance to mingle with the author, but the book at a special price on the night […]
On Monday, I promised you I’d be posting pictures from our lovely tea party with Rachel Caine, which saw our office filled with a jolly gathering of booksellers who came from far and wide (including Milton Keynes and even Bristol!) to meet her! So here, thanks to Christina’s camera work are some shots from the […]
There’s quite a lot that succeeds in making me feel old these days. Bills. Songs on the radio. Slang that doesn’t make sense to my enfeebled mind. The prospect of my Young Person’s Railcard expiring – boo! But the thought of going back to a real school does the trick most completely. Timetables. School-dinners. Maths […]
Don’t you find it weird how you’ll go for months not thinking about a particular thing and then all of a sudden it’ll be completely ubiquitous? For instance, one morning you’ll wake up and there’ll be a news report on Penguin Books, then you’ll read an article on the way into work about an oil […]
Friday 10th July 12.30 – 2.30pm. Part of the RNA Conference, 10 – 12 July Victoria Connelly, author of Molly’s Millions will be speaking at the Love in the Library event at Penrith Library, as part of the Romantic Novel Association Conference. She will be on a panel with fellow romantic novelists including Freda Lightfoot, […]
Thursday 6th August 6-7pm Jarrold’s, NORWICH Come and meet Victoria Connelly, author of Molly’s Millions, at Jarrold’s department store. Details of the event to follow.
Just popped up to my desk very briefly to say that we have the wonderful Rachel Caine – author of the hit Morganville Vampire series – in the building right now! She flew in from the U.S yesterday and now is downstairs enjoying cupcakes and tea (how very civilised) and mingling with various booksellers who […]
So, just when I thought I could continue to pootle along undetected, generally keeping a low profile and letting our readers believe that the A&B office is staffed by only five people, along comes my colleague Louise who blows my cover by mentioning me in her entry about Lord of Misrule – thanks, Louise!!! Just […]