launch parties and castles

Current work: Medical
Listening to: Colin Blunstone
Reading: next on TBR

I love launch parties – they're so exciting - and I went to one yesterday. Not books, this time: my friends have just bought a shop and yesterday they had an open evening to launch their new range. DH and the kids came with me.

This is La Maison in King Street, New Buckenham: a shop that sells lovely gifts and girly stuff as well as having tea rooms. (Mulberry, Lisbeth Dahl – actually, this is the kind of shop one of my heroines would own. Hmm. Must tell Di that I’m going to pinch her shop for a future book. Will amuse her greatly.) This is the exterior shot, but it’s even nicer inside.

Daughter and I looked at the shelves and then at each other. ‘We have to come back without Dad,’ says daughter, eyeing up pretty china knobs that would look very nice on her chest of drawers. ‘Problem is, you don’t count as a responsible adult,' I explain, 'and actually, you never will because he knows your mind works like mine. This shop will be on The List, along with House of Fraser, Lakeland, and any shop that stocks Radley or Pandora.’ (I should add, for people who might be under the misapprehension that my husband is a miser or thinks he rules the house, The List is a standing joke between us - as long as I pay my half of the bills, what I do with my money is entirely my decision. Ditto with his. We don't argue over money because we have a joint account for bills and separate accounts for everything else. Simple and sensible.)

But my Responsible Adult was with me last night, so I left him with the nibbles and picked up a couple of things. I was actually quite restrained because the shop was very busy, so I bought daughter a skipping rope, daughter and myself a seriously girly pen each, and a mug that just screamed ‘I must belong to Kate Hardy’. I love the shape… but it’s the picture that caught my eye. Isn't it lovely?

Feel slightly guilty about not buying son or DH anything, but there weren’t really any blokey gifts. I would have put a link up, but their website isn’t ready yet (and considering that Jon and I used to work together on internet stuff in the mid-1990s, just as the internet was taking off, cue a little bit of teasing from me). But if you’re looking for some nice things for the home, or unusual gifts, I can definitely recommend La Maison in King Street, New Buckenham (and not just because it belongs to friends: their range is lovely. My pal India Grey would LOVE it because it's very stylish, like her). Oh, wait, I can put a link up - this is the catalogue of GreenGate, one of their ranges. Just lovely. Very summery.

Incidentally, the oldest and largest circular Norman keep in England is about half a mile down the road, and worth a visit. If you want to know more about that, you can read about the sieges and bloodthirsty stuff in my book Norfolk Ghosts and Legends. And if you're wondering what it looks like... here are a couple of pics from two summers ago.

The walls are 14 feet thick. Just to prove it, here's a close-up of that doorway:

music and ghosts

Current work: nonfic; MH duo book 2
Listening to: Karine Polwart
Reading: The Bride Hunter, Amy Appleton (enjoying so far)

Today’s good news – sorry, trumpet-blowing by me. Or maybe I should say celebrating. Scandals, Sieges and Spooks: Norfolk Ghosts and Legends is still #1 in the Jarrolds list; and I’ve just discovered that Heroes, Victims and Villains of Norwich is #1 in WH Smith’s ‘Norfolk Bestsellers’. That’s rather nice.

Music – sorted out Madam’s guitar lessons. She thought she’d been missed off the list and came home with a wobbly bottom lip last night; I did try encouraging her to talk to her teacher, but she really wanted me to go into the school office and ask for her. Turned out that the guitar timetable was being announced this morning, so she was delighted to find that her lessons start next week.

Had a call from one of the local coordinators re the National Year of Reading – may be doing something with a local school, but we think it’s going to work more on the nonfiction than the fiction side. Actually, this could be a lot of fun, and it could tie in nicely with the one I’m doing for Madam’s school next month. So we'll see.

Top of the bestsellers

Current work: nonfic; MH duo book 2
Listening to: Kathryn Williams
Reading: Next on TBR pile

Am delighted to report that my latest local history book is at #1 in the Jarrolds bestseller chart. (I also have another in the top 5, so am very pleased.)

And there was a second lovely piece about the book in the Norwich Evening News – online, you can see it here (and there’s a fantastic pic of the cathedral).

Apologies for the trumpet-blowing. Not that I’m arrogant and enjoy boasting; I need some good news to cheer me up after the last three awful weeks. Things are starting to resolve, slowly (though some of it is unfixable and it’s a matter of drawing a line and moving on).

Had some more good news on Saturday – emailed my publisher to let him know about the book's position in the chart, and he emailed back to say they've made a decision on the pitch for the follow-up: all systems go!

Went out to do some location research on Saturday with DH and the kids. Despite the threat of bad weather, we went to the beach (where Madam managed to trap her hand in the car door - not broken, luckily, but is bruised - and this is despite the fact that all day I'd been doing the "mind your fingers" nag).

This is at Hunstanton, where the sky was grey but the sea was silver from the sun.

Hunstanton is the only east-coast resort that actually faces west, so the sunsets here are gorgeous. It's also famous for the stripy cliffs (and yes, this is a very blue sky, and this pic was taken about 5 minutes later than the one above). Top layer is chalk, middle (red) layer is clay, and bottom layer is carrstone (aka 'gingerbread stone', named for its colour - about the only stone local to Norfolk).

Obviously the research involved some churches. We went to Burnham Deepdale, where they have this incredible Norman font carved with the labours of the months. And this piece of 15th-century glass also took my eye. Just gorgeous.

I also rather liked this one of St Ursula (though Simon Knott, on his wonderful site about Norfolk churches, says she's the Queen of Heaven, so I need to double-check - he's usually spot on). In this particular window there's also a merchant's mark, clearly one of the donors of the window.

Sunday was a day of chilling out at home. DH's brother popped round, as did my sister on the way back from visiting Dad. This week is a crunch decision week on that particular crisis, so am keeping my fingers crossed we get the one that's right for everyone.

Plan for today: it's pouring, and I think the kids need a bit of cossetting, so we're going to the cinema.

Nice reviews and octopi

Current work: nonfic; MH duo book 2
Listening to: Kathryn Williams
Reading: Next on TBR pile

Yesterday was a day of media stuff. Starting with the BBC – my mate and fellow Mod Heat author Heidi Rice was interviewed this week re writing for M&B. See it here. And at 1:40ish you may recognise a book cover… (Actually, that reminds me – did I ever post a link to my own feature on the BBC? If not, it’s here.)

And the lovely Norwich Evening News published a really nice piece yesterday about my latest book on Norfolk - fittingly, my 13th nonfic book is about ghosts... (And I didn't realise that! Thank you, Derek James and Rowan Mantell. Oh, and you can read the online edition of it here.)

And I discovered a stellar review of How To Research Local History from The Bookbag – thank you very much to the reviewer (especially as it helped take the sting from someone else’s comments about a different book, yesterday - I'm probably too thin-skinned right now as real life is a tad testing). I quote:

For any historian, and not just in the field of purely local studies, this volume is probably as near to indispensable as they come… as far as this book is concerned, one would have to trawl many many websites to gather all this information. In its field, I think it would be extremely hard to surpass.

That’s exactly what I intended the book to be – an easy read, full of useful information – so I’m absolutely delighted that the reader reacted this way. The full review is here.

I’ve also been truly blessed with my friends and their kind, supportive emails, not to mention flowers and parcels of books and chocolate. You know who you are - thank you. It's been really appreciated.

As for the octopi… How many legs does an octopus have? If you think it’s eight, check out this news story. Fascinating stuff. Yup, I’m procrastinating. It helps me deal with the disaster zone formerly known as my nice quiet life. Which I would rather like to have back.

some good news, for once

Reading: Mistress of the Art of Death, Arianna Franklin (superb storytelling – unsurprisingly, as she’s written one of my all-time top ten novels under another name. Recommended.)

Righty. Real life is still difficult, so here are some nice things that are happening in my life.

Firstly, I have a book out on the shelves in the UK this week (it’s out next month in Aus and US, and in October as a Presents Extra in the US). And I just LOVE the cover.


Secondly… I have a new nonfiction out, which went straight into the Jarrolds' top 5 local books chart on its week of release, and was there again on Saturday (with another of my books).

And thirdly (saving the best until last) - guess what’s #2 on the Waldies list, this week?




Thank you very much to the readers who put me there. And if you want the chance to win a copy of One Night, One Baby, drop by at Book Talk with J&J.

on top of the world (well, the charts, anyway)

Current work: admin and Modern Heat (I will get time to work, I will, I will)
Listening to: Kathryn Williams
Reading: The Queen’s Fool, Philippa Gregory (whoops, got the title wrong last week)

Lovely weekend. The radio interview was fab (more on this tomorrow). Very sad to say goodbye to our headteacher on Friday but her leaving do was a real celebration. The word that kept being used was ‘outstanding’ – very true. Her shoes will be very difficult to fill.

Then my best friend was up for the weekend – lots of talking and laughing and consumption of chocolate. (Helped by lovely, lovely India Grey who not only sent me her new book, she sent me chocolate to say thanks for telling her about the Chopin piece. Thank you, India.)

Yesterday evening, went to see my cousins and went through all the wonderful wedding pics.

And then I caught up with work and a couple of interviews and blog pieces that needed to be written. As part of it, I checked the URL for my new US book, and had an amazing surprise. Not only is One Night, One Baby STILL in the e-harlequin top 10 ebooks (that’s three weeks now), yesterday it was NUMBER ONE!

So I’m on top of the world. And the charts – because I’m also still in the Jarrolds local bestseller charts. And my new book is out and Waterstone's had already practically sold out. DH – who doesn’t have the book bug – grabbed it and hasn’t put it down all weekend. I decided to ask him what he thought (he’s painfully honest, so this was actually major bravery on my part). ‘It’s really interesting.’ (That’s DH-speak for utterly brilliant. My husband is extremely laid-back: the most he'll usually say about anything is that it's ‘all right’.)

Colour me very happy.

psst – want an early peek?

Current work: nonfic /MH duo book 2, chapter 1
Listening to: Lindsey Buckingham
Reading: Sharon Penman, The Sunne in Splendour

I have a new nonfiction book coming out later this month. So far, I don’t have a copy of the cover to share. But I do know where you can see it online: at my publisher’s website.

It’s a PDF and I think the back copy might be slightly different now (I amended it at proof stage), but it will give you a good clue as to the contents. It’s a book of my heart, so I am really looking forward to this one hitting the streets. (And if you’re wondering where the pic was taken – it’s Baconsthorpe Castle, once home to the Heydon family. The original pic was taken in broad daylight – the designer has done something clever.)

At guitar yesterday, I talked Jim into working out the first four bars of the Lindsey Buckingham arrangement I’ve wanted to play for ages (the one that plays a big part in my award-winning book Breakfast at Giovanni’s – well, hey, you lot told me to be loud and proud *g*). It’s a bit complicated (is jazz-based, complete with loads of accidentals and syncopations) but I’m looking forward to practising it. And I might add that four bars works out at 20 seconds, so it’s quite a long four bars – though it’s a slow piece. Might have a fighting chance of making the stretches, then.

Other things:

• Did my proofs of The Children’s Doctor’s Special Proposal – pleased with it
• Panicked a bit over my talk for the RNA. (The butterflies have turned into kittens. I think by Friday they’ll be elephants.)
• Started my new M&B. The hero is a secondary in the book I delivered last week, so I do hope my ed likes him – or, if not, she tells me very quickly, because it’s likely to have a big impact on the new book.
• Had very nice email from the alumni sec at my old school (Wymondham College, if you’re local and were wondering). They’re going to include the RNA prize info in the next newsletter
• Pen samples arrived. I like the barrel of the pink frosted pen but am not sp sure about the clip. Eco one (black and pink) looks good. Decisions, decisions. Will do a straw poll at the conf (delegates and lovely organiser, you have been warned!).