sex and pseudonyms…
Many of you have been in touch asking whether I’ve written a short story for the infamous anthology just published, In Bed With….
It’s edited by my great friend, the marvellous Australian author (and so much more) Jessica Adams. I met Jessica whilst involved with the Girls Night In anthologies - she’s a remarkable woman - read her book I’m A Believer - it’s one of my all-time favourite reads!
Anyway, back to the matter in hand, no - I didn’t contribute a story to In Bed With… Partly because I was up to my neck writing Secrets, partly because I’ve always written pretty raunchy scenes (yes alright - downright dirty) in my mainstream novels and thus didn’t feel I needed an outlet in which to do so!
The In Bed With girls have written under larky pseudonyms that combine their first pet’s name/ the road in which they grew up. It’s a bit of fun and an excellent PR/ Sales angle - but I do wonder would they not have been proud to put their own names to their work? And I don’t use the word ‘work’ lightly - I find writing short stories excruciatingly difficult - I could write three or four chapters in the time it takes to write a short story - give me 140,000 words over 2,500 words any day!
The shortest story my poor Dad has read was a mere 21 words long… It was the opening of my first novel Sally… and because the 22nd word was, erm, risque he hasn’t read a single word I’ve written since - and I’m now 10 novels and 12 years down the road!
