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Behind-The-Books Blog
A dash of Dominic West with your coffee?
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Have to admit I rather like this advertising stunt from Carte Noire so can’t help but forward it on… If you feel you deserve a more seductive coffee break, make yourself a rich mug of Carte Noire and when you’re sitting comfortably, click on here to watch Dominic West, Greg Wise and Dan Stevens reading [...]
I heart Google Analytics
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
I have been working on website-related things and have spent some time understanding how to read Google Analytics which tracks the activity on our website. I was only recently introduced to this wonderful tool and it’s really quite fascinating. I would highly recommend that everyone with a website sign up to it. By looking at [...]
What to do in the New Forest
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
We spent this past weekend in the wet and windy New Forest. Camping. Clever, no? Luckily, the rain abated for Saturday afternoon at least so we decided to make the most of the clear skies and go exploring. And this is what we found: The Exbury Maize Maze. If you are looking for something to [...]
Bid for an autumn bank holiday
Monday, July 27th, 2009
I read in The Mirror today that the Work Secretary will announce plans which include the possibility of giving employees a new Bank Holiday to commemorate those who have been killed at their work place. It aims to make people more conscious about Health & Safety , and I have to admit the grim news [...]
Gentlemen prefer blondes…
Friday, July 24th, 2009
But apparently vampires prefer brunettes? Saw a girl on the tube last night wearing this: Love it. So much I may have to hit the L’Oreal bottle. A fashion-must for lovers of Stephenie Meyer, Rachel Caine, Colleen Gleason or the Casts… Lara Crisp, Managing Editor (and a blonde)
Butternut Squash Soup recipe (a good post-dentist meal)
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
Yesterday I went to the dentist and stupidly didn’t eat beforehand. I got home famished but too sore to chew. Solution? Leftover home-made butternut squash soup. It was so comforting a meal I feel the need to share the recipe here… Chiara’s Butternut Squash Soup 1 small butternut squash – peeled and chopped into small [...]
One small step for man…
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
This week the whole world is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing, and in honour of that great event, here are some little-known but fascinating facts I came across… Did you know? As late as 1988, a stunning 13% of the population believed that some portion of the Earth’s moon is actually comprised [...]
My Sister’s Keeper movie – to see or not to see?
Monday, July 20th, 2009
I’m about to finish reading My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. Not the most uplifting of books… in fact, reading it actually makes me feel anxious but I can’t bring myself to put it down – it is, without a doubt, captivating. So much of the reason it holds the reader is because each chapter is seen from the perspective [...]
Even superheroes get old…
Friday, July 17th, 2009
There are definitely days when none of us feel all that super and mediocre is a more likely goal. That’s why these fantastic cartoons by Donald Soffritti, in which all your favourite superheroes are showing their age, makes me smile. My favourite? Definitely The Invisible Woman. Click here to see more – as featured on [...]
What an Art Editor buys off Amazon…
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
I am, and always have been, an internet binge shopper: I won’t buy anything for months but then I’ll log on to some site (Amazon being the one-stop port of call of choice at the moment) and test my credit card for endurance over a couple of hours, usually during a rainy afternoon. So, during [...]
I chose the wrong job
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
I should have been a Computer Animator. How cool would it be to spend your working day creating something like this? (View with sound on.) My 10-month-year old nephew can just about stand up on his two little legs whilst holding precariously onto the coffee table – and we are so proud. If only I [...]
Who ever said typesetting was easy?
Monday, July 13th, 2009
I am struggling with the typesetting of one of our upcoming titles. There are so many ways to layout a recipe book and deciding on the right format is a bit of a nightmare. The margins aren’t working, some recipes fit the page so neatly, others have just one line that flows on to the [...]
Happy Green Britain Day!
Friday, July 10th, 2009
Today is Green Britain Day – a day to get together to do one green thing for the planet. Can’t say it started off well for me. In the process of making my first cup of tea in the office this morning, I opened the cupboard and proceeded to get hit in the face by [...]
An evening with Matt Lucas and other nice freebies
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Ah, how nice to enjoy a freebie in these very credit crunchie times (there must be a better adjective than that for the current climate, that makes me think of breakfast cereal). Last night I was one of about 90 lucky people who got free tickets to watch a recording of a new comedy panel [...]
This July it’s all about crime…
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
No, I’m not talking about knife-wielding hoodies – I’m talking about crime fiction. There’s a lot to look out for this month so here’s a list for all you crime-fiction fans out there… 1. This Friday 10th July – Sandi Toksvig will be investigating the mysterious lure of crime fiction on BBC TV’s The One [...]
Flippin’ heck, free copy of Flipping Out (signed to you!) up for grabs
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
Flipping Out, the new book in the acclaimed Lomax and Biggs crime series by Marshall Karp is out now. It follows The Rabbit Factory and Bloodthirsty and if I had a pound for every critic, blogger and reader that has raved about these books, well, I’d have paid for a nice holiday in Bermuda by [...]
The post-wimbledon slump
Monday, July 6th, 2009
After past two weeks of Wimbledon-mania, today feels a bit – well, blah. For one, I’m still feeling a bit forlorn over the fact Roddick lost to Federer in the final. He SO deserved to win the match – for all of Federer’s talents, I do think he was lucky this time. Plus, even though [...]
Photos from The Hidden Dance launch
Friday, July 3rd, 2009
I promised you I’d soon be posting some pictures from last week’s launch of The Hidden Dance, by British actress Susan Wooldridge at Hatchard’s. And what better day to do so than the day Susan graces the stage as Lady B in the new production of The Importance of Being Earnest - opening tonight (previews) [...]
Meeting Richard Jay Parker
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
Too much of our day is spent looking at our computer screens, having conversations with authors, agents, printers, reviewers and retailers by email. Efficient it may be, but sometimes you miss hearing a voice, seeing an expression. It can tell you so much about a person. So, after months of email chat, it was an [...]
Happy Canada Day!
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
I have to admit I wouldn’t have known it was Canada Day were it not for all the tweets about it. But considering I’ve often been mistaken for a Canadian because of my mid-Atlantic accent (which comes from growing up in Europe with an American mother) I am taking the opportunity to spread the cheer [...]
Currently we are...
…Reading
The Gin Lane Gazette, by Adrian Teal
Lesley: Think tongue-in-cheek, illustrated 18th-century version of Heat and you’re pretty much there. True historical events and anecdotes retold with relish and accompanied by bawdy illustrations, great fun.
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