Thursday 6th October, 7.00pm HOLYWELL LIBRARY Come and meet a husband-and-wife, crime-writing duo: Edward Marston and Judith Cutler. Edward Marston is the bestselling author of the Railway Detective series and he will be celebrating the launch of the first book in a new historical crime series set in WWI, A Bespoke Murder. Judith Cutler is […]
Idly scanning through the radio stations on Sunday afternoon I came upon the purr-fect tones of Mariella Frostrop on Radio 4’s Open Book. The show was the fourth episode to look at women’s writing over the past century since emancipation and gave so much food for thought that I’ve since scurried over to the show’s […]
Today we have launched the new Ethan Gage website! (I’ll leave you a few moments to go check it out…) Done? You like? Did you enter the competition to win a copy of Napoleon’s Pyramids? I was definitely in pre-launch mode this weekend, with Ethan Gage and historical myths and adventure on my mind. And […]
It’s my first blog post at Allison & Busby, and I’m daunted by the example set before me. How can I possibly contend with such tales of Parmesan pencils, book barges and Mad Hatter parties? And in particular, how am I to top the goblin-ridden farewell post of my predecessor, Georgina? Well, that would be […]
Being half-Italian, I do love my olive oil. Give me some bread to soak it up with and I pretty much down the stuff. Give me a rich extra virgin olive oil – be it Greek, Spanish, Italian (I’ve also been seeing a lot of oils from Israel lately which I will have to try) […]
We’ve showcased The LIterary Gift Company on this blog before – and rightly so, as it presents such a lovely array of inspiring gifts for book lovers. One of the things they offer are posters of book jackets, and amongst them the very stylish poster (so stylish that it was actually spotlighted in Stylist magazine’s […]
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 […]
When I was a young, impressionable teenager and had dozily watched ‘Summer Holiday’ on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I was seized by the idea of how cool it would be to convert a bus and live in it. The open road, the panoramic views, Cliff Richard… ahem. Somehow this idea seemed exotically cool while the […]
We already knew that Susie’s brother, Rob Dunlop, was a talented man. A freelance web designer, editor and writer (he wrote the story for the popular Tozzer comics) he also happens to be a talented photographer (for the Rob Dunlop Photography facebook page click here). He’s made quite a name for himself photographing weird and […]
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. […]
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the annual crime extravaganza, Bodies in the Bookshop at Heffers in Cambridge – which we were delighted to sponsor this year. The event attracts a plethora of established and exciting debut authors, who like moths to a flame, come flocking to the bookshop every year to meet […]
This weekend I strolled along the Southbank which is celebrating the Festival of Britain and the atmosphere was buzzing. There’s a beach bar, a small fun fair, a temporary mini croquet court, a sandpit for children to play in along a good portion of the waterfront railing, and on the Queen’s Walk (infront of the […]
The Guardian have done something of a real public service, in my humble opinion, with their recent article on the best summer reads and where to read them. We’re now in the thick of that time of year when, whether it’s your Kindle or your suitcase you’re filling with books, some recommendations don’t go amiss. […]
Last night I simply could not sleep. I was extremely and unequivocably tired, and yet I could not sleep. After almost three hours of tossing, huffing and turning in bed, picture me at about 1.30am, curled up on the couch with my LED Book Light (nifty little thing), a blanket and a World Book Night […]
Saturday 6th August, 1.00pm WATERSTONE’S, BLACKPOOL Come and meet local author Margaret Thornton who will be signing copies of her new book Time Goes By as well as her other books at Waterstone’s, The Tower Shopping Centre, Bank Hey Street, Blackpool FY1 1QN. For more information call the bookshop on 0843 290 8157.
Following on from the huge success of the Morganville Vampire series, we have been searching for other worthy addition to our YA list. So I’m delighted to announce that we have recently signed up the brilliant writing pair of Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout! We will be publishing the hugely entertaining LOVE INC. in September […]
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 […]
I’m a fan of most technology and the internet (having the word ‘Digital’ in your job title does tend to demand that) particularly when it saves me time, money and inconvenience. Ordering groceries online – check – saving me from an interminable route around the supermarket on a Saturday morning, sidestepping toddlers and cutting the […]
Get yer eye-patch, stuffed parrot and wooden leg out – it’s time to talk PIRATES. We know many of you are anxiously waiting for the next installment in the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R King, and you won’t have to wait too long. Pirate King (which sees Russell investigating the criminal […]
The School of Survival’s hit cult seminar How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse has won the coveted FREAK award for Best International Show at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. The show will be hitting the Edinburgh Fringe this year for the last time with a final seminar: THE END IS NIGH.
It’s the middle of the working week, I didn’t win the Euromillions yesterday and the clouds over London are threatening to ruin the bout of summery weather we’ve been having, and so I feel it’s time to cheer things up with some fun and games and a chance to have you win some free books! […]