Blog

Top Brit thriller writers touring UK airports

25 June, 2009

Just came back from a Publishing Publicity Circle (PPC) meeting with various editors from the Observer including Jane Ferguson on the Review, Oliver Marre on the Books Desk (standing in for Books Editor Will Skidelsky – where were you, Will? I was hoping to finally meet you in person), and Louise, editor of the Woman […]

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Proof that gym is not good for you.

24 June, 2009

Todayโ€™s a little cooler than yesterday and I felt it was just about comfortable enough to hit the gym โ€“ Iโ€™ve been rather lazy of late and itโ€™s starting to show. So, after my workout and feeling absolutely exhausted I headed for the change rooms. But it seems someone had a more hectic session than […]

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The inside scoop from Wimbledon

22 June, 2009

Today is the first day of this year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championship. I happen to live in Wimbledon and this weekend I passed Jamie Murray in the vegetable aisle at Sainsbury’s. I thought it was Andy at first, but then noticed the bigger hair. Anyway, he was chatting to a man I can only assume was […]

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Beauty talk

19 June, 2009

I’ve just had a lovely tea with Australian beauty guru Tali Shine (of Tali Shine Cosmetics for Girls on the Go)ย  who is friends with another Australian beauty guru,ย  Zoรซ Foster, the author of the debut chick-lit novel Air Kisses we’re publishing this August.ย  (My, that was a mouthful.) And may I digress for a […]

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A couple of reasons why a person might buy a magazine

18 June, 2009

On Tuesday I got to the office early to find I had left my office keys at home. I hate moments like this. There I am, crouching by the front door, swearing profusely at myself, with the entire contents of my A&B bag strewn across the pavementย  – it’s not a pretty sight. Then some […]

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A must-see for art lovers

17 June, 2009

The celebrated British artist Keith Coventry held a private view of his work last night at Haunch of Venison in Mayfair which I was lucky enough to attend.ย  I particularly loved his Echoes of Albany series which takes as its inspiration the mysterious Albany apartments in Burlington Gardens which have been home to numerous distinguished […]

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Summer events

15 June, 2009

Summer is upon us and after the hibernation of a long and snowy winter, so is the party season! Itโ€™s one weekend after the other of birthdays, weddings, hen nights, baby showers and just-becauses. And then thereโ€™s the work partiesโ€ฆ The lovely Victoria Connelly popped in to the office last week. Sheโ€™s very excited about […]

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Mad for Muddy Boots & Silk Stockings!

12 June, 2009

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 […]

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Zoรซ Sharp nominated for Short Story Dagger

8 June, 2009

Zoë Sharp’s story Served Cold has been nominated for the Short Story Dagger this year.

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Happy Birthday to Marshall Karp!

4 June, 2009

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 […]

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My Favourite Things (in Cambridge)…

3 June, 2009

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 cafรฉs and restaurants at Magdalene bridge, the impossible-to-scale-whilst-riding-a-bike-bridge behind Trinity Hall and, predictably if you know […]

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The Next 100 Years

2 June, 2009

Am sending this book off to print โ€“ hurrah! Some people are reactive, others proactive. Iโ€™d like to think I plan my life but I have a sneaky suspicion quite often itโ€™s more a case of life happening to me. George Friedman is clearly someone who thinks ahead and this book is the most riveting, […]

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A lesson in how to make the most of bad publicity

1 June, 2009

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 […]

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Just when you thought you’d heard it all…

28 May, 2009

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 […]

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Quality not quantity

27 May, 2009

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 […]

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That last day with Rachel Caine

26 May, 2009

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 –ย  signing at Watertone’s Bluewater; […]

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Pictures from the Morganville tea party

22 May, 2009

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 […]

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Rachel Caine’s visit to Boston

20 May, 2009

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 […]

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Muscles & Frites

19 May, 2009

Donโ€™t you find it weird how youโ€™ll go for months not thinking about a particular thing and then all of a sudden itโ€™ll be completely ubiquitous? For instance, one morning youโ€™ll wake up and thereโ€™ll be a news report on Penguin Books, then youโ€™ll read an article on the way into work about an oil […]

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Rachel Caine is in the building

18 May, 2009

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 […]

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I have been outed.

15 May, 2009

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 โ€“ thanks, Louise!!! Just […]

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