Well, I hope you like the sneak preview of the Pillow Talk jacket on my Home Page…what doesn’t come across is the wonderful vivid blue – just wait until you see it. I wanted a colour as close as possible to tanzanite – the precious gem stone that is a key theme in the book. Before I was a published writer, to help make ends meet, I worked as a picture researcher for a number of publishing companies, using my background in art to help source images and designs for book jackets – and what a fusspot it made me! I’m a perfectionist (though I’m sure the art dept would call me a pain in the proverbial…). For example, we tried out almost twenty different shades of cream before I gave the nod for the background colour of Love Rules, Home Truths and Pillow Talk. We use an artist from New York to do the illustrations – but then the designer and I spend hours tweaking the length of eyelashes, the redness of lips, the creases in clothing… So you can imagine how many blues I squinted over in search of The One. Think I’ve found it, though…

Around this time, I am involved doing publicity for my forthcoming publication. Even though we are still some 3 months off the launch date, the glossy monthly mags close their issues around now. I find it SOOOO difficult to write articles – and find short stories particularly arduous. Give me 120,000 words any day…! So far, I have written a short story for Woman & Home magazine and an article for Red Magazine. That was a funny one – they wanted me to write about my ‘inappropriate’ (i.e.: cringingly embarrassing) crush. Well, I’m not remotely embarrassed to admit to a long-standing crush on Laurence Llewellyn Bowen – and the object of my affection swiftly became the subject of my article. Hope you’ll enjoy reading it – and having a laugh at my expense! The only trouble with these ‘extra-curricular’ pieces is that it takes me away from my novel writing. I find I can write four chapters in the time it takes me to write an 800-word opinion piece…
Readers often ask me what I’m reading, what I enjoy watching and listening to. So I thought I’d take the opportunity to tell you what’s beside my bed, what’s on my Sky+ and what’s in the CD changer in the car. I’ve now read everything Laurie Graham has written and all I can say is, hurry up, Ms Graham – I want more! At the mo’ I’m reading a fantastic novel called The Year The Gypsies Came by Linzi Glass – set in South Africa, about a volatile family and some mysterious visitors. I recently finished Midnight Cactus by Bella Pollen, which was a very atmospheric novel. I am looking forward to taking the new Maggie O’Farrell book on holiday, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox – I think Ms O’Farrell is a genius. And for a little light sun-lounger reading, I’ll have Paige Toon’s Lucy in the Sky next to my bottle of factor 8 and my glass of sangria…
Aural pleasure at the mo’ is provided in spades by Mark Ronson. My lovely friend Jo and I went to see him last week at the fabulously wacky Bloomsbury Ballroom. The vibe was fantastic – everyone was dancing. And I don’t mind telling you that Mark Ronson himself is particularly yummy. I’m not so sure about him having Robbie Williams cover the Charlatans “The Only One I Know ’ though. It’s one of my all time favourite songs and transports me back to a brilliant few years living in Manchester. Arlo Savidge, the hero in my new novel Pillow Talk, is a musician-turned-music-teacher so I had great fun trying to imagine some of his music appreciation classes. He covered all genres from Mozart to Camper Van Beethoven, from the Mamas & Papas to the Dandy Warhols, from Schubert to the Who – even Jethro Tull are in there! It’s cost me a fortune to quote all the lyrics (authors are responsible for paying the copyright in these cases) but I hope you’ll agree the choices are appropriate.
With the astronomical price of babysitters here in the city….and my parents having rather inconveniently buggered off to Rome for a month, I find I’m staying in watching loads of DVDs. Entourage (oh Vinnie Chase, I love you) and Curb Your Enthusiasm are big hits with me and I readily admit to being utterly obsessed with The Sopranos and House. Hugh Laurie never particularly registered on my radar – until some genius gave him an American drawl, a stroppy personality and a limp….and now I’m smitten. Being a horse lover, I once steered clear of any dramas about the mafia because I assumed (from The Godfather) that there’ll be a decapitated pony at some point. However, then I bought the box-sets of The Sopranos and now I feel like those New Jersey wise guys are my family….In fact, if there’s a scene with the FBI lurking somewhere, I start yelling at the telly “Tony! Tony! They’re behind you!”
When it comes to TV, Wednesday nights are top…Property Ladder, Grand Designs, Desperate Housewives and then The Apprentice recorded earlier. Four hours of square-eyed joy with a glass of wine, a bowl of tortilla chips and a good pal for company (hullo Jo).
So, now you have a little glimpse of your author off duty… From Kevin McCloud to James Gandolfini…my evening’s entertainment is guaranteed!
Thanks so much for sending me all your lovely emails – and I’m chuffed so many of you have picked up on the new look of the website. Glad you love it too! I’ll try and update the journal by the time Pillow Talk is published – but my genius website designer Luci may just be a little preoccupied as her first baby is due this summer. Congrats Luci!

Tags | Home Truths, Love Rules, Pillow Talk, Tanzanite