Ah, Pip the clown. I had to persuade a lot of people that she wouldn’t be a scary clown – I couldn’t believe how many people actually have an aversion to traditional clowns! The Clown Doctors were fascinating to research and shadow – very humbling too, not least because I was pregnant (with my second child) whilst writing this book. The Clown’s Gallery in Dalston, east London, was a fascinating place – not least for their extensive collection of painted eggs, on which clowns can ‘copyright’ their make up. This was to be the last book in the McCabe series – not written as a trilogy, but interlinked nonetheless. By the time I finished this novel, I knew, though, that I’d revisit the sisters. But I needed some space from them first. And a posse of brand new characters needed my attention in the meantime. So Love Rules was next.
Read the first chapter of Pip
Read a brief synopsis of Pip
See what happened next to Pip
[1991] – Freya gave up a PhD scholarship to write her first novel, Sally. For 4 years she turned deaf ears to parents and pals who pleaded with her to “get a proper job”. She went on the dole and did a succession of freelance and temping jobs to support “writing days” every now and then. During this time, she was rejected by many publishers and agents whose comments ranged from “you can’t start a book like that” (referring to Sally’s rather raunchy opening scene) to “I like your idea but can’t stand your style”. Undeterred, she started Chloë as soon as she finished Sally. In 1996 she approached one of the UK’s top literary agents, Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown Ltd. Throwing caution to the wind, Freya sent him 3 chapters and a page of completely fabricated reviews, which she wrote on behalf of the Sunday Times, Jilly Cooper and Germaine Greer. Lloyd took her on and put her work up for auction.
[1996] – 5 publishers enter a bidding war for Freya’s books. A three-book deal for a six figure sum is the result. Sally is published to great acclaim and Freya is heralded a fresh voice in fiction.
[1997] - Chloë doubles Sally‘s release figures and is a Sunday Times bestseller.
[1998] - Polly spends 14 weeks in the original Fiction Top 10. The film rights are sold and the paperback goes straight onto the Sunday Times Top 10 at no.5.
[1999] – Freya’s 4th novel Cat is published in November. Set around the Tour de France, Freya’s research took her deep down to the secrets behind the Lycra.
Freya’s books are translated into five languages. In Holland, she is called the Literary Spice Girl and her books are hailed “better than viagra”. Her fan base is wide, ranging from teenage girls to elderly gentlemen worldwide.
[2000] - in June, Cat is released in mass market paperback. Fen is being written. Pip is being researched. Freya is involved with the Daphne Du Maurier Festival and the Edinburgh International Literary Festival as well as many other book festivals from Bodmin to Bracknell.
[2001] – Freya’s 5th novel, Fen, is published in October. Her son, Felix, was born on Easter Sunday, 15th April 2001.
[2002] - Freya spends the summer writing Pip. Fen is published in paperback in late September and goes straight into the charts, peaking at no.4. Freya is now safely into her second pregnancy with the baby due in early February. Pip is completed late November and Freya and her family move house a couple of weeks later.
[2003] - Georgia Jeannette born on 4th February 2003 at 10.45 pm, weighing 7 lbs 14 0z. Pip is published in August. Freya starts her 7th novel, Love Rules, featuring the adventures of two best friends – new characters, plus the reappearance of Sally.
[2004] – Pip is published to great success in paperback. Freya completes Love Rules and follows her editor to HarperCollins. Freya is now hard at work on no8 – which reunites Cat, Fen and Pip McCabe.
[2005] - Love Rules is published around Valentine’s Day and then in paperback later in the year. The novel is a Top10 bestseller, breaking all Freya’s previous sales records. Home Truths, Freya’s 8th novel is written and the author’s thoughts turn to her 9th…
[2006] – Home Truths is published in March and stays in the Original Fiction Top10 for over 3 months. The book becomes a paperback bestseller in the autumn, making the national Top 10 and riding high over the Christmas period. Pillow Talk, Freya’s 9th novel is written and the author’s thoughts turn to her 10th…
[2007] – Pillow Talk is published in August to great acclaim, going straight into the Original Fiction Top Ten. The tenth novel is underway – and waiting for a title.
[2008] – on 4th February, Pillow Talk is published in paperback and wins the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Georgia turns 5 years old on the same day. It’s a career highlight for Freya, with lots of TV and press to do but soon enough she’s back in the library, completing the 10th novel, Secrets.
[2009] – Secrets will be published as an exclusive airport edition in February, and in paperback in May. Freya thought she needed a rest…but now she’s planning her 11th novel – and a couple of top secret projects too… watch this space!
[2009] – Secrets was published and spent over four months in the bestseller lists with sales figures doubling those of Pillow Talk. Freya toured the North East doing signings and talks and continued her role as Ambassador to the region.
[2010] – What a year. The US rights for Pillow Talk and Secrets were sold to Source Books, with Pillow Talk due for stateside publication in July 2011. Freya and her children moved from London to the Hertfordshire countryside. Cancer challenged Freya’s mum to fight for her life – and she won. Freya wrote her 11th novel, Chances.
[2011] – Chances is published on 31st March, peaks at number 4 in the UK Bestsellers and continues to sell strongly throughout the summer reading season. Freya is now hard at work on her 12th novel, Rumours.
2004/2005
Blimey, a year’s worth of news to update you with… how on earth can I do this in less than the length of a novel? Well, I suppose I’m lucky that, because I’m now just a boring old frumpy mum, I have relatively little scandal and skulduggery to recount. Rather than give you a month by month breakdown, perhaps I’ll tell you about the key people in my life.
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Pip McCabe, 30, likes to say she doesn’t need a man and she doesn’t need money...
However, her friends and her sisters think she would benefit from a little more of each. But stripy tights, starched pigtails, a bright red nose and an ability to juggle whilst doing the splits only just about pay the bills and seldom lead to romance or romps. Pip, though, takes her clowning very seriously, whether at spoilt kids’ parties or on the wards of children’s hospitals. She simply doesn’t have time for a man, she claims. And her bank balance hovers just above the red, so that’s OK.
Zac Holmes, 34, has a successful, high-powered career, a fabulous flat and an adored 6-year-old son from a previous relationship. Popular, charming and affluent, Zac feels that no-strings flings suit his lifestyle as much as the pleasing bonuses he earns at work.
When Zac and Pip first meet, it is far from love or lust at first sight. What can a clown and an accountant possibly have in common? Against a lively backdrop of parties and parks, hospitals and hotels, the attempt to find out…
Read more about what happened to Pip
Well, it was a long, hot summer but I made sure I did a couple of cool things (other than allow Felix to drench me with the hosepipe). Andy turned 40 and we had a fabulous weekend in Stockholm. We went to see the Rolling Stones and were privileged to partake of the whole VIP/ backstage experience. Though I don’t do name-dropping, suffice it to say, we met some lovely people and enjoyed a spectacular concert, strutting our funky stuff alongside a great Swedish audience. What a gorgeous city. We hope to return in the winter to experience a very different side of it – dog-sleds and all.
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Well, there’s a bit of catching up for me to do for you… August was a quiet month during which I really knuckled down to Pip – it wasn’t all work and no play, though – Jessica Adams‘s launch party for her wonderful novel “I’m a Believer” was fun. It would have been more fun had I not been in the throes of morning sickness which, for me, was all-day, all-night sickness. I stuck to mineral water but toasted my pal and her publishers. September was exciting with Fen rampaging up the charts. It was thrilling to see her strutting her stuff at no.4 so a big thanks to all of you who helped her on her way. I spoke at the Cheltenham and Guildford literary festivals, both of which were fun and rewarding. I also visited loads of bookshops including many in the Hammicks and Methvens chains – a warm thank you to the staff who give my girls a fantastic helping hand.
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Well, on February 4th 2003, Georgia Jeannette came flying into this world (I’m not exaggerating). I had one contraction at 9.30 pm. I went upstairs to hang out the washing. I had another contraction at 9.35 pm and after that I couldn’t speak, let alone stand upright to load the dishwasher! My brother arrived at 10 pm to look after Felix and we arrived at hospital with just under 20 minutes to go. My language was choice and colourful to say the least but no one seemed to mind! The lovely midwife (hullo Charlotte) kept me sane by cleverly pretending that Epidural Man was just round the corner. Actually, there was no time even for any gas-and-air, let alone something stronger. The yoga ball, my whale-music cd’s, my aromatherapy candle, my extremely expensive facial spritzer, didn’t even make it into the hospital! I can safely say I have now done the Natural Birth/ Earth Mother thing… In fact, when Georgia was born and Andy told me we had a daughter, I hadn’t a clue what he was on about. It had all happened so quickly I really didn’t have the chance to realize I was in labour – let alone that I now had my second child and was no longer pregnant! Our little girl is an absolute poppet – please indulge me putting so many photos of her on the website!
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Hullo folks. All is ticking along here – though I am now officially without horse and consequently, still a little sulky. Oh well, in a couple of years, I’ll be sure to raid Felix’s pocket money and buy myself a new one… I’ve been out to Spain for lots of long weekends at a gorgeous place we bought last year with Andy’s brother. It’s near Marbella but by a suprisingly unspoilt stretch of coastline which is a protected nature reserve. Though this means lots of stunning wild flowers scattered through the dunes, it also means an army of shiny black beetles (also protected). Give me a 17 hands stallion any day – bugs and creepy crawlies I CANNOT cope with! I tiptoe and hyperventilate my way to the beach. Felix has discovered that sand is quite tasty and filling and that licking sea water from his toes is thirsty work. Luckily, he hasn’t tried to eat the beetles. Yet. His current obsession is to drink through a straw – he takes great sips which pucker up his face, then grins widely (er, wildly?) for approval, though this means most the juice flows back out of his mouth… He is walking now too – though it’s more of a drunken stagger. He’s said his first words – “Garden” followed by “Daddy” and “Juice” but as yet, nothing sounding remotely like Mummy, Ma, Mum, Mother, Mama. I’m trying not to take it personally….
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