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Behind-The-Books Blog
Articles by Lara
Maternity calls…
Friday, August 19th, 2011
This will be my last blog for some time as I’ve officially started my maternity leave! I’ve had 9 months warning that this day would come, but still it’s somehow snuck up on me.
I am knowingly informed that henceforth I will become obsessed with the colour and consistency of baby poo and I can kiss [...]
Economic crisis? Opt for sales and escape…
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
World markets crashing, economies collapsing and a rolling snowball of bailouts - it seems all the safe havens have well and truly disappeared. And while we’re all watching our own pennies as the weekly Sainsbury’s shop creeps up at no slow pace, it’s easy to start panicking.
Then you read that the US deficit is 15 [...]
Making your business memorable…
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
In today’s ultra-competitive business world, it’s imperative to get your product/service/name out there. For instance, we’ve been distributing samplers of our international bestseller Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet to all and sundry - so there really can’t be many who haven’t heard of the book yet. (If you are, howevere one of [...]
Today’s entrepreneurs…
Tuesday, July 26th, 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 so I [...]
A classic and beautiful gift (eg. for a baby shower…)
Thursday, July 21st, 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.
I, [...]
Author names, pseudonyms and baby names…
Tuesday, July 12th, 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 [...]
Titbits from the RWA Conference
Tuesday, July 5th, 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 [...]
£5.99 for…um…nothing.
Thursday, June 30th, 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 Every [...]
Knight, Patriot, Physician & Man of Letters…
Monday, June 20th, 2011
A friend who is searching for a unique name for her baby, has decided to eschew the usual baby name books, and instead decided on a slightly less conventional approach: visiting graveyards for inspiration!
When visiting the The New Forest last weekend, she convinced me to accompany her on one of her graveyard visits, her crafty [...]
The A&B should-be-reading holiday reads
Thursday, June 16th, 2011
I spent last week lazing away on holiday. I know, lucky me, but one day back in the office and it feels like I never left. I think the tan faded as soon as I saw my inbox.
But back to the holiday. In an effort to switch off I did as little as possible, but [...]
An appetite for books
Monday, June 6th, 2011
Working in publishing, it’s safe to assume that my love affair with books has been a long-standing one. From a very early age, I devoured every book that was made available to me. I was on first name terms with the ladies at my local library and read, borrowed and stole (from my parents’ shelves) [...]
A nostalgic day out exploring classic war stories for children
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
This weekend my cousin and his family are coming to visit. He has two little angels of 8 and 10 years old. Well, they are little angels until boredom/hunger sets in - but then again, the same could be said about me.
So in an effort to keep them entertained, and also avoid traipsing through the [...]
Happy Birthday Eeyore!
Monday, May 9th, 2011
I spent last weekend scouring Winnie-the-Pooh books looking for catchy phrases to use for a friend’s baby shower, her nursery theme being that of the AA Milne classic.
There was a fair amount to choose from, not all of it quite right for writing on the little hunny pot party favours, but I still spent a [...]
French Summer Plans?
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011
With the May bank holiday break behind us (and the inevitable post-holiday blues) it’s time to look forward towards the summer. If you’re planning a summer escape and fancy something away from the thronging hordes and lager louts, perhaps the south of France is for you?
I’m currently inspired by the upcoming women’s fiction title, the [...]
Easter Entertainment
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011
I’m in a bit of a quandary at the moment. I can’t help but be a bit suspicious of the beautiful sunshine we’ve been having – and cynical about how long it’s likely to last. Do I pack the winter coats and scarfs away? Or will Mother Nature wait until the day I do so [...]
Time for some fiction quizzes…
Tuesday, April 12th, 2011
I’m sure by now everyone has had a go at the BBC’s book list challenge. If you are suitably impressed by your score and want another challenge, try this quiz by The Guardian, put together in honour of the Grand National last weekend: Horses in Fiction quiz.
Apart from Animal Farm and Black [...]
My vote for one of the best book blogs
Tuesday, April 5th, 2011
There are millions of book blogs and websites out there, full of reviews both devastatingly crushing and over the top exalting. And, in the same way that I marvel at a well-written restaurant review, I take my hat off to those who manage to think up an original way of praising or criticizing a book [...]
Destined for literary greatness…
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Later on this year we are reissuing Absolute Beginners, one of Colin MacInnes’s cult classic London Novels. Reading his biography, which mentions his mother Angela Thirkell I got to thinking about how small writing circles must have been. Thirkell, herself a writer, was a first cousin to Rudyard Kipling and her godfather was JM Barrie. [...]
Spotted anything sinister in the Cotswolds lately?
Friday, March 25th, 2011
I spent this past weekend in glorious Cotswold country. Quaint little villages, stunning scenery, wholesome pub food, and antique shops galore. But I knew I shouldn’t allow myself to get too swept up in the idyllic landscape. It’s Rebecca Tope country after all. And if you’ve read her highly addictive Cotswold mystery series you’ll know [...]
Who do you write like?
Friday, March 18th, 2011
Nothing like a bit of self-analysis to distract one from replying to very important emails. This little gem made itself known to me on Twitter (source of many time-wasting titbits). Simply insert your latest blog, chapter of your unfinished book or whatever sample of writing you have to hand, and discover which famous author’s style [...]
Currently we are...
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...Reading
West End Front, by Matthew Sweet. Lesley: A look at what was going on behind the dazzling exteriors of the grand London hotels like the Ritz and the Savoy during WW2. Chock-full of interesting details.
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