CTST for the last time in August

I joined in someone else's celebrations yesterday, when I went to Waterstones in Market Harborough for the launch of the paperback edition of The Sister by local author Louise Jensen. Have you come across this book? It's a publishing phenomenon and a cracking good read to boot. I urge you to get your hands on a copy. 

Louise had a non-fiction book in mind to write, so she went to an event on self-publishing to learn more. While she was there she ended up in a creative writing session where she was given three words and ten minutes to write a piece of flash fiction. The words were: forest; spade; secret. What would you have come up with?

What Louise wrote turned out to be the foundations of chapter 1 of her first novel, The Sister. Now with digital sales with Bookouture of 500,000 - yes, half a million - and a three-book contract under her belt. The Sister l has been published in paperback by Sphere/LlittleBrown. Isn't that amazing? The second novel, The Gift, is to be followed later this month by The Surrogate.

Congratulations, Louise.

If you would like to join this bloghop, send your details to laura.6eg@gmail.com  and she will do the necessary.

Another book review

I've been sent a mighty tome by Waterstones, having won the chance to write a Cardholder Review for their website. Actually, it came from the British Museum, which caused the postman to raise an eyebrow. 'Been ordering ancient artefacts again, have we?' he quipped.

The book is 'Shakespeare: staging the world' by Jonathan Bate & Dora Thornton, not the sort of thing I'd usually pick off the shelf, but that's the beauty of prizes - you never know what you're going to get. It's beautifully illustrated and looks like it's going to be an interesting read.

But first I have to finish rereading 'When You Are Engulfed in Flames' by David Sedaris. Brilliant, but not one for public transport because it is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

*****

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me for the Sport Relief Mile. I raised £163, which is enough to provide 32 children living on the streets in India with soap, a comb, a toothbrush and toothpaste to help keep them clean and free from disease.