tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51041382527501684542024-03-06T03:26:04.856+00:00It's only words...Ramblings of a ‘thirty something’ Romantic Comedy writer...Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-51151849492910315552011-05-02T12:00:00.000+01:002011-05-02T12:00:21.816+01:00The Last Post...This is my last post here on 'Its Only Words...'<br />
Because I have a new Website & Blog over at <a href="http://alimcnamara.tumblr.com/">The Wonderful World Of Ali McNamara</a><br />
I will be updating this new site daily with photos, updates, and other bits & pieces that catch my eye.<br />
Thanks for joining me here over the last few years. Hope to see you on the other side...<br />
A xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-58420407421391572972011-04-05T21:05:00.001+01:002011-04-05T21:12:45.795+01:00From Notting Hill to Chile...in a month!Hello,<br />
<br />
Thought I’d better write a very quick catch up blog for March. Now where has that month gone again and what did I get up too?<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://images.instagram.com/media/2011/03/29/c938ff37c74240d7819b4af1446e1a97_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" r6="true" src="http://images.instagram.com/media/2011/03/29/c938ff37c74240d7819b4af1446e1a97_7.jpg" width="320" /></a>Last week I went down to London. In the morning I headed over to Notting Hill to the Travel bookshop to sign 150 books for them! Lovely to be back there again, the last time was for my launch party way back in November. It's amazing to think that ‘From Notting Hill with Love...Actually’ is still their best ever selling book! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Then in the afternoon I met up with my editor, Caroline to discuss my third book, which I’m just about to start writing. I’m glad to say Caroline loved my ideas, so it’s now all systems go for book three! I’m very excited about this one. I’m loving the research I’m already in the process of doing and I’ve got some very exciting research still to come...</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I also got to see the new cover for my second book ‘Breakfast at Darcy’s’ which comes out in November this year (I’ll hopefully be able to share this with you soon...) <a href="http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/9.html">http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/9.html</a></div><br />
Everything in publishing works so long in advance that I’m now working on ideas for a book that will come out late in 2012, while occasionally editing and talking about publicity ideas and covers etc for a book that comes out at the end of this year, and still getting lovely messages from people who are enjoying my first book. <br />
<br />
Talking of which I had this fascinating email from someone who found my book in a bookshop in Santiago, Chile! And Adele has kindly agreed I share it with you.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">" Hi Ali, I have a tale I wanted to tell you of how I came across your novel 'From Notting Hill.. With Love Actually'. I'm currently on a one year travel in South America. My partner and I left our lives in Australia (however I'm English-Cornish in fact and he's Italian..) came to south America, bought a vw camper van and intend on driving the distance of Ushuaia to Vancouver in Canada...! Providing the van can get us there of course. We have all the will power in the world.. 'Betsy' our van, maybe not so much.. Anywho, we had driven from Santiago to Ushuaia and was heading 'the long way up' and I had already read the books I'd brought. So we stopped back through Santiago as I wanted to try and find some English reading books.. An impossible task.. However, luckily I found a very quirky 2nd hand book shop down an alley in Santiago and there in the window, as new, was your novel. I knew as soon as I saw it, it was a definite for me and I grabbed it! The woman told me, (in what little Spanish I could translate) it had just come to her. God knows how, most of the other books were very old romance novels.. ect. To my amazement after I'd left the shop and opened to read the first couple pages, you had also personalized it 'To Geza, with love.. Actually.. Ali McNamara!! Perhaps you had a book launch or maybe you know her? The book also had a fold 1/3 of the way in, so I think she must have lost it! If you know her I would be pleased to return it. Although.. I have read it.. and thoroughly enjoyed. Hopefully she won't mind if you do know her...? "</span><br />
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</span><br />
Fantastic story! And this is their wonderfully visual website if you’d like to follow their travels <a href="http://www.thelongwayup.info/">http://www.thelongwayup.info/</a><br />
<br />
And if you’re Geza or you know Geza please get in touch!<br />
<br />
Also March was Comic Relief night and if you didn’t see my escapades for Red Nose day here’s a link ;-)<br />
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</div>So here’s to a fun-filled April....Mine starts with a wedding over in Germany next week. More on that next month...<br />
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<br />
Until the next time,<br />
<br />
A xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-38138731514768657882011-02-14T12:28:00.001+00:002011-02-14T12:31:04.938+00:00She...I've had so many wonderful emails, Tweets and Facebook messages since my book was published I can't tell you. I printed them all out the other day for my husband to read and he was quite overwhelmed at not only the amount of messages, but the lovely things people were saying in those messages. From simply how much they've enjoyed the book, to how its mirrored things in their own life; how they see themselves in Scarlett, or amazingly how they don't usually read books but how they're going to try and keep reading now as a result of reading <em>From Notting Hill with Love...Actually</em> because they enjoyed it so much.<br />
<br />
But the other day I had an email from a reader that really struck a chord because it was so wonderfully romantic and fitted in so well with the whole theme of the book. So with very kind permission that reader has agreed I share it with you here as a follow up from my last blog to prove that romance really is still alive and kicking....<br />
<em>Dear Ali<br />
I have never written a letter to an author before but I have just finished you book and feel compelled to write to you.<br />
I hope you don't mind!<br />
<br />
Just wanted to say I love love Loved your book, it is now my favourite book of all time and it has all my favourite films wrapped up in my favourite thing to do reading.<br />
Notting Hill is my favourite film of all time.<br />
My now husband left me a note one morning after I had stayed over at his when he went to work saying how much he missed me and that I was to push play on the DVD player, when I did Elvis Costellos 'She' blasted out of the speakers, he had left me another note and put it in my mug in the cupboard telling me to look under the pillow on the sofa. I found a wrapped present and it was the sound track to the film with a lovely love letter inside the case, it was the most romantic thing that had ever happened to me and I sobbed and sobbed. He is always doing such lovely things for me and planning such romantic surprises that it is like being in a film.<br />
I walked down the aisle to 'She' at our wedding and it was just perfect, we now have to wonderful miracle ivf babies and life is fab.<br />
Your book made me laugh and made me cry and has probably the best ending to a book or film ever and I really would love to see it as a film.<br />
<br />
My husband bought me your book as an early valentines gift and I read it in 2 days, could have done it in one but I had to play with the kids.<br />
I cannot wait to read your next one</em><br />
<em>Love</em><br />
<em>*****</em><br />
<em>(a sucker for love and slush)</em><br />
<div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/O040xuq2FR0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This song has special meaning for me too as it was playing at the exact same moment I heard <em>From Notting Hill With Love...Actually</em> was going to be published!</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Thank you to eveyone that's sent me messages, I'm so very grateful to each and every one of you for taking the time to do so.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Happy Valentines Day. I hope you get all the romance you dream of today and everyday... </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A x</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><em><br />
</em>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-1257916175270582752011-02-02T11:03:00.000+00:002011-02-02T11:03:25.871+00:00To me, you are perfect....Hello Blogs are back again! <br />
And today since it's now February and everyone's thoughts turn to Love as the shops stuff themselves to overflowing with hearts and flowers. I thought I'd start with this little conundrum....<br />
<br />
<br />
Why do men and women’s expectations of love seem to differ so greatly? And is it people like me – writers of romantic fiction - that are to blame for giving women false hope that their knight in shining armour is going to ride up on his white charger and scoop them up in his strong arms carrying them off into the sunset?<br />
<br />
Actually if you ask the vast majority of women, the above description isn’t their ideal fantasy. Most women would be happy with a man that makes them laugh, keeps himself clean, tidy and presentable, and is a tiny bit romantic on occasions... all right perhaps a tad more than a tiny bit. And that’s the key boys, us women like a bit of romance. We like to be wooed.<br />
<br />
Take for instance the success of rom-com movies. They have everything I’ve just mentioned above. The laughter - if they’re done well! The fairly normal looking hero – ie your Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Tom Hanks types. I’ll agree not exactly ugly, but not Adonis’ either, with rippling six packs and bulging biceps. They’re a man we could imagine ourselves with and that’s the key. And then there’s the all important romance, which of course never runs smoothly, but usually take the course of the movie to play out, and that’s what we adore. We’d love our own men to send us romantic emails in order to woo us (Tom Hanks - You’ve got Mail) Declare their love for us silently on placards (Andrew Lincoln - Love Actually) Learn our language in order to propose – (Colin Firth - Love Actually) the list goes on...<br />
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How many times have you been somewhere and listened to someone else’s tale of their own (very sensible) partner’s romantic gesture or proposal, only to see all the other woman within earshot cooing with envy that it wasn’t them on the receiving end.<br />
<br />
Get used to it boys, romance isn’t going anywhere. Woman love it. And if you want woman to love you, then you’d better get some practice in!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQvyP37WilwRzDctOCY6eqLl1wyZJOz_MWE4aWU9NA51nfZ3r9Wd2aN-8mU-d3aIJR8GksPDTHFfrlh8fFkX2GuIFvda9pUMhWTuppCg830MPUpkQwhLY61PdkXgfWpXgQBx_vb8MHRU/s1600/To+me+you+are+perfect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaQvyP37WilwRzDctOCY6eqLl1wyZJOz_MWE4aWU9NA51nfZ3r9Wd2aN-8mU-d3aIJR8GksPDTHFfrlh8fFkX2GuIFvda9pUMhWTuppCg830MPUpkQwhLY61PdkXgfWpXgQBx_vb8MHRU/s320/To+me+you+are+perfect.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andrew Lincoln doing just the right thing in Love Actually. "Aahhh..."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Until the next time,<br />
A xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-39798263360657928992010-12-03T17:00:00.001+00:002010-12-03T17:01:36.053+00:00Lots & Lots of photos...<strong>Photos for you of some of the events that have taken place this week:</strong> Publication day! <br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50413&id=116485481722368">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50413&id=116485481722368</a><br />
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The Book in the Press!<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50310&id=116485481722368">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50310&id=116485481722368</a><br />
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Launch party One!<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50417&id=116485481722368">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50417&id=116485481722368</a><br />
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Launch party Two at the Travel Bookshop - Notting Hill<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50424&id=116485481722368">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50424&id=116485481722368</a><br />
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Written blogs will return in the new year after things have calmed down a bit :-) Aside from publishing <em>From Notting Hill With Love...Actually</em> in all good bookshops & supermarkets now!! I'm currently trying to complete Book Two!<br />
<br />
New Video diary soon though...<br />
Ali xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-90419488973553195942010-10-18T12:13:00.000+01:002010-10-18T12:13:12.784+01:00<div></div><div></div><div>Hello, apologies for the lack of written blogs recently. If you're wondering what I've been up to why not check out my Video Blogs here at <a href="http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html">http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html</a></div><div>Here's a taster of the last two. </div><div>Our visit to see my novel being printed & The Press launch of <em>From Notting Hill With Love... Actually</em> at the Travel Book shop in Notting Hill, London. Enjoy!</div><div><object height="283" width="460"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/feAEcZycd5A?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/feAEcZycd5A?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="460" height="283"></embed></object></div><div> </div><div><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1emXhbk-6Oc?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1emXhbk-6Oc?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-4231449743119065132010-09-13T17:41:00.000+01:002010-09-13T17:41:19.078+01:00ApologiesApologies for the delay in bringing you the 'Questions to a Publisher' video diary.<br />
This was filmed on my publishers video camera and we are currently having a few technical problems with the film.<br />
Hope to bring you this real soon!<br />
In the meantime my latest video diary was made for ChickLit Blog <a href="http://www.novelicious.com/">Novelicious</a> <br />
Check it out here <a href="http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html">'My Writing Room'</a><br />
A xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-26578801655710995132010-07-14T12:18:00.000+01:002010-07-14T12:18:15.465+01:00Put your questions to a publisher...Want to know what really goes on inside a publishers offices behind closed doors....<br />
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<br />
Do you have a question you’ve always wanted to ask an editor but never had the chance? Or something you’d like to know from the people that make the decisions about what gets published and what doesn’t...<br />
<br />
Then send me the questions YOU want answers to. Because for a future video blog I’m going behind the scenes... this time at the offices of my publishers Little, Brown. I’ll hopefully be showing you a behind the scenes glimpse of what goes on at a publishers office and I’ll be putting your questions to my editor, Caroline Hogg. So if you’ve got a question that’s burning a hole in your heart or your pocket about publishing then let me know. <br />
Either Tweet me <a href="http://twitter.com/AliMcNamara">@alimcnamara</a>, drop me a message on my Facebook page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Ali-McNamara/1032877752">Ali McNamara</a> or leave your question below.<br />
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Deadline for questions 26th July 2010.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hachettelivre.co.uk/getattachment/f78ea4c5-434e-433a-b486-10cc392b8a74/Little,-Brown-Book-Group-(1).aspx" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="http://www.hachettelivre.co.uk/getattachment/f78ea4c5-434e-433a-b486-10cc392b8a74/Little,-Brown-Book-Group-(1).aspx" /></a></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-82342990725504835542010-06-08T19:30:00.004+01:002010-06-09T09:28:35.944+01:00Big Breakfasts, A Big Brother & One Very Big Cup.Hello friends! <br />
<br />
Apologies for the absence of a blog last month, May came and went in a complete rush. We were on holiday for a week of it in Ireland and North Wales, a slightly odd combination you might think? But not if you go across to Ireland on the ferry (a bargain if you use Tesco Vouchers to pay for it too!) from Holyhead to Dublin. We spent a lovely few days staying in our favourite hotel just outside of Dublin the Grand Hotel Malahide, <a href="http://www.thegrand.ie/">http://www.thegrand.ie/</a> <br />
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and then the second half of the week we spent at a wonderful little hotel called The Annan in Llandudno exploring the delights of the Snowdonia national park. The owners of the hotel Andy & Debbie gave us a warm welcome and some fantastic home cooked breakfasts, (My waistline has still not fully recovered from that holiday!) and I’d thoroughly recommend you look them up if you’re thinking of staying in that area .<br />
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<a href="http://www.annanhotel.co.uk/">http://www.annanhotel.co.uk/</a><br />
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The rest of May was spent completing the first draft of my next book - My Treasure Island, before the children’s holidays were upon us again with half-term. Now the children are back at school, I’m going through the sometimes painful process of editing those hundred thousand words or so into something that resembles a novel...<br />
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But much to look forward to at the moment, with countdowns going on wherever I turn.<br />
<br />
Countdown to the World Cup – This is the only time I ‘do’ football. I love to get caught up in the ‘feel good’ factor that spreads across England when our team does well. It’s painful when it doesn’t though. Please, no penalty shoot-outs this time boys!!<br />
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Countdown to the last Big Brother beginning – How can this be the last ever Big Brother? I’ve lived with this show since it began ten years ago. Every summer I’ve watched the first episode going ‘No they’re all rubbish this time, I’m not going to get caught up in it this Summer.’ Only to find myself some ten weeks later watching fireworks going up in the sky above Borehamwood as they crown yet another winner.<br />
<br />
I mourned the time lovely Dermot O’Leary left BBLB, only for him to be replaced by gorgeous George Lamb, and I worry what poor Davina will do when it’s all over. Will it be a life of endless exercise videos and hair adverts for her? And what of the voice-over man Marcus Bentley – can we get him a job doing the speaking clock just so us Big Brother addicts can dial up and hear his voice whenever we want to?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/06_01/davinadermotL_468x569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qu="true" src="http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/06_01/davinadermotL_468x569.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><br />
And my own personal countdown - Six months to the publication of my novel ‘From Notting Hill with Love...Actually’! (Actually its 5 ½ months now, but hey who’s counting? Oh that’s right I am!)<br />
<br />
And to mark this occasion I’m keeping a video diary over the next six months of all the things that happen on the run up to publication. I’ve got lots of things planned to show you, but here are the first two episodes for your delectation and amusement, and my general embarrassment.<br />
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Check out how many times I manage to say ‘Front Cover’ in the first video!<br />
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<a href="http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html">http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html</a><br />
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Until the next time,<br />
<br />
Come on England!! (Apologies to my foreign & Scottish readers! )<br />
<br />
A xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-7703786559685205502010-04-22T14:48:00.006+01:002010-04-22T17:30:25.819+01:00From Notting Hill... with cup cakes :-)Hello,<br />
<br />
<br />
Can you believe it’s been another month since my last blog! I cannot believe how quickly the year is flying by already.<br />
<br />
I had a lovely day out in the Notting Hill area of London in March with ‘Team Notting Hill.’ This is the title that Caroline, my editor gave to those of us working on my novel. There’s herself, me obviously and Hannah, my agent. And the three of us spent a lovely morning visiting all the places in the novel that Scarlett (the main character) goes in her quest to live out her fantasy of living her life like a movie.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This was partly for our own amusement, partly so we could sample some of the delicious cup cakes at The <a href="http://hummingbirdbakery.com/flash.html#home_in">HummingBird Bakery</a> on Portobello road, but mainly so I could write a guide to the area for some little added extras that are going at the end of the book...<br />
Of course I’d visited this area to do my research before I’d begun writing my novel, but it was fun to revisit some of the places again, this time knowing that my book was going to be published, and also imagining my characters there for real. Here's just a few of the photos and places we visited. More will revealed later in a book promo video I'm hoping my tecno-minded daughter will assist me in making...<br />
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The Coronet Cinema, Notting Hill<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq31oNZtuaNtQ7vviJa7xCipsgXxblnang04DK70rZW-y-JX9YVSo0YrxXgyNGCdb7rYIDdo8DrLHWt9NtREPsRqsdGLDmGtjr8U8irVlzuwB9UpuXRkRnGYsdx9SkhAuwcWSw5jPlCig/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq31oNZtuaNtQ7vviJa7xCipsgXxblnang04DK70rZW-y-JX9YVSo0YrxXgyNGCdb7rYIDdo8DrLHWt9NtREPsRqsdGLDmGtjr8U8irVlzuwB9UpuXRkRnGYsdx9SkhAuwcWSw5jPlCig/s400/002.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me outside Hugh Grant's infamous 'Blue Door' now painted black!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZS_bh49PKb_cwFpUeq19GoY0irLBeJB-_APVNsuALp9CfC-hPLYf4DKrNTaEM4x2bq6Ghh4kQqSzYcEHpppPAih2RpuBm9Hdn6ud8IddHa9cRGPhVcICn2jY42qDc-fnHCdbpGJGM6o/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZS_bh49PKb_cwFpUeq19GoY0irLBeJB-_APVNsuALp9CfC-hPLYf4DKrNTaEM4x2bq6Ghh4kQqSzYcEHpppPAih2RpuBm9Hdn6ud8IddHa9cRGPhVcICn2jY42qDc-fnHCdbpGJGM6o/s400/005.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">THE Travel Bookshop!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrpnrpM4bikeiUmWgeDRN5Tcm68qJWla-MvmjG2gvG9iZC8z5_DaOheN8FB7my4phX7ksJmBcSfIJANwEiqgD0gJKA5QzNLuXssZCBvP__5yaHmhNW1N-h4dBs5_a_DYJJ0xvHBAUdsU/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJrpnrpM4bikeiUmWgeDRN5Tcm68qJWla-MvmjG2gvG9iZC8z5_DaOheN8FB7my4phX7ksJmBcSfIJANwEiqgD0gJKA5QzNLuXssZCBvP__5yaHmhNW1N-h4dBs5_a_DYJJ0xvHBAUdsU/s400/011.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the road that Scarlett house sits in, during my novel.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhbkyybplhNi-Ef5bMB-uVpQl_vAgnS-MDro0D8diWPiKWVDnIpAujIol4IxRQ-jjncS023iW8rZshh4F6wn3pDqjximjUMmH_vFfov5m0LXj6DoQsZc5WmdCEAFudCMugL4PiniMfMc/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhbkyybplhNi-Ef5bMB-uVpQl_vAgnS-MDro0D8diWPiKWVDnIpAujIol4IxRQ-jjncS023iW8rZshh4F6wn3pDqjximjUMmH_vFfov5m0LXj6DoQsZc5WmdCEAFudCMugL4PiniMfMc/s400/021.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And just the sort of houses she & her neighbour, Sean live in.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMqr9xfrXqZ5GYL8s-h9VdDwtGXX-WtUx8DK4Q_OiIc3DG8km9_e1ezmq5UfOBzAwGzISi-3MKXKUzbeqgh-cTs2jxqXZzDE-65EyZGAvUUOV7F4L_fsA_18zjKydtPHgz6jbuDmmXao/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMqr9xfrXqZ5GYL8s-h9VdDwtGXX-WtUx8DK4Q_OiIc3DG8km9_e1ezmq5UfOBzAwGzISi-3MKXKUzbeqgh-cTs2jxqXZzDE-65EyZGAvUUOV7F4L_fsA_18zjKydtPHgz6jbuDmmXao/s400/026.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The locked gardens of Notting Hill complete with bench...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRY68CYHKdJQUwa0mjnKhU5NWQqdltToc2SsXyzj4Y6k_HXVnsHHa0X7uHiaefPssaxNOTqaNAjbRlCahOy7gWKOoWoO3iW4_jCXQC4WPUL3JKbb-ECn_jLu7Y_aYNlp4cJWN6O3Yd34/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaRY68CYHKdJQUwa0mjnKhU5NWQqdltToc2SsXyzj4Y6k_HXVnsHHa0X7uHiaefPssaxNOTqaNAjbRlCahOy7gWKOoWoO3iW4_jCXQC4WPUL3JKbb-ECn_jLu7Y_aYNlp4cJWN6O3Yd34/s400/018.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And Caroline & Hannah smiling contentedly after enjoying delicious cupcakes!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgZwJXjTJtzVkzGXEtNgay5cTdCNMrMcwMi4KeEyc45GbgGOTexIVkKyz88ohvjEU7ePawBoevwLPGUXyRMPs-iRX-o-FWS64GSTIrVajwP6QvUxOy8tpzegpTOy1c1zy_knNdPoQS7Y/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJgZwJXjTJtzVkzGXEtNgay5cTdCNMrMcwMi4KeEyc45GbgGOTexIVkKyz88ohvjEU7ePawBoevwLPGUXyRMPs-iRX-o-FWS64GSTIrVajwP6QvUxOy8tpzegpTOy1c1zy_knNdPoQS7Y/s400/028.JPG" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div>While we stopped for some well earned refreshments at the Hummingbird Bakery Caroline had a little surprise for us – alright a big surprise! It was my new cover.<br />
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(Click on it to see a bigger version)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX9uzItpb4JMassN6vP6N6c57gZalbkLX7OJYMI36cRw83Hz3Q3xQDyxySE0b5KouA5-TXoLrbvFvlHoL-F9WflOMbPW_4uzFvJ2jch7ZZ0wKP8wTaiBG1TUG7ZbFMAoqjoK74A9psV4/s1600/Cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiX9uzItpb4JMassN6vP6N6c57gZalbkLX7OJYMI36cRw83Hz3Q3xQDyxySE0b5KouA5-TXoLrbvFvlHoL-F9WflOMbPW_4uzFvJ2jch7ZZ0wKP8wTaiBG1TUG7ZbFMAoqjoK74A9psV4/s400/Cover1.jpg" width="400" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I’m not often lost for words. But to actually see it there in front of me for the first time was wonderful, I couldn’t stop looking at it. In fact none of us could stop looking at it. It was just so fabulous. The designer , Lucy Truman has done a wonderful job. The cinema on the front that couple are standing in front of is the Coronet Cinema in Notting Hill. (The One Hugh Grant wears the diving goggles at in the movie) and we thought that the way the couple are standing in a clinch together with the girls leg kicked up, very much reminded us of the final scene in the Bridget Jones movie where Bridget kisses Mark in her undies. Both movies play a big part in my novel.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Oh there was another Notting Hill link during the day. Guess who I stood next to on the tube train?</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well it was his wife I spotted first – Pam Ferris, who you may know from Gavin & Stacey (Smithy’s Mum) Darling Buds of May, Harry Potter, and Rosemary & Thyme.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.carers.org/images/originals/pam-ferris-pr-51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://static.carers.org/images/originals/pam-ferris-pr-51.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> But it was when I was standing next to her I spotted a man that I recognised from the Notting Hill movie (although I’m sure he’s been in many other fine pieces of work since!) It was the annoying customer who comes into the Travel bookshop and asks Hugh Grant the first time if he has the new John Grisham Thriller, and the second, does he have Winnie-the-pooh! – Actor, Roger Frost. Here he is at the beginning of this trailer for <a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1318977817/">Notting Hill</a> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">To actually spot someone on the tube from the movie that had inspired my novel... well from that moment on I knew it was going to be a good day.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was a bit like the first time I went down to London to meet my agent, Hannah. To get to The Marsh agency offices you have to pass by the Ritz hotel. The Ritz hotel is the hotel where Julia Roberts is staying while she’s in London in the Notting Hill movie, and where she takes Hugh Grant after they’ve spent time in the garden after the dinner party. When I walked past that hotel on my way to meet Hannah for the first time with it's link to the movie and to my novel, however nervous I felt, I just knew then that everything was going to be alright.</div><br />
Signs, you get them all the time. Sometimes they’re obvious like those two, sometimes you just have to know where to look.<br />
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So until the next time, keep your eyes peeled...<br />
<br />
A x <br />
<br />
Thought you might like to see these lovely cover proofs I've recently received from my publishers. You can't really see it on the photo, but the title has an embossed font. :-) <br />
(Again for a larger photo just click on the picture.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hkTewNrcvKTpyJrxFBxVpY2Vny7qfASUGQS7UKMVL5OnCzipQzNamwStxv6gla4yEvViYu8f0FCQI2UlDW1QdsHkRc0NWz7FlQK6WAfo4SJ-PN55CrvSIGde1DsnCZarOLpIoeJJZxM/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hkTewNrcvKTpyJrxFBxVpY2Vny7qfASUGQS7UKMVL5OnCzipQzNamwStxv6gla4yEvViYu8f0FCQI2UlDW1QdsHkRc0NWz7FlQK6WAfo4SJ-PN55CrvSIGde1DsnCZarOLpIoeJJZxM/s400/029.JPG" width="300" wt="true" /></a></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-55319047337750856752010-03-18T16:42:00.008+00:002010-03-18T17:10:37.350+00:00Twitter v Facebook -The battle for No1Which is better, Facebook or Twitter? Is one superior than the other, or do they both have their own individual place in the battle for the No1 social networking site.<br /><br /><div></div><div>And what exactly <em>is</em> a social networking site? You will often hear these words uttered by a bewildered grandparent (or even a parent) to a teenager when they start babbling, or even Twittering (did you see what I did there!!) about re-tweets and tagging on their pages.<br /></div><div>A social networking site can be exactly what you want it to be. It up to you what you put in and what you get out of it. It can be a place to stay in touch with your friends and family (didn’t we used to have telephones for that,) to share photos (ditto photo albums,) or just somewhere to keep up with all the latest gossip (similarly OK magazine.)<br />But these days social networking sites have become so much more. Leaving aside the two other contenders for the crown - Bebo and MySpace. Both big in their day, but now well past their sell by date. Facebook and Twitter are these days the clear front runners in the race to grab today’s up and coming ‘social networker.’ But how do you choose which one to use?<br />Here’s my guide to what they have to offer.<br />Let’s start with Facebook. </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 404px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 303px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://lifeinthenhs.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/facebook.jpg" /><br />Facebook is great if you like to pretend you’ve got lots of ‘friends’ but don’t actually like talking to them face to face.<br />It’s excellent for sharing photos of yourself and others in large and extensive photo albums. And even better, fantastic for embarrassing other people by putting bad photos of them on your page, then ‘tagging’ them so everyone else can share in their embarrassment too...<br />It’s good if you feel a need to build your own pretend farm, flower garden, or run your own cyber cafe.<br />And it’s also the site for you if you like quizzes that find out if you and your ‘friends’ are vampires, sex gods, or mass murderers.<br />And if you like joining groups with names such as ‘You’re so plastic, it says "Made in China” on your arse’ ‘I would say it to your face but there’s too much make up in the way.’ ‘Can this sausage roll get more fans than Cheryl Cole?’ Or my own personal favourite, ‘I don’t care how comfortable Crocs are - you look like a dumb ass!’ then why aren’t you on Facebook now...<br /><br />Ok, not <em>all</em> of those things might be classed as plus points in Facebook’s favour... Perhaps I’ll move on.<br /><br /><div></div><div>Twitter. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 367px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 367px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://teacherspodcast.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/twitter-bird.png" /><br />Twitter was launched in 2006 but started to become popular in the UK in 2009.<br />Twitter is great for the celeb obsessed. It’s used regularly by many celebrities the world over, and if you like to follow what your favourite star is doing on a daily basis (as long as they’re a regular tweeter) then Twitter is for you. You can also send a message (Tweet) to your favoured celeb in return – just don’t bank on a reply though!<br />Twitter is excellent if you don’t want to read people waffling on and on for pages on a Blog about their day to lives (not this one obviously!) Twitter messages are restricted to 140 characters which makes you really think about what you say in each Tweet.<br />It’s good if you want to get a message across the internet super fast. The recent Daily mail article by Jan Moir about the late Stephen Gately published only days after his death, caused such an outcry on Twitter, that the Press complaints commission received more complaints over one weekend than it had in a total of 5years previously. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/18/jan-moir-stephen-gately">http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/18/jan-moir-stephen-gately</a><br /></div><br /><div>The main difference between Facebook and Twitter seems to be that Twitter is nearly all about the messages (Tweets), although you can Tweet a photo (Twitpic) too. Where as Facebook is a much broader site in terms of sharing your photos, videos, music and games. Some people prefer one, some another.<br />A difference comes in your link with other internet users too. With Facebook you are immediately linked to a ‘friend’ once you’ve accepted them. With Twitter you choose who you want to follow, and who follows you. This is why it’s so popular with celebrities. They can have thousands of fans (followers to give them their correct Twitter title) hanging on their every Tweet, but they don’t actually have to reply to any of them unless they choose to. The perfect situation ;-)<br /></div><br /><div>And me, well I use both!<br />I will soon be launching a Facebook page for my novel ‘From Notting Hill with Love...Actually.’ so keep an eye out for that. But at the moment I do tend to Twitter a bit more than I Facebook (I get many more hits on my website through my Twitter link than my Facebook one.) I just prefer the speed and immediacy of Twitter without all the other waffle on my home page. And as you can probably tell, I’m not really interested in running my own farm, or even growing my own flower garden, if I was going to do those I’d rather do them for real. Although I do draw the line at my last statement when it comes to the game <em>Mafia Wars</em> - which <em><strong>is</strong></em> probably best kept to the small screen...<br />Until the next time, enjoy your social networking and why not come and join me on mine. </div><div>I love them both really ;-) </div><div><br />Twitter: @AliMcNamara <a href="http://twitter.com/AliMcNamara">http://twitter.com/AliMcNamara</a><br />Facebook: </div><div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1032877752">www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1032877752</a><br />A x</div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-71869635530139737962010-02-25T15:11:00.018+00:002010-02-25T17:17:27.774+00:00Ronan, Robbie, Bradley, Archie - Four men. One awesome weekend!Hello again!<br />Got lots to tell you this month. Yes another month has flown by, where has all the time gone already this year?<br />Last week I was up in Glasgow to spend time with two of my favourite people. My Scottish pal Karen, and my Irish pal (I use the word - pal more in a wishful sense there!) one Mr Ronan Keating. Although I wouldn't mind being the mic stand in this photo....<br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442202147496174914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmPJpdmWmWM2NC3ZDWslCS4Lzc_xYEhZnswHW32dm9zSTPo5ySR_3OXLLhnoCr6iUnJssFZ7v4XavT4HBzgEsuaSXEs1Xm3b5MSj1Eqi_nLIfP0JsuO7F0egaHAc4NHhVeWlh_BJKhAi4/s400/P1000435.JPG" /> I won’t bore you with details of the two concerts that I went to see Ronan perform in - been there, done that (concerts I mean, not bore I hope!) but just some of the things that happened and also occurred to me while I was there.<br />On the first night I took my camera along to the show - you’ve got to take some photos haven’t you? Ronan’s just a little bit too photogenic not too ;-)<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442201414605975138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DSYnyuP94s060hSYoRHJfUjdrCSXe3G983BygD6LUDnvs9R4JYtyYIMrZW11KPG-S264X2xb0hbClxgW2ldRJoRKIyD3WPJunKiemhqL-y1wvxDk_am5MwGqzQkbe1ECdsU6CJVvOCY/s400/P1000489.JPG" /><br />And on the second night I decided no, I’m putting my camera down tonight, I’ll just enjoy the show. And <em>how</em> much more I enjoyed the second night without the constant constraints of trying to snap a good shot, or the difficultly of holding onto my camera while clapping along to a song, or even in my case because we were lucky enough to be on an extremely spacious front row – dancing away all night without a camera dangling from your arm!<br />Concerts without cameras – I highly recommend them... Either that or bring someone else along to take the photos for you ;-)<br /><br />Also the night we were there a certain footballer - Mr Robbie Keane made an appearance at the gig.<br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 466px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 260px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/47227000/jpg/_47227185_robbiekeanetwo_gettyb466.jpg" /><br />This got me thinking about all the celebs that I’ve either seen at Ronan’s/ Boyzone’s gigs over the years, or I’ve heard about going to them. Off the top of my head I can remember Dermot O’Leary, Frankie Dettori, Brian May, Gareth Gates, Katie Price, but I know there’s been many more.<br />I also found out recently that there’s a reporter on GMTV - Sarah Moore who’s a huge Ronan/ Boyzone fan. No reason why she shouldn’t be, but it’s almost as if you can’t be a ‘normal’ person and be a fan of someone at the same time. I know I was reticent to admit how I began writing when I first started submitting manuscripts to agents and publishers. But now I’m proud to tell my story. <a href="http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/4.html">http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/4.html</a><br />Yes, there are an awful lot of fans out there that aren’t what you’d call ‘normal’ and take it that one step too far. (Oh I could tell you some stories...) But your average Joe going about his or her daily business, just taking a like to a band or a singer, or even a football team aren’t some sort of freak, they’re just doing something that makes them happy, and without them buying tickets to concerts and matches where would their heroes be? </div><br /><div></div><div>I'm going to make a promotional YouTube film for my novel before it's published on 25th November, <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notting-Hill-Love-Actually-Standing/dp/0751544957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262725812&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notting-Hill-Love-Actually-Standing/dp/0751544957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262725812&sr=1-1</a></div><div>all about the different places my characters go during the story. So while I was up in Glasgow Karen and I popped along to the Radisson hotel where the characters stay for a night. Now remember that Scarlett, my main character lives for the movies, and when she stays at the Radisson she thinks the receptionist looks like Barney, the concierge from Pretty Woman (the one who helps Julia Roberts out with her cutlery etc.) So imagine my surprise and delight when standing behind the front desk was a small man looking not unlike Barney with grey hair a moustache and beard! I almost asked for a photo with him!</div><div>But here instead is me posing outside the Radisson. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442213596886787218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKdpAjxyHAKj9LufxbZxz1Hutnrumkaevw0OoexrvKLnZgiBTgLYYTxkjpNtP6jtyeROKk5NdlmavoADDVmc0CBtRkI4oKTmCyy21DaW43bSCFj-uo0Ue56qx_I_TkDWdg242j6XaEN8/s400/P1000500.JPG" /><br />While I was away in Glasgow it was also the big Eastenders storyline reveal. ‘Who killed Archie Mitchell?’<br />Being a big Eastenders fan I really wanted to watch the live episode without knowing whodunit, so had sky+ it to watch on my return. But with everyone talking about it and it being all over the media how was I going to get from Glasgow to Peterborough on the train, and then home after without finding out?<br />So in a day akin to the episode of the seventies sitcom ‘The Likely Lads’ where they try not to hear the result of a football match, I set out for home on the Saturday morning after the episode had aired, avoiding first a newspaper in my friend’s house which helpfully detailed exactly what had gone on the previous evening; the radio in the car on the way to the train station had to be switched off so I didn't hear any DJ's randomly gossiping about it; and then when I arrived at the station I had to avoid all newsagents and keep my head turned away from any fellow travellers reading newspapers. I plugged my ipod in all the way home to avoid hearing any passenger chit chat about the previous night’s TV; and then at Peterborough station my ipod was not removed from my ears until I was safely ensconced in my family’s car – where of course they had been primed not to tell me anything about the episode - even though my daughter was desperate to!<br />And what did I think when I finally reached home and was able to watch Thursday and Friday’s episodes for myself...<br />Absolutely brilliant! Well worth all the trouble & stress :-)<br />RIP Bradley :-( But long live Eastenders!<br />Happy 25th Anniversary.<br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 230px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 256px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/70/Bradly.jpg/230px-Bradly.jpg" />Until the next time,<br />A xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-17404281228114216542010-01-29T14:08:00.021+00:002010-01-29T14:56:03.599+00:00What's Occurrin'? Gavin, Stacey, Editing & plenty of emulsion paint!Well hello there!<br />Sorry it’s been a while since my last entry, I’m not quite sure where the last two months have gone but let me try and tell you in <a href="http://www.reducedshakespeare.com/wp/">Reduced Shakespeare company</a> style.<br />Most of November was taken up with our house being permanently covered in a layer dust when we redecorated our lounge. Only we didn’t just re-decorate, we had all our walls re-plastered too, plus removed a doorway and replaced it with an archway. Result: mess everywhere for about 3 weeks, much hair ripping out, stress and a constant feeling of grit in places there shouldn’t be! But now a lovely new lounge where it’s a pleasure to sit of a winter's evening!<br />Then it was Christmas – fairly uneventful I’m pleased to report this year. Except to say Christmas 2009 will always be remembered as the Christmas we discovered the joys of Gavin & Stacey.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 409px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://jamescordenfansite.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/gs_cast.jpg" /><br /><div>How we’d ever managed to miss this wonderful BBC comedy before I don’t know? But I caught an episode just before Christmas (the one with the Puff Daddy wedding ring) and that was it, I knew I just had to see all the others too. So I ordered the box set off Amazon of every episode for £22 ( quite a bargain I thought at the time.) And I was proved correct, and then some! The Christmas TV was pretty rubbish as always, so we ended up watching the entire lot from start to finish! Brilliant! If I can ever write something as funny as that, I’ll be very, very proud.<br />And then on 14th January came my Birthday. Thought you might like to see the cake I was surprised with this year. Made by local baker Tom’s cakes <a href="http://www.tomscakes.co.uk/">http://www.tomscakes.co.uk/</a> it tasted just as good as it looked!</div><div></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432168718264524354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc01-nEEF5P_o1IY4fpgA_2Gs3XFOLTEpWxCCbEh2j96Hz6RLukp2H67ws84bT62n0l4-7iowxZ_nsUGsoVbarpKlwYRXEfNsLJ4_e0hCO2IBI-Wyxr6abGbg-1eaL-pCF6jEYcZfCC0/s400/P1000387.JPG" /> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432170192662851874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtdIcXYfquCCNWPO3PP_RQSeXFK2yiD_irtRTAlntQhMT4gjbuNsbJFfPw00rG4FFD1lBaxZo7xYtxxHBiYTpIuBSRbYPJX0ZQC0DmZr3x1jyuUko9U3inp0CxAFI_QIBJea3ZQXmt_W8/s400/P1000389.JPG" /><br />We seem to be on a decorating binge right now. Just last weekend we finished my daughter's room – she’d saved up all her money from Christmas and her Birthday (she’s a New Year’s day baby) and put it towards completely re-vamping her own room, And it looks really lovely in shades of lilac and blackcurrant, plus the traditional teenage black! But her penance for doing this was she had to sleep in her brother’s room for a week while it was being done. It’s a long time since they’ve shared a room – and they won’t be doing it again in a hurry... well until it’s his turn to have his room decorated!!<br />And now it’s my turn. My bedroom and study is currently being redecorated, so I’m sleeping in the dining room while it’s being done! Ah the joys of home decoration - a nightmare while it’s in progress, but so worthwhile when it’s over. If you’re interested, I’m going for a look from the Cath Kidston range. With pale blue & dark raspberry walls to match.<br /><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432164505485757202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEEIqiKgqUWBZJNyX7AGDPGHhYXaEsIMyQmjOsuHU_Mz4HgoMXkPiCt6epmarpj-p59_cFSHKxvf4BcZoU2TqxdI4wYjTkJhkpIqUFtc9mn6kyEFHQW-gF5sxB0Tv4o1UcfFZTwL_sKE/s400/cath+kidston.jpg" /> <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432165054966133202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgbyo08lVvQNuaMwIIV6qYAMOAtP7lLVl7ANFde05aa8sHAk-Zvo01BZwrlybeGkhz7zkfkLxtIffhFKfYOw7h3frYyl9WDuf4oT1b0XbZd0_o2sf71JD5o9ECVaDlcF2fD3N7rVDbtd0/s400/CK2.jpg" /><br />And what’s been happening on the book front I hear you cry? Well maybe you don't, but I’ll tell you anyway. <em>From Notting Hill with Love ... Actually</em> is now on <a href="http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=9780751544954">WH Smith</a>, <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/ali+mcnamara/from+notting+hill+with+love-+actually/7374433/">Waterstones</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Notting-Hill-Love-Actually-Standing/dp/0751544957/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262725812&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> websites to pre-order! How exciting is that. My husband said I nearly burst his ear drum when I found it on Amazon for the first time.<br />It got a fab pre-review on this site <a href="http://chicklitreviews.com/2010/01/18/book-news-from-notting-hill-with-love-actually-by-ali-mcnamara/">http://chicklitreviews.com/2010/01/18/book-news-from-notting-hill-with-love-actually-by-ali-mcnamara/</a> I just hope the reviews are as good when it’s published on 25th November!<br />And I’m currently working on what’s called a copy-edit. For those that don’t know this is <em>really</em> like being at school and getting a piece of homework back from the teacher with lots and lots of red pen across it. Except this time its a copy editor who's picked up every little spelling, punctuation and grammar mistake you’ve made and changed it. (she also picks out lots of things we’ve missed along the way too, and you wonder how on earth no-one has never noticed that before!) Copy-Editors are worth their weight in gold at this stage of the novel’s process from manuscript into proper book, because it’s after this that the novel will be type set ready for printing I believe (so there’s no going back!!)<br />I should have a cover to show you very soon too, as they’re working on it as we speak at the publishers...<br />More on that soon.<br />So that’s my round up of what’s been going on in my life. Nothing majorly exciting, but enough to make the time whizz by so that we’re now fast approaching February!<br />I’ll be back very soon with more.<br />Not very 'Reduced Shakespeare' in the end I know, but then I always was a bit too wordy for my own good! ;-)<br /></div><div>Until the next time,<br />A x </div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-81211920273086629582009-11-13T12:48:00.050+00:002009-11-14T09:01:30.385+00:00'What do you get if you cross a Hollywood movie star, an Irish pop singer, and a BBC TV series? A fantastic break away in Dublin...Hello,<br />I’ve just returned from a well earned (even if I do say so myself!) break in Ireland. Both my husband, Jim and myself were working really hard before we left. Me, trying to get all my edits finished on my novel, which I’m pleased to say I finally completed just a few days before we left. And Jim was working mad hours (as he often does) to get various different jobs completed. Jim runs his own business called Jim’ll Fix It property maintenance services. He specialises in tiling kitchens & bathrooms, but really he can turn his hand to any sort of DIY job you can think of. And since he’s constantly in demand, he’s pretty good at what he does.<br />As I’ve mentioned on here before, every year Jim and I try to have a break away, just the two of us without our children. This year we chose to stay just outside of Dublin for a few days in a beautiful coastal town called Malahide.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403575552766287138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAk3gdkNgLzQnLZybK3m_5R91eC9K4pmw6YVtucjuwolbGtqTTYWZr3yWL1RRjgT6To5Bymx_kWL5CL-dUzJo8Rh7lN4xKxkiJfcI_X5h0D7q0YKMWS9RCBZYhURQMzoIndKRbAGKJ2rw/s400/P1000147.JPG" border="0" /> I’ve been to Dublin many times, and for quite a few of those trips I’ve stayed in Malahide in a hotel called the Grand. <a href="http://www.thegrand.ie/">http://www.thegrand.ie/</a> It’s a lovely hotel and this was the longest I’ve ever had the joy of staying there.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403576522201189458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinK0YkEye8-yZ4tBMQmGxSdUJVbzOItGyww2Tgk9HZckebcihYXbmJvGf7_H-8ZOhyr3ecYTOxgOuMJpvp8phcBHv9mjO5GF8qNQj7bPNlwFyAw1zrG8_CmijX50X2E4TfWuOAYi-inPo/s400/P1000076.JPG" border="0" />We had a lovely relaxing time, just walking along the coast, going out for meals and generally just chilling! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403596648397038642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dF5R_1w_RijfVeUJFBCEIf56ICiT_wb4kw1wAWyprENE__L-Z7-lL0Bd3X78DNOE54ZCu7bIGkAxF2k8COH6EimokR0ArDpM-UDJBMNxYws6tACfHCs9lnnr462W7b1bHjAURJV6C18/s400/P1000155.JPG" border="0" /><br />In fact the only time I ventured into Dublin city centre was once to go shopping (minus Jim – he went to visit some of his relatives for the day...) and once to go to the Marie Keating foundation’s Pink Ribbon ball. But more on those two events later, because firstly I must tell you about the two young chaps sitting behind Jim and I on our flight over there...<br />We were just settling down into our seats, buckling ourselves in etc, when we quickly began to regret our choice of seating. (it was Ryan air so we were able to choose where we sat) Because behind us two studenty types in high volume had begun to voice all sorts of ridiculous pretentious opinions about the state of the world and the young people of today (they were hardly OAP’s themselves!) Jim and I just looked at each other and rolled our eyes – great a whole flight of this! But after the air stewards had given their safety demos, counted the passengers, and tried to sell us condoms (ok they were smokeless cigarettes, but they looked like condom packets – when did they start selling those?) and the plane began to taxi down the runway, suddenly all fell silent behind us. Were these two gobshites nervous fliers I wondered – holding each other’s hands while silently saying their prayers?<br />No, it turned out they’d just fallen asleep! But that’s not the end of the story. They stayed asleep (to our joy) for the whole flight, until the exact moment the plane hit the tarmac on the Dublin runway. And then, like Jack in the boxes released from their confinement, up they popped again – mouths turned on full volume and full speed just as though someone had suddenly re-connected their power supply – which had kindly been disconnected throughout the entire flight.<br />It was a trip of missed celebrity spotting too – ie everyone else seemed to bump into them and not me! While I was shopping in Dublin, an assistant came rushing into Boots to start her shift announcing to her colleagues that she’d just shook hands with Jack Nicholson in Captain America’s ( like an Irish Planet Hollywood only better) in Grafton Street!! The boys from Westlife were staying in our hotel while we where there – they were spotted by a friend we met up with for the ball. And during the ball itself my husband spoke to Gay Byrne, who some readers will know as the former presenter of the Late Late show in Ireland. Why was it always me in the wrong place at the wrong time? I didn’t see any of them!<br />But I wasn’t in the wrong place when it came to the Marie Keating foundation’s pink ribbon ball held annually at the Burlington hotel in Dublin.<br />This was the fourth time Jim and I have been lucky enough to attend this fundraising ball, and as always it was a fabulous evening organised by Linda Keating and her dedicated team.<br /><br /><br /><em>Me posing in the hotel room before we left.</em><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403579098124023410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 401px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 392px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPIjRHkjMbC1HSEl-4vWpJwZIf_ZRNNkoq15kaKfj4Hw4vVDOQ5eg5O906McMz1zirjoZKL75slJm5sG054ehdfZcOoxffjFnZhu1gXMhDyHuFr-BYwU-GG3QftB1f4XYsjUQMl5CSBU/s400/Ball2.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403577842796646482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 458px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif-sS9O3WywccMaVGMqdEO6Ml3y-Z1acXDNC6PWE0EjGM5M6Kd7TfJznhF0el9upQblLqjT7LIPi5MEaoQCXTiHLq3NI83B4WyI_gSXWdhYADUWOMgUSOh_lEJ5ap2LcCpmYG-CV2SGis/s400/Ball+1.JPG" border="0" />This year we were booked to be on a table with lots of friends old and new, so we knew we were in for a good night.<br />We arrived at the reception with our two friends Charlene & Davy, who had driven down from Northern Ireland for the ball, and were immediately offered glasses of pink champagne – my favourite! Luckily for me not Jim’s, so I managed two glasses ;-)<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403579918229823714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvaAfbSiKYc-EOgXyMOeQhXhzQlQwElqZJeW9GaR_krPTaPCF95TRjqIFYBDOVjdE-DaFVuRDksFUUkvHYhvDA60BedYKT7xC85ezNKQTRxN5X5CbrzTzCObYWxBY2La4PlEvOD70qffo/s400/P1000103.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403581136095752354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 190px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbKOzWleNyqcryPJl0yEpHJvp_kiWFypk6PEkgkvURXYFmhrKZLfTzEnQ43T_67rAPVg-v5xk1WmAN7alfzaQl5cjh-64_PTjA74Zin8HGHvaTu7l6lIcjY5yIDEMupt1BDJ_UzbwSczM/s400/Ball+3.JPG" border="0" />Then after finding where we were sitting on the seating plan, having some photos taken and chatting to a few people, a bell rang and it was finally time to enter the ballroom.<br />We found our table and seats – complete with large pink gift bags full of goodies, and settled down for our meal and night’s entertainment.<br />After Lillian McGovern the foundation’s Chief Executive had welcomed us, and the MC of the evening was introduced - Irish radio’s Tony Fenton, then it was Ronan Keating’s turn to step up on to the stage to say a few words. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403582886044873618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 284px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_S_xOlwagfSK-sqn8vN6d4_AeAJkO0b7cSXjXAN_0h0c9MzfhgLMcjyqKPt96P0bc0EElWmo44fSthKmmnYw0Utpb0DNKnWG_Rh7ZnLDu29iqG3t4sknhRhoOAgNRTeDnSdlDRK8LWqo/s400/Ball+4.JPG" border="0" />Apart from talking about the foundation’s work, he thanked everyone for coming – pointing out that so many of these types of events were being cancelled these days due to lack of support. He also talked about how he had only just flown in from a promotional trip to Australia about 4hrs ago, and how he’d had to bring his children with him tonight because they’d wouldn’t have allowed him to just walk in from a week away and walk right back out of the door again! How this year had been one of mixed emotions for him, and unusually he talked about what his future plans were professionally, which is something he normally wouldn’t do at the ball. But I think everyone was so aware of what had happened recently with Stephen Gately, it would have seemed strange not to mention him. So in a very emotional few minutes Ronan talked about Stephen, and thanked his family, friends and the public for all the support they had given him over the last few weeks.<br />During dinner Ronan visited all of the 40 tables in turn, talking to people and posing for photos if requested. In past years I’ve always managed to have a bit of a chat with Ronan at this point. But tonight I’m not sure why I didn’t begin to babble on to him like I usually do. I think I was very aware there were other people waiting around the table for their moment and photograph with him too, so instead when he smiled as I approached and said ‘Howrya it’s good to see you again.’ I just smiled back and said ‘Yes it’s been a long time.’ Then, as he put his arm around me for a photograph I looked about desperately for Jim – where was he? ‘Now where’s my husband?’ I said wondering where he could be. But Ronan knew where he was. What’s always quite amusing to me is that Ronan now recognises Jim as well as me when we’re at an event or a concert – he usually gives him a manly wave or nod of the head. As if to say ‘has she dragged you here again!’ ;-) So pro that he is, as the crowd parted Ronan was already looking in Jim’s direction as he held the camera up to take the photo. The problem had been Jim was still sitting down to take the photo at the table, which is why I couldn’t immediately see him. Something I was cross at him for doing afterwards (everyone knows the worst angle you can take people’s faces at is from below!) but actually the photo came out quite well in the end. (& yes I did apologise to Jim afterwards!) I thanked Ronan for the photo, and then he thanked me for coming, and said ‘It’s good to see you again.’ There was so much I would have liked to have said to him that night about all sorts of things – including the novel. But as I said before it just didn’t seem the right time, and I’m sure they’ll be others. And anyway when Ronan Keating puts his arms around you and says ‘It’s good to see you again.’ twice in one evening, what more can a girl ask for?! ;-)<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403583645831784818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 329px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIbuCuTp7eRi59xZ3xXscR9dOgLOtXOEGOiKgiVCTG6G-ahOaGJbnu7xmFHSW_fBZg7nW2IewNTn85WWKOfkV4mlQh6HaRtw1Rjmi9VoaLa8f7XwnIsm3fCIGz6Vk0MeL3TjNWYdzS9Q/s400/A&R2.JPG" border="0" /></div><div><br /></div><div>After the meal we danced the rest of the night away to James Walsh formerly of the group Star Sailor, Ronan himself for a couple of songs, <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403585257239660946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtaq7BnpZxQd7yOGQUS0fDl7hA_oh3WRym0aibBjstLjysgfUnB8xPIfN5ypaJPtb3KIsXUZtNbXhe7T0doBf8v6PH9zBjk5D26BsZeFnjlU9SU6qIifqXt0U59Y6bFZA77o02eu6dh0/s400/P1000127.JPG" border="0" />and then a DJ until the wee small hours when we finally returned tired but happy to our hotel. </div></div><div><em></em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403588212702236626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqnIy1MXYYLCZ1YFnzzhyphenhyphen1MfUKBauSMmCJrVb_O0IJVXIU6Uky6y1W4wbBUJwGaq4Bqj9HxBqZm_V5vY9QQgeYq6C1WCgXU2WQay22L2Hl0AW5zxVXetcPZVhAub-IlhFA4L5FipYY_0k/s400/Lucy1.jpg" border="0" /><em>A big thank you to Carol & Lizzy for organising everything this year</em></div><div><em>& thanks to Lucy C & her crazy camera for this photo of me!</em> <div><br /><div>On our last day in Ireland we took a drive down through the Wicklow mountains, a pretty area we have visited before, and look what we found there – Ballykissangel! <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403592539059151922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhxvB7_mouwOhugQu79eGCTdOChsShc-gBAHWOwapA2Qf8HpUyf56M9RV3aY1dAhybCjstrxafH8rR_saA-TgSJ38Y4SDl7X-lNjbGxpUpmxVSTo8N9HiC_lnNMZxMSr39_fv6xOcNFlI/s400/P1000189.JPG" border="0" />Well it’s really called Avoca, but this little town was where they filmed the BBC TV series that ran for 5years. I never watched it the first time around, but as part of the research for my new novel I’m writing about an Irish island, I Sky+ed the whole series at the beginning of this year on ITV 2 to get a feel for the Irish language and humour, so I knew this little place like the back of my hand. But what was really surprising considering the series ran from 1996-2001 is that all the places like the pub and the shop etc are all still called the same names as in the TV series. So there’s Fitzgeralds pub, Kathleen Hendley’s shop etc etc.<br />So apologies if you’ve never seen Ballykissangel, but if you have or remember it, here’s a few photos of some of famous places from the show. Fitzgeralds Pub, the bridge leading into the town where the characters always went to do their 'thinking', and the church. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403595009247469410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGA2tRqevd3rLm9CyAr0ZwkDt53qB7UsAkOv275kAQrzsvqLo9dl94LsVWn1KuOW7ZpPiaSWhJOxnOoguo-b4ycCmXpbsv37XbdpJF9cxbGgzW-0mldjbuLBWaZPcgmiTk9LKw6myQTDs/s400/P1000194.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403591538572607842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtEuYeB8zb3pCL1tljG9bL1VjzaIY4xknNup_kTSfhEVwQRFXUhS50SI7b4oD7LwZLpZ7oFT9W7uCD2ZTy1MnMP30wkaykCb-5KCY8cqiO23ht8gOkuxvNoty3xR9-C4uE1romDhDRvGI/s400/P1000182.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5403589987816726962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKUInvV3zTYo27_cqSPmVTcwFiKII7BC0JI2FQru_5evGOa1ykIwY2X38oeVV6LvVECHm0_RdRlszB8dbEZNoFTA-zfYDT8wI0X7UH8DqeOcKpdtjjEWUVEsUCjMHg6iSaJi5-7khDxI/s400/P1000200.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><br />So that was our break away in Dublin. Eventful, relaxing, yet very very enjoyable.<br /><em>More photos on my facebook page of Malahide, the ball & Ronan perfoming on the night. Just add me as a friend if you can't see them.</em><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=113183&id=1032877752&ref=nf">http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=113183&id=1032877752&ref=nf</a><br /><br />This must be a record breaking length of a Blog - even for me! Thanks for sticking with it to the end ;-)<br />Until the next time,<br />A xAli McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-22114819352007407552009-10-15T12:48:00.026+01:002009-10-15T14:08:28.638+01:00T is for TraumasSo what are these traumas I speak of in my title, you ask?<br />Well I’m going to try and keep this entry as short as I can today because of my first trauma. Actually it’s not really the trauma I thought it was going to be when I first got my manuscript back from my editor, along with all her suggested edits for the novel. To begin with I felt like I was going back to school and I’d got a piece of homework back with the teacher’s red pen scored all over my work - telling me everything I’d done wrong, and suggestions on how I could go about putting it right again. But now I’m well into the editing process (you’ll be glad to know Caroline if you’re reading this!) I realise that not only will my novel be much improved as a result, but I’ve learnt a lot from doing it, (not only how many times I use the words Well, OK and glared!) and I’m sure my future writing will be much improved as a result too.<br />My second recent trauma was my hair.<br />I decided a few weeks ago to return back to blonde hair again. I’d had a year of being a brunette, and although I’d enjoyed it, I felt like it was time for a change again.<br />So my hairdresser, Helen came around at 9am last Monday morning to perform the transformation from brunette back to blonde. She had warned me it would take a long time, so she had allowed over 5 hours for the appointment. To cut a very long story short, she left my house at 7pm that evening and my colour still wasn’t right! To say I looked like Rapunzel or even Goldilocks was an understatement, I almost glowed in the dark!<br />But good on Helen she returned two days later and spent another few hours adding yet more colour (or was that taking it away?!) until I eventually turned into what I call a strawberry blonde. It’s still not quite my ideal shade of blonde yet, or back to what I was before, but at least I don’t look like I belong in a fairytale now!<br />Warning: It’s a lot harder to go from brunette back to blonde, than it is to go from blonde to brunette!<br />Photos of the transformation...<br /><div><div><div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-TT_-oaaotC1Gl4rmNtnYQ5jtqqoo0h_1CaQTS3u6DYd6QjePMwRui2D0IVV5qfCboYjLtzAuDNLIMjK5iy4nS0EC5Ie_LGe9F_avTY99gsYPnvg01Jjir_q5FeDW6U3xmt5-HVH8_E/s1600-h/Colour+change+1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392802945300932562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH-TT_-oaaotC1Gl4rmNtnYQ5jtqqoo0h_1CaQTS3u6DYd6QjePMwRui2D0IVV5qfCboYjLtzAuDNLIMjK5iy4nS0EC5Ie_LGe9F_avTY99gsYPnvg01Jjir_q5FeDW6U3xmt5-HVH8_E/s320/Colour+change+1.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div>Me looking slightly bleary eyed but dark haired first thing!<br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv0SUGN_g-PMGPxU5HBGM5s0B90rycMroXPqMLi0giTU8nFcKIHBUDLBCNbZdZjuCzkH64lO5ZlSApW4r3qlADU6VLj0tRvpu4E4p5djZ9PkkTfrJ9VumZUPZ2VqA6IXizxm5rKLmMFU/s1600-h/Colour+change+3.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392797075671086706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv0SUGN_g-PMGPxU5HBGM5s0B90rycMroXPqMLi0giTU8nFcKIHBUDLBCNbZdZjuCzkH64lO5ZlSApW4r3qlADU6VLj0tRvpu4E4p5djZ9PkkTfrJ9VumZUPZ2VqA6IXizxm5rKLmMFU/s320/Colour+change+3.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv0SUGN_g-PMGPxU5HBGM5s0B90rycMroXPqMLi0giTU8nFcKIHBUDLBCNbZdZjuCzkH64lO5ZlSApW4r3qlADU6VLj0tRvpu4E4p5djZ9PkkTfrJ9VumZUPZ2VqA6IXizxm5rKLmMFU/s1600-h/Colour+change+3.jpg"></a><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Me with all the colour stripped out of my hair! </div><div>Yes it was meant to go this colour!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtZC1eQQCoOoqnicvnj5STNUaUHmaB3B2MTeeX55tfjQD1fgtkyzM08_GuP8OJJE9zUvpb5wVUFlzWBINpL5rS7sx-y1dX1IIZ3k6Udy6D4-MK8mReKiSZ82nTtTJiwWoBaKpd-_BaCM/s1600-h/Colour+Change+4.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392797880410134018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtZC1eQQCoOoqnicvnj5STNUaUHmaB3B2MTeeX55tfjQD1fgtkyzM08_GuP8OJJE9zUvpb5wVUFlzWBINpL5rS7sx-y1dX1IIZ3k6Udy6D4-MK8mReKiSZ82nTtTJiwWoBaKpd-_BaCM/s320/Colour+Change+4.jpg" /></a><br />Looking like an oven ready turkey!<br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhex51a7cb_DHdz99r1a1NJj_2oF_HUHAUOgP4x5YJzuSEQQS3KWaVZLF5izGwwUrklzs6naB2NOfL25LZR8E6-DQnR9n35haHj8LiVGZmSOEL1ix_ZmQ7vyOF_9HCU9xDWiEeYkyERc_Q/s1600-h/Colour+Change+5.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392798512087474178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhex51a7cb_DHdz99r1a1NJj_2oF_HUHAUOgP4x5YJzuSEQQS3KWaVZLF5izGwwUrklzs6naB2NOfL25LZR8E6-DQnR9n35haHj8LiVGZmSOEL1ix_ZmQ7vyOF_9HCU9xDWiEeYkyERc_Q/s320/Colour+Change+5.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div>Nope this isn't the right colour!!<br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cZhBOtWVq6cXjetNrwth-OTC4_H-sRiOfQqtFqs3LR6GaRuFpEjB0now4-RAE1s7SkFRsopqPNwTYZggHgrKoQsA7WPKRhqsKMEqn5pQFQrmhg3Xqs3pl9BgchB3b1VzwvfBn62az7Q/s1600-h/Colour+Change+6.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392799064786029906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_cZhBOtWVq6cXjetNrwth-OTC4_H-sRiOfQqtFqs3LR6GaRuFpEjB0now4-RAE1s7SkFRsopqPNwTYZggHgrKoQsA7WPKRhqsKMEqn5pQFQrmhg3Xqs3pl9BgchB3b1VzwvfBn62az7Q/s320/Colour+Change+6.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div>Trying to put on a brave face with GOLD hair!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl6gFSvL5S623u5rE1znzeBLLsa2Mn9ha53iqCLVjYK0AMlmXGLPlFL4YiDVa5DhhqGZeXVwDzO3ez8FhOI51Ty5Az4y8ZMfXqt179rdJfwSG2caPSX5MvFO3ajpv1WJvmfDyH3KqOWg/s1600-h/Ali+2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392799681568830226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrl6gFSvL5S623u5rE1znzeBLLsa2Mn9ha53iqCLVjYK0AMlmXGLPlFL4YiDVa5DhhqGZeXVwDzO3ez8FhOI51Ty5Az4y8ZMfXqt179rdJfwSG2caPSX5MvFO3ajpv1WJvmfDyH3KqOWg/s320/Ali+2.jpg" /></a><br />Two days later.. phew that's better.</div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>My third and final trauma put any minor issues I thought I may have been having with my writing or the colour of my hair into perspective, when I heard on Sunday morning about the sad and untimely death of Stephen Gately, of Boyzone at his holiday home in Majorca.<br />I was never a fan of Boyzone when they were in their heyday in the 1990’s. I became a fan of Ronan Keating’s when he was a solo artist, and so came across Stephen firstly through listening to old Boyzone songs, and then in the last couple of years when I was lucky enough to see Boyzone reunited together on their last two come-back tours as a band. Even though I have no qualms in admitting that I was there mainly to see Ronan, I was always impressed by Stephen’s stage presence and incredible enthusiasm the entire time he was in front of the crowd. </div><div>You hear the term ‘a born performer’ banded about a lot. But that’s definitely what Stephen was. And perform he did over and over again to his many adoring fans not only with Boyzone, but in the West End too in shows such as Joseph and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. </div><div>I met him just the once, backstage at Edinburgh castle in 2008 and again he was just like he appeared on stage - happy, enthusiastic and eager to please.<br />I send my thoughts and deepest sympathies to his partner Andrew, his family, friends, and all his loyal fans. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/may2009/7/5/stephen-gately-pic-getty-297755975.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 450px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 312px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://images.mirror.co.uk/upl/m4/may2009/7/5/stephen-gately-pic-getty-297755975.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>Until the next time,<br />A x </div></div></div></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-27383683381129438512009-09-12T07:32:00.009+01:002009-09-12T08:53:19.547+01:00Three celebrities, Two strangers & One fantastic day out in LondonIf you were in London on September 10th and saw a woman hopping about the tube with one shoe on and one shoe off that may have been me....<br />Let me explain further!<br />Last Thursday, I went down to London to meet with my agent, Hannah and my new editor, Caroline. I had arranged to meet up with Hannah outside Temple tube station which is the nearest to the Unilever building which houses the Little Brown Book group (just in case you get confused Sphere who are publishing my novel are an imprint of Little Brown.) Well unlike some women who (and I take my hat off to them, but heaven knows what it’s doing to their posture, muscle and back alignment for future years to come.) can totter around in heels all day, I sadly can’t. And so I chose to go for the comfort of trainers with my smart trousers until I got to the Embankment tube station where I planned to change my trainers over to my smarter heeled black boots.<br />Well when I arrived on the platform a train was just pulling out of the station, those of you that have ever travelled on the London underground before will know this usually means you have a couple of minutes at least before the next train arrives. ‘Perfect’ I thought, loads of time to change into the afore mentioned boots. Yes, you’ve guessed it, just as I got one trainer off and one boot on, another train pulled in, so I had to hop on the train holding a boot and a trainer in one hand, and wearing a boot and a trainer on either foot! Not a very elegant sight... However (and not for the first time that day) something very unusual occurred as a result. Someone actually spoke to me on a tube train! Yes, they didn’t hide behind their newspaper or bury their face in their book and pretend like there wasn’t a lunatic hopping about on the train in front of them in odd shoes, a man opposite me made comment about it, and we had a laugh and I told him where I was going.<br />So after I finally managed to get a matching pair of shoes on! I hopped off at the next stop (Temple) where I met up with my agent, Hannah and because we had a few minutes to spare we had a chat in a coffee shop along the way. This was lovely, you spend so much time emailing people about work matters that some real life contact with someone who has done so much for you is really lovely to have for a change.<br />Then we set off for the Unilever building where Little Brown’s offices are housed.<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 512px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 437px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/1249_2_1000%20KPF%20Unilever%202.jpg" border="0" />Unilever house is extremely impressive on first sight. It was originally built in 1931 but was grade II listed in 1977. It’s very open plan, very light and modern, yet it retains the feeling of the art deco building it once would have been in the 1930’s. It was very exciting to arrive in the huge foyer and look up – even though two people entering through the revolving door at once is probably not such a good idea! <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 385px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 619px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/project/uploaded_files/1249_385%20KPF%20Unilever.jpg" border="0" /><br />It’s such a vast building we even had to have our photos taken for security passes – think bad passport picture! :-/ But even though bad photos are usually something I hate, nothing was going to spoil this day!<br />We rose up in the lifts to the Little Brown offices where we waited in a lounge area full of their already published books. Hannah picked up Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman’s book – Long way down. (How exciting Ewan McGregor is published by Sphere like me!)<img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XuBEv7q7L._SS500_.jpg" border="0" />Which is quite funny because at home my children have become quite fed up of me constantly saying "He/she/they/it are in my book." every time we see a celebrity on TV, or hear a song or see a place that’s mentioned in my novel. There’ s a lot of famous people in there as you will eventually find out... and yes Ewan McGregor is one of them!<br />Then we met my new editor, Caroline Hogg for the first time, and she was lovely. She took us for a quick tour around the offices, which again are very modern and open plan just like the rest of the building, and then we sat and talked about my book and it’s future plans which was fantastic! December 2010 my seem like a long time before its published, but when you hear about all the different stages it has to go through, really its no time at all. We talked about possible marketing and publicity ideas which was very exciting to hear, and ideas I have for future novels also. And then we went for lunch - appropriately at a pub called ‘Shaws Booksellers'!!<br />But the main thing was, I left the meeting and the lovely lunch we had that day, confident that I was putting my novel in the hands of someone that, like Hannah, loved my novel almost as much as I did. And as an author you really can’t ask for anything more. :-)<br />Oh and there’s more...<br />After my lunch (which wasn’t boozy – although I was given the opportunity for it to be!) I went back down one stop to the embankment tube station and got off and stood and looked at the London Eye for a few minutes. I think I’ve mentioned on here before what a key part the eye plays at the end of the novel and it seemed only fitting to go and pay it tribute on this most significant of days!<br />And then what’s a girl to do when she has a few hours to spare in London but.... go shopping of course!<br />And in a ‘homage’ to my own novel where Scarlett, the heroine bumps into a couple of films stars on her travels about London, who should I spot out and about on Oxford Street. Well not quite film stars, my celebs have a fashion in common rather than movies...<br />First Mark Hayes, GMTV’s fashion expert coming out of River Island and then diving straight into Next. <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 280px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 390px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.fabulousmag.co.uk/images/content_images/issue_038/homes_01_038.jpg" border="0" />I always wondered whether TV fashion expects actually bought their own items of clothing when they’re styling fashion segments or whether assistants go out and get the clothes for them, but he was definitely shopping for female clothing - with a list! And then later I saw Caryn Franklin who used to present The Clothes show many years ago, in Marks and Spencer. <img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 330px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.nationalweddingshow.co.uk/_images/Caryn-Franklin-for-web.jpg" border="0" /><br />And if you’re still hanging in there with me on this extremely long blog. I would just like give a shout out to the very nice chap I met on my train on the way home, who was the second stranger of the day I got into a conversation with on public transport. This time it went on a bit longer...<br />He heard all about my novel and where I’d been that day. Who I’d been meeting with, how long it had taken me to get published and what it all meant to me. And bless him he actually looked interested. ;-)<br />So to you stranger on the train, Hannah, Caroline, and for all of you reading this to the end, I say thank you.<br />Till the next time,<br />A x<br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thanks to worldachitecturenews.com for the photos of Unilever house</span>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-89197110743344067412009-09-05T17:05:00.017+01:002009-09-05T18:34:35.320+01:00When you wish upon a star...Well this is the entry I’ve been dying to write since I started blogging. Yes I’ve finally done it - <strong>I’m going to be a published author</strong>!<br /><br />My novel <em><strong>From Notting Hill with Love...actually</strong></em>. will be published by Sphere in winter 2010 and I’m thrilled to bits!<br /><br />Now if you’re the sort of person that doesn’t believe in fate, coincidence and all things mystic then stop reading now, because I’m about to tell you all about the rather weird things that happened on the run up to me finding out this wonderful news, & even what happened on that fateful day itself...<br /><br />You remember how everyone was talking about the Perseid meteor showers in August? Well just after that in the week preceding my big news, me, my husband, and my two children all saw lots of shooting stars over our garden at night. And amongst all the other things we’d wished for separately, this was the one thing we’d all agreed on...<br />If you’ve ever read my blog entry on here for 5th November 08 which tells you how I started writing, you’ll know that the very beginning of that story starts with me buying Ronan Keating’s CD <em>Destination</em>. Well I found my original copy of that CD the other day and put it on in the car, but it was scratched and kept jumping, so I added it to my Amazon wish list meaning to buy it some time, and when we wanted some other bits & pieces the other day I ordered a new copy. Guess which day it arrived? Yep the same day I found out I was going to be published...<br />Oh yes there’s more... one of my friends – Carol who was heavily involved in making that first internet story such a success, told me she had got her old copy of the story out that same day I got my news and began reading it again...<br />And the big one. Even though I wasn’t really expecting to hear anything on that day, (my novel had been to an acquisitions meeting the previous afternoon and I knew it might be a few days until I had any news,) I couldn’t really settle down to do to anything because the it was playing on my mind all the time, so I thought I’d put a DVD on. Ok I was probably punishing myself a bit with this choice – especially if it had been bad news, but I choose <em>Notting Hill</em>. <em>Notting Hill</em> is such an important part of my novel (you’ll see why when you read it – wow I can say that now!) that for a while it would give me mixed emotions when I watched it. Desperation, when I wondered if anyone would ever love my novel as much as I did, would then turn into a determined hope, when I just knew that one day they would.<br />Anyway the point to this is, on this day the film was just ending and was in the final scene - the press conference when Hugh Grant asks Julia Roberts the question about staying in England, and my phone rang...<br />I swear I’m not making this up when I tell you it was my agent, Hannah, and as she told me the good news (just as well it was good or I may never have been able to watch that movie again!) and was talking, and I was trying to take it all in, pinching myself that this wasn’t all a dream. I could hear the strains of ‘She’ by Elvis Costello playing in the lounge as the final credits began to roll up the screen on the TV. It could have been a scene from my book it was so perfectly timed!<br />So next time you see a shooting star be careful what you a wish for, because you just never know it might just come true...<br />Until the next time,<br />A x<br />Oh I almost forgot I’m on Twitter now! Alimac141 if you’d like to follow me for more frequent updates.<br />The Blog will be kept for my infrequent yet longer ramblings on life ;-)<br />Photos of me celebrating below. The rest will be on the Facebook link at the end should you wish to take a look ;-)<br /><br />Me with Champagne!<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378018126849448674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemufswG18HYZX98SUu8nsamXOYM1uiDnh7kYdzdo2fdytMOsaJsVi8OlcLS1rCzLvS2603NIGSOhNDWk_7mppnY4xYYWI6T4N-6gRRoqWjVFj9pFttIl9vksdNE_N3-lfmqSzfgFruPU/s320/101_1236.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />At the restaurant with balloon and flowers!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378018727708879330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKDg54IqI6Ds8eCnpk1biNTeowxfPDQRIi_krYiJ832mZtHRpWw6onwAbwCULh7KDvEphuvak1Y_U8Mawlze-qAyLaw5vnXuh1srbW-j52-OWpnv8QEXOH05l5-waWgq__42pSuOoB5U/s320/101_1254.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />These are the two signs I bought in Notting Hill when I first went to do research for the book, and they've been pinned to my wall above my desk ever since!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378019054411788466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj073pLEnGkM06Bs0ACeU_JPgcgG2229F9pjtcn1bPEvyMyacEQYoZ7u6yqbLZ_hljEhZLk55Vl_thXTyEtUUTenfyfRmEzPeDqIwBuI0E6rrVs3YqAqn8DvDr7COSp2oC7scQ-rWiVsBc/s320/101_1215.jpg" border="0" /><br />Presents from my children: A poem from my son & a collage of all the films from the novel from my daughter - I cried!<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378019474449783778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwJY9yZTL_dWbiKh9rXYwVYpBcyKrcA5WRdDTEFZzwB0EY1-sU_7adUTLR_MtDKXSwrruJmxbaoVQfG32FFvJ1RaT26lrZmUdR5Y4BX5FmTHQhyT654Bv4SUinQqLTDBx6pJTU-7ZHOw/s320/101_1221.jpg" border="0" /></div><a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=665444&op=1&view=all&subj=100000102878899&id=1032877752#/album.php?aid=106586&id=1032877752&ref=nf" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=665444&op=1&view=all&subj=100000102878899&id=1032877752#/album.php?aid=106586&id=1032877752&ref=nf</a>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-42288481431533730202009-08-13T16:21:00.013+01:002009-08-13T16:43:54.010+01:00Silence is golden... as long as it’s not forever Mr Williams.I’ve been silent for a while – so what?<br />Ok that’s a bit of a rude way to start a blog, but I was thinking this morning about why I haven’t written anything for a while and the simple answer is – I haven’t had anything to say!<br />I know I know, if you have a blog write something regularly and all that or people will get bored and not come back. But if you’ve nothing to say, then why bother saying anything at all?<br />Wouldn’t it be wonderful if people adhered to this rule in real life? Those people that always feel they need to fill the silent moments with the sound of their own voices for instance?<br />I’m the type of person who if you meet me in the doctor’s surgery and say “How are you?” I’ll say “I’m fine thanks,’ even if my arm’s severed at the shoulder, hanging on by a thread and blood’s pouring out of my wound at a gallon a minute.<br />But my mistake comes when I say ‘And how are you?’ and my questioner will then begin a very detailed account of how her piles are playing up so badly that she can’t sit down for more than a few minutes at a time, this makes eating a problem for her, so has in turn set off her irritable bowel syndrome giving her excruciating stomach cramps, which then jarred the trapped nerve in her back last night... you get the picture.<br />I think you know you’re truly comfortable in someone else’s company when you can sit in a companionable silence with them. Whether that’s a boyfriend or a best friend. If an occasional lull in a conversation feels awkward and you feel a need to desperately fill it, then you’re either not truly comfortable with that person or you’re one of those horrific people that just like the sound of their own voice.<br />Here’s a thought - what’s worse when you go out for a meal?<br />The sound of someone’s voice constantly being heard over everyone else’s in the restaurant as they jabber on under the illusion that their life is so interesting that everyone else needs to know about it. Or one of those couples that sits at a table and hardly speaks to each other all evening. Not because they’ve had an argument, but because they’ve known each other so long they’ve run out of things to say to one another.<br />Both are equally sad, but in different ways.<br />Personally I love the sound of silence – when I’m on my own. These days I rarely have the TV or the radio on in those glorious few hours when the house is empty in the day and my family is out. I know many people who spend a lot of time at home on their own feel lonely, and those external sources provide much needed company for them. But not me, I revel in the quiet. It’s thinking time. Writing time. Or both.<br />Don’t get me wrong, I love my music, but music is there for other things - to motivate or to relax. A lot of writers write to music, I’ve tried this, but don’t get on with it, it’s too distracting. It has to be total silence or nothing for me.<br />So to me silence is definitely golden...<br /><a href="http://www.regent.edu/general/library/about_the_library/news_publications/images/shhh%201.png"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 391px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 383px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.regent.edu/general/library/about_the_library/news_publications/images/shhh%201.png" border="0" /></a>Talking of music Robbie’s back!<br />Yes apparently Mr Williams will have a new album out in October, and by the look of this video he’s shaping up quite well...<br /><div><a href="http://www.robbiewilliams.com/video/official/robbie-back">http://www.robbiewilliams.com/video/official/robbie-back</a> </div><div></div><div>Just hope the music matches the new look Robbie ;-)<br /></div><div> </div><div>What else is new?<br />Still chasing around after a publisher for <em><strong>From Notting Hill with Love...actually</strong></em>. We’re subbing to the US and well as the UK now which is quite exciting, if equally as slow!<br />The annoying thing is I have so many ideas of how to promote this book WHEN it’s eventually published, that the marketing department of whichever publisher is eventually cleverest to take it on will love me!! ;-) Surprisingly authors have to organise quite a lot of their own promotion when their novels are published, unless you’re someone such as Mr Rankin or Miss Rowling...<br />But I’ve got loads of ideas in place already *publishers if you’re reading this take note!* you’ll love me honestly you will :-)<br />But until that time I keep plugging on with my new novel, which I’m pleased to say is coming on very well just now. As a recent status update on Facebook noted:<br /><strong><span style="color:#330099;">Ali McNamara</span> is liking how fishing - so incredibly boring before, suddenly becomes sexy when you write a scene in your new novel about fishing off the west coast of Ireland with a handsome Irish chappie ;-)<br /></strong></div><br /><div>Until the next time,<br />A x </div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-74001868503662767012009-05-31T17:59:00.020+01:002009-05-31T20:16:21.108+01:00Ronan Keating & Queen found providing 'natural uppers' in London...Hi I’m back again with another blog. Blimey what’s going on – so many in one month!<br />But I’m not going to apologise that it’s a Boyzone themed blog this time (plus I’ve not done one in a year!) because why do I need to keep apologising for something I enjoy?<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>If you’ve read my past blogs you’ll know I’ve always been a fan of Ronan Keating, and he is the reason I find myself in the situation I do today trying to write novels for a living. ( <a href="http://alimcnamara.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html">http://alimcnamara.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html</a> ) So I’ll be honest and admit it’s him I really go to see when I go to a BZ concert, because at the moment Ronan isn’t touring as a solo artist. But these days the world of Ronan & BZ is like a strange cult that I was once a part of, and now I’ve left I just sit happily on the sidelines of, occasionally allowing myself to become immerged in once again. The reason I only do it occasionally is because to me it’s like a drug. Once I start – the highs make it very hard to stop!<br />I’ve been lucky enough to meet Ronan Keating a number of times, and never a more polite, or gracious celebrity will you ever encounter. And it’s not just me that says that, ask anyone that’s ever met him in the industry – you’ll never hear a bad word. And that’s rare.<br />But of course it’s not just his manners that attract me to him. One look from those blue eyes, one smile, nod of his head, or wink from the stage that says "Hi howaya?" is enough ‘Ronan heroin’ to keep me going for weeks ;-) Let alone what happens when you actually meet him for real, and there’s that same eye contact, but with a hug and a kiss at the end of it! Blimey if I could bottle that sort of high I’d be living in the South of France on a Yacht somewhere - buying all the front row tickets I wanted. Not sitting here typing at my desk when I should be out making the most of the limited British sunshine, about to tell you the story of my bargain ticket finds on Ebay this week!<br />Anyhow I’m digressing (which wouldn’t be the first time!) and on Friday night my husband, Jim took me to see Boyzone at Wembley arena on the latest leg of their current tour. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342039344388921250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj14wgf5NhWNGglqwY1NFRbv7rgVyKz0rHPgfmORgezwTX1OP1p9q8zplVMIgOt3iqzADaTJniQRYK6RwRYUbVmBTpR_IXaxocVTVE0fmbB8RbWpoCXuEsyvXhpw6OUCyMCUXanMUIUhJE/s400/100_2344.jpg" border="0" /><br />Up until about a week ago I didn’t even have tickets for this gig, because I really wasn’t that bothered about going to see Boyzone this time around. I’d been off the ‘Ronan drug’ for a while and as always that lessens my need for a fix. But my curiosity got the better of me as reports began to flood the internet on the first few shows of the new tour from Belfast and Dublin, and so by pure chance I managed to get myself a front row seat, but I only had the one. My husband didn’t want me to be wandering the streets of London on my own late at night after the gig (visions of a smog ridden Victorian London spring to mind.) getting tubes and trains, so he said he would accompany me, and this is where the bargain part comes in. I managed to get him a £10 4th row ticket off Ebay – which is a bargain to start with, but while we were waiting for the gig to begin he sat in the seat next to me in the front row, which happened to be empty. You can probably guess what happened next? Yep, no one came and filled the seat - so Jim got a front row seat for a tenner! In these ticket tout filled, credit crunch days, a real bargain.<br />So on to the gig itself. Apart from the songs and the Boyz of course, I was completely fascinated by the costumes – which I loved, especially these dresses that the dancers came on in, which had photos of the Boyz faces screen-printed on them</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342039819078604594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBdhV0knNpuFRDc082zu8EJmtF7XxA0mdtzOsySR1HsyeCy94J0pgKG_73HRI0Dqh7UQzdbdCzzDO3rA4f7f1RXe4vMUwxHpHOSAUWv5K50ljri2xb3Y4S34vqMEzak0JucAaz84uef0/s400/100_2235.jpg" border="0" /> But the Boyz costumes especially I think deserve special mention. Not because they were raunchy or left little to the imagination. But because they were sleek and simple, in bold bright colours, that only enhanced the performances on the stage, not detracted from them.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342041125585175538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uZg35lBuOn0t7A-5eSCc10x3XPJod13gBZ4trMPgKS2p-UXiNz97mQoAvvhWk6SQpaIy-XKzLwS-QYP98oCah-cvw3y6f-aLpfngzpBGPrGACU7gwSa7JpNhS8VhEIoY2WmQs5N0r6o/s400/100_2231.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342044451797407090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1s2jdo2oKgncNgSVgKw3pEPQO5wJ2I9SZNBsZah7qiTYmgR9ES99FH7Je5j-ZJUmGkvz915sAV6nzf87fJH4YsYi1V6ZoZ6DsNkZDokoyuNsDIcxWJwMes8EUn_c27e4MZRcm7Aubq0/s400/100_2335.jpg" border="0" /> Favourite parts for me. The Queen medley deserves a special mention – not just for its costumes which again were not only brilliantly bold, but ultra camp too. But for its songs, and the execution of them- fabulous.<br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342042616427469762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mMnb5cFYqC8cN1lquRzjYGhgUeFTmS_jHL6qlH3PxytZbv7rGyn2ZZKpbB14C0hWPb3ZM5hSl_WUwx47Vofkt4nylSamjnQITj-sC-VIOXzLHbSt4Wfa1LyzZw8j2AN9TUjXvIiALl4/s400/100_2250.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342043586391418754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmzULOoHMurQplMyL6JyT87IQ-Qr_grlYUKDf4JUb8Br7kZ7az_nEqo3w5bNaK__djh2sKU25Kb2BUyulbm1KegdJ-wg1l1uZ6MMV0sqNYmXWvvKSFG2dyXeTavoTXvTZRSiVs28i2mUE/s400/100_2261.jpg" border="0" />Ronan's solo - the Cyndi Lauper classic 'Time after Time' from his recent No1 Album Songs for my Mother. </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342047399967337730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCS2PCpqvijyehWpUu00CUXkNNSy_sPNQGPU1-9H8rY_6ICyiff3dAk3SgRV1sOMclkGAFOuj07ABL5pwtGpb39vUZq8b5WQjbLVdz-PjTE5FpIlib58iX-3aeONSODaT-WEIoX0XG-4/s400/100_2278.jpg" border="0" />And always a crowd pleaser, Life is a rollercoaster – this time sung while the Boyz ‘flew’ through the air – spinning above the crowd like circus acrobats - well the braver members of the group attempted the spins ;-)<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342045110146108178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_YEhj7bvn20znJU2FDRW-OafOUeXvvsb4hPQ9dCX1aXxPtw7ecpJ0EkmI6Y3PprZHRnEurMXkhycacffzJyQISeO9_pCQC2VQrRkg22nOdHhS_4AOGhX7eTIGsINuFlZVnUUnevvR3s/s400/100_2322.jpg" border="0" />And did I go away at the end of the evening feeling like I’d ingested a cocktail of the best quality ‘uppers’ money can buy? Well to be honest I’ve never touched an illegal drug in my life, let alone ingested it. But the natural high I had after seeing ‘my own personal drug’ on the stage on Friday, will take a lot longer to come down from than any illegal substance could ever hope to produce.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342048003129785090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJiq8IXFJ4w2KK_440-ErUcnrw2me4PNQPnIHlv_65hIKQww9whxEZF8A-c8l1YSJT98DmVyPJVb9vHklIm9UBA8Jd3CmHOJkLIPGHB4tWoiOCJ5Qd_7ZkFuYr3VX6VOuti39pUNWrnQ/s400/100_2319.jpg" border="0" />Until the next time,<br /><div>A x </div><div>More photos here <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98392&id=1032877752&saved#/album.php?aid=98392&id=1032877752&ref=mf">http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98392&id=1032877752&saved#/album.php?aid=98392&id=1032877752&ref=mf</a><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342045987751324290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5d-fR4X6V5DUKfvBSeuMODBXn0PVEAwqCvSU4blJJ_GTEf3A31qiHldeChAnNZIpjJwD33uaPRnP4YXssmoNFZ2GnBcuN820fa706uvsZHRBwPGsy8L_jeHP-mK20DAhHYjOmTAGhyoE/s400/100_2310.jpg" border="0" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-25986551988978425322009-05-27T22:05:00.012+01:002009-05-27T22:49:49.903+01:00The Island where they're never 'closed for lunch'!Well hello again,<br />I’m back from my holiday in Ireland suitably refreshed and ready to go again.<br /><br /><div><div><div><div><div>We had a lovely time; the weather was very Irish and very coastal. i.e. changeable at a minutes notice – that’s the coastal part. And quite wet, apparently that’s what makes Ireland so green the rain, hence the title The Emerald Isle.<br /></div><div>We weren’t touring this time (see September 08’s entry) and stayed mainly in the Dingle area of Co.Kerry in a lovely holiday home owned by Elaine Begley<br /><a href="http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/dingle/45770">http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/dingle/45770</a><br />If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in the area, I can’t recommend Elaine’s house enough – it’s was beautiful.<br /></div><div>Dingle is famous for its wild Dolphin who permanently resides in the bay – Fungi. <a href="http://www.dodingle.com/pages/fungi_dingle_dolphin.html">http://www.dodingle.com/pages/fungi_dingle_dolphin.html</a><br /></div><br /><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 375px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/40/99334608_660266876f.jpg?v=0" border="0" /><br />We went out on a boat trip to see Fungi – well worth the money, the children (& the adults!) loved it :-)<br />We seemed to spend a lot of our time on boats while we were there – we also went over to visit an uninhabited island called Great Blasket. This island is the inspiration for the novel I’m in the process of writing and researching at the moment.<br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340616057153160626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ezzlQRLFavsCd0u7v4BGNEuluUWgwed4xDnA7bf2EDThyphenhyphenQYq5zUTBGxN_T_DF-VmFV1eZhc-3J9UEaOtYLgoyz3KLTitxxkiTnIBoiByokp1sQzmGrUzONoAuffa0-Y_tPXmZlzagP8/s400/100_1942.jpg" border="0" /><br />Last year on our travels around Ireland in the dustbin on wheels (sorry Kamp-Easi motorhome) we parked overnight looking out towards it, and from a conversation between my husband and myself about whether you could successfully live on an island, sprang the idea for a new novel.<br />So this time I really wanted to go over and visit the island for myself, and I was not disappointed.<br />From the moment we set sail in the boat it was almost like I was living the novel out there and then. We were skippered safely over on our short crossing by a rather handsome young Irish chappie, who held my hand as he helped me out of the boat and safely onto my fictional, yet now very real Island. (Ok, he held everyone’s hand to help them safely ashore, but give me a break I’m a romantic author & there is a point to this!) My point being that in my novel my heroine, Darcy, first meets her romantic interest, Connor, when he too takes her over by boat on her very first trip to the island – so how apt was that? I mean we could have got some old crone called Seamus with three buck teeth and a lazy eye to take us over!<br /></div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340616790827838610" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjulcyBvDUjNbAgmRXdfYpbpvxgGOW_bjrDxDb-0OiTxFZJqW47VaKVUKtFMKTQsQDEjitaCBd6yN-NuArwxJMbI40FZTArXxJbx6BQCivJ7wdFNGvdCPKXuCynPA5QeNwHPUU0bt684/s400/100_1948.jpg" border="0" /> The island itself was probably a little more desolate than the one in my novel will be, but again in another strange twist of fate as in my own story there were men there beginning to restore a few houses ready for people to inhabit again. I suspect holiday cottages – not as in my book for people to live in for a year. But now I’m starting to give too much of my story away... </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340617442195098930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oIBc6HM0SYdhbI8LorUXCgneY0DClevTAtQNNT8Vyk4yR-EhfPv50GDtcYpnLuJi_huRKL6R-dXQFvhW8OnZdQERFBiupyGfgGDEACN3hQHYdRGy0UhWO3ujmuRiFsMBeToMmewNKIA/s400/100_1958.jpg" border="0" /> </div><div>But in our short time there we saw lots of stunning scenery and met lots of lovely wildlife - seals, sheep, puffins, and some wild donkeys – who were incredibly tame, and it gave me much inspiration, which was the general idea. So watch this space...<br /><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340620942747569170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrmc-AGzyElCS7Nw75crnvwarTGa6I0Xkegxd8gmlA4Wx_NJMm60c_6A9NAkplSXLkCWapa8GNF5Xv9M-S7mfenn9WC-dSNm5n4JuybwepfvGHY6aGD9XH6yFqcMVcWdH7f94dL992BU/s400/100_2009.jpg" border="0" />Oh if you’re a regular follower of my blog you may remember King Puck? No, well he’s a gentle hint ...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340618165586947938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpYGLPJ-ZDeCqC6eZ8kG4TVrk97yF1NXcNyPbylKK_LQDK0nRTbYfGVH9-1JGejiAfEfyDK6GktyN9C8lR64vwYfx6MfrvIoMernK5K_KGVdn9WnzCeOe0fhrkjA7B5ys3iDYR1eS0lM/s400/100_2113.jpg" border="0" /> Yes we actually stopped this time in Killorglin, the place where they crown a Goat King every year & I got you photos.<br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340619346297092786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz1GfQczWvprkStsZnC7p6URw_68gZM_khGu4uuM4Wrc2BSVvah_6Sofxuo2ZnP5lN1IxDD8lSZ2-sb5IZMkO3d8czfO7Slrttpp0izp9tRGYMUSs8L_p2BsM54HlZ94U7KrmT0EkBOIg/s400/100_2115.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>And my favourite thing that happened the whole time we were there?<br />We went into a shop one day to buy our lunch about one o’clock, it was one of those places where they have a deli counter where they make fresh rolls up to your own specification. Well after we’d stood and waited for about 5minutes, debating what filling we were going to have in our baguettes, we were informed by a helpful assistant serving in another section of the shop that they were.... wait for it.... yep you’ve guessed it ‘CLOSED FOR LUNCH!’<br /></div><div>Ah, the Irish, you gotta love em ;-)<br /></div><div>Until the next time,<br />A x </div></div></div></div></div></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-50894027326130148262009-05-15T19:27:00.004+01:002009-05-15T19:32:09.868+01:00Happy Birthday & Happy Holidays....A really, really quick blog today because I’m off on holiday tomorrow!!<br />And if you’re reading this and happen to know where I live and want to burgle my house – don’t bother, we have people in dog sitting for the week ;-)<br />We’re off to the west coast of Ireland to stay in a lovely area we visited last year when we did our tour around Ireland (see September 2008 blog entry) but this time there’s no motor home involved thank goodness!! Just a rather lovely cottage. And this time we’re taking our children too. We’ve lots planned, so hopefully I’ll have plenty to report back on when we return.<br />But before I go I just wanted to wish one of my very best friends a very Happy 30th Birthday on Monday. Yep Karen Savage it’s you!!! Many happy returns mate. If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be writing this blog now would I? ;-)<img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 350px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 350px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.arenaflowers.com/product_image/large/303-thirtieth_birthday_balloon.jpg" border="0" />Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-33779537761235742282009-05-07T21:44:00.028+01:002009-05-08T22:40:52.766+01:00Morph could take Gromit anyday...Well hello again,<br /><br />So much for the shorter, more frequent blogs I hinted at in my last entry!<br />So what’s been happening that’s been keeping me so busy? Well...<br /><br /><div><div><div>Writing news first; I’ve just completed yet another re-write on my novel. At first I wasn’t too sure about the changes that were being suggested to me, as they were quite major, but I’m extremely happy with the finished product! The editor at the publishing house that suggested the changes was correct, and certainly knows her job. I just hope she likes what I’ve done now enough to want to buy my novel! As always I can’t say too much more, this being the ‘inter-web’ and all that, but I should hopefully have some news - good or bad in June/July, so watch this space...<br /></div><div>Talking of being published my son is now a published author – before me! He won a worldwide Haiku <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A222922">http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A222922</a> poetry competition, and the winning entries were printed in a book which we received a copy of the other day. The book is called ‘Impressions of Wind’ and Tom’s poem was in the storm section.<br /><br /><br /></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333186405243992658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7gp6mbn-9Fir6Ww0f8OBNZrhfH2dQ0ozwkXBZ2-tRXTz1fdLd78bKwNQILAFoJvrfgCMhdrH7foFe5dmUa1X9WmmhHRkdmWcNZKdRwfi_aTE7qdYntlb5b-OkfZix7IixWkj1nydGhXM/s320/GetAttachment%5B2%5D.jpg" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333186723710845970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqsq1zld__9A0uYL1ekxNWKB86hoI5G9WGWIK7TQZbbA_l44H-LjKuzOF6Jp8OelAZHiTA_HxbqWDo8jR5HkS3N1HlRJkxisg0Zt_W0_FyQXdxsgpZShxZlozBpZpWD80DXDhkcTb_uQ/s320/GetAttachment%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /><br />The ankle sage continues! </div><br /><div></div><div>I finally got a physiotherapy appointment at the hospital, but by this time I’d got so desperate I’d begun treating it myself, so I’d already begun to see some improvement by the time I got there. Now, bear in mind I used to be (and still am even though I don’t teach anymore) a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer, so I know a fair bit about rehabilitation of injuries, and I’d already done everything I could think of myself to improve the situation before I went down the holistic therapy route I’m about to describe to you now... </div><div></div><div></div><div>The <em>crystal</em> therapy and <em>Reiki</em> treatments I've been having for the last 6-8 weeks have made such an improvement to both my physical and mental well-being that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone. </div><br /><div>Crystal therapy is far too complex a subject to explain on a blog, other than you need to find the right crystal to help treat what ever is ailing you. <a href="http://beyondbeliefhealing.com/crystals">http://beyondbeliefhealing.com/crystals</a><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>And this is the best <em>scientific</em> description I’ve found from Wikipedia:<br /></div><div><a title="Marcel Vogel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Vogel"><em>Marcel Vogel</em></a><em> (1917-1991) was a research scientist for IBM for twenty-seven years. He received numerous patents for his inventions including the magnetic coating for the twenty-four-inch hard disc drive systems still in use. He specialized in liquid crystal systems. </em><em>Vogel stated that the crystal is a neutral object with an inner structure that is in perfect balance. “When its cut to the proper form and when the human mind enters into relationship with its structural perfection, the crystal emits a vibration which extends and amplifies the powers of the user’s mind.” Vogel explained that the crystal worked like a laser to radiate energy in a coherent and concentrated form that could be projected into objects or people</em>. </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>And all <strong><em>I </em></strong>can tell you is they work! </div><div><em></em></div><div><em></em></div><div><em><strong></strong></em></div><div><em><strong>Reiki</strong></em> - now that was completely new to me when I had my first session.<br />The Japanese word Reiki means ‘Universal Energy’. This Energy flows through all living things and is vital to well-being. Eastern medicine has always recognised and worked with this energy in things such as Yoga and acupucture.</div><div>Further detailled information about Reiki can be found here <a href="http://www.reikifed.co.uk/pub/about/reiki/index.shtml">http://www.reikifed.co.uk/pub/about/reiki/index.shtml</a><br /></div><div></div><div>But unlike the crystals, which although have had a definite effect on me, I couldn’t actually feel anything while using them, the Reiki is a different matter altogether!<br />Apparently everyone feels Reiki differently, and every session is unique. Some people see colours, some feel heat, some feel energised afterwards, some relaxed. I’ve felt all of these things, but I also feel the energy moving around inside me – sounds freaky I know, but it’s not, it’s actually rather nice, like I can feel myself being healed. </div><br /><div>But the most important thing is, I feel so much better from having these sessions. They've made such a difference to me that I’d recommend Reiki itself, or my Reiki practitioner, Marie, to anyone. My ankle is on the mend, and although I'm far from being back to the super-fit person out running for miles on end, I was able to take my dog out for a fairly long walk on my own for the first time in ages the other day. And that meant everything to me, & to my dog!</div><br /><div><br /></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 316px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v207/194/48/1032877752/n1032877752_113348_3499.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div>Ok now you’re caught up on all my news it’s back to my usual random thoughts on life... and it’s a controversial one to begin with!<br />Now bear with me on this because I’m going to stick my neck on the line with this one. But am I the only person who doesn’t get Wallace & Gromit? </div><br /><div></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 401px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 311px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.stopmotioncentral.com/images/Wallace_and_gromit.jpg" border="0" /><br />Every bank holiday Monday (and we’ve just had two in quite close proximity with another on the way at the end of May) we’re ‘treated’ to an episode of the gruesome twosomes comic capers with cheese and trousers and other hilarious household objects. And try as I may I just don’t find it funny.<br />My family do. My kids and my husband all sit enraptured over and over again watching these plasticine figures (which I’ll admit do deserve credit for superb animation skills.) but I just don’t get it.<br />Bring back Tony Hart’s Morph- that’s what I say. In a battle of the animated plasticine he’d take Wallace no worries ;-)<br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 203px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 152px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/images/2007/11/06/morph203_203x152.jpg" border="0" /><br />Until the next time, (which <strong>will</strong> be a sooner I promise!!)</div><br /><div>A x</div></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-54029475553088600552009-03-13T15:57:00.011+00:002009-03-13T16:47:58.913+00:00The Greatest day of their lives?It’s a quick Take That themed blog today.<br />(Hey, maybe if I make my blogs shorter I’ll do more than the usual one a month! )<br /><br />First, huge congratulations to the team of celebrity climbers that scaled Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief recently.<br />It was Gary Barlow (my first Take That link) that came up with the idea for a team of celebs to climb Africa’s highest mountain, to raise not only money, but awareness of the appalling, yet easily preventable disease, Malaria. And how a simple (and very cheap at £5 each) mosquito net can prevent thousands of people dying every year from this air born killer. Apart from Gary; Denise Van Outen, Alesha Dixon, Cheryl Cole, Kimberly Walsh, Fern Cotton, Ben Shepherd, Ronan Keating & Chris Moyles all fought their own battles against altitude sickness, injuries, and physical and mental exhaustion to battle their way to the summit to raise a massive amount of money for Comic Relief. Huge congratulations to them all.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 434px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 273px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01358/_Kilimanjaro_1358002c.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />My second Take That link is to their latest single <strong><em>Up all night</em></strong>. Well the video that goes with the single. It features a street party celebrating the Queen’s Silver jubilee of 1977 and I recently watched an interview with the band where they’re on the set of the video talking about their own memories of that year, and the street parties that took place up and down the country. Afterwards I found myself thinking how unusual to see a pop band these days whose members were even born in 1977, let alone can actually remember the Queen’s silver jubilee celebrations of that year as I can ... just! You’re lucky if most bands can remember the Queen’s <em>Golden</em> jubilee!<br /><br />See the video here:<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfZ68iH3cKs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfZ68iH3cKs</a><br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 534px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 264px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.promonews.tv/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/take_that_up_all_night3.jpg" border="0" /><br />And my third and final link is to another of Take That’s singles. You may remember in my last blog I was feeling a little bit down. Well I’d forgotten about this song until it came on my IPod the other day, and how much better it always makes me feel when I hear it. It’s such a fab song when you’re feeling blue, it really cheers you up. Well it works for me – it’s <em><strong>Shine</strong></em>.<br />I hope you have a similar song that works for you, if not feel free to borrow mine ;-)<br /><br /><object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WVxgLiNGBvI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WVxgLiNGBvI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Until the next time,<br />A x<br /><br />Donate to Comic Relief at <a href="https://donate.comicrelief.com/donation/">https://donate.comicrelief.com/donation/</a>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-87025767361487847452009-02-25T21:12:00.010+00:002009-02-25T22:27:37.373+00:00When will I be Back to the Future again?<strong>Nostalgia</strong> is my blog’s theme today.<br /><br /><div><div><div>Ever reach a stage in your life when you feel like you’re at a crossroads but you don’t know which way to turn. Feel like you’re about to get on a train to somewhere but you don’t know where that train is going to?<br />Am I being too obscure here? Too many analogies for you?<br /></div><br /><div>Sorry, but that’s the only way I can describe how I feel right now. Like it’s all out there waiting for me, but I can’t quite pick the right road, or catch the right train to get to the right destination to find what I’m looking for.<br /></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 380px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 253px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/4730569/2/istockphoto_4730569-two-way-blank-signpost-with-copy-space.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>I’ve recently been doing a lot of thinking. Thinking is probably something I do too much of anyway, but recently I’ve been prevented from doing my usual quota of ‘keep me sane’ exercise by a recurring ankle injury that’s seeing me having to ‘rest’ from exercise far more often than do it. A situation I don’t take to well! In fact quite often even normal walking has been nigh on impossible. (I won’t dwell on all this as I’ll get off the topic of the blog, but the current state of play is, I’ve had an x-ray & I’m waiting for a physio appt.)<br />So as a result I’ve had lots more time than usual to think, and looking back to the past seems to be my current train of thought.<br /></div><br /><div>I’m a regular user of Facebook, and enjoy using it to keep up with the news and gossip on friends. I have a mix of friends on there, from people I know really well, to casual acquaintances, to people I used to go to school with, and it’s this category that recently has made me start looking back and thinking how much people can change, and also what changes them?<br />I have a few school friends on Facebook, but looking at their profiles they don’t look too different to the way they did at school - and if any of you are reading this I mean that in a good way, honest! I can’t vouch for their personalities because this is the Internet and you can only tell so much from photo’s etc. But they really don’t seem that different to the way they were at school.<br />But then the other day I was contacted by someone who was in the same Tutor group as me for 5 years at secondary school. This means you go from being 12years old – 16years old with the same group of people and the same form tutor, in our case Mrs Jane Whiter.<br /></div><br /><div>Here’s our group; Swavesey Village College, Class of 1987:<br /><br /></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 419px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 337px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-sf2p/v297/194/48/1032877752/n1032877752_127559_3010.jpg" border="0" /><em>I'm standing 4th from the right, middle row, with the long dark curly hair.<br /></em><br /><br /><div>This person when he was at school from what I can remember was always popular with teachers and pupils & was one of the ‘in crowd’ (I sadly was not!) and probably tried to act the Mr Cool as many teenage boys do. He definitely wouldn’t have been seen dead dressing up in fancy costumes, or larking about on the stage wearing make-up.<br />So imagine my shock when he added me as a friend, and on checking out his Facebook page I see the 16year old boy I remember as Kevin ‘Mr Cool’ Hart, has morphed into Herbie Adams – comedian, writer and musician, complete with wigs, stage outfits & make-up! When did this transformation take place?<br />Probably this is same degree of surprise most of my class mates would get on finding out that I became a successful fitness instructor and personal trainer, when I spent most of my school life not being able to do sport and PE lessons because of Rheumatoid Arthritis. How times have changed for both of us.... I wonder how many more of our class mates in that photo are living lives so very different from the ones our teachers and class mates might have predicated for us way back then...<br /></div><br /><div>For more information on ‘Herbie Adams’ check out his official Facebook page <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=51809787294&ref=mf">http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=51809787294&ref=mf</a><br />Or, if you know the real Kevin Hart and want to catch up with him, he has his own Facebook page too. Wishing you the very best of luck with it all, Kevin :-)<br /></div><br /><div></div><div>Strangely at about the same time as all this was happening, I was contacted by my literary agent and asked if I would like to become one of the agency’s speaker authors on the subject of fitness. She suggested I write something about my time working as a personal trainer and fitness instructor both as a handout for potential clients and as an addition to my website. You can read what I wrote here <a href="http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/6.html">http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/6.html</a> which also covers my time having arthritis as a child.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div>So maybe now you can see just why I’ve lately been living in the past for while. Too many coincidences all at once? Or simply the fact that the past is a much easier place to be right now with the future seeming so unsure....<br /></div><br /><div></div><div>In fact saying that has just reminded me of a film that used to be one of my favourites when I was younger and I haven't seen in ages, and actually gives me a much more interesting photo to leave you with than the one I was going to. </div><br /><div>(Apologies in advance for the really corny pun coming up!!)</div><br /><br /><div>Maybe next time I write instead of wallowing in the past I'll feel like being </div><br /><div><em><strong>'Back to the future'</strong></em> once more! <strong>;-) </strong><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbnVuIjoEPxb-H7LyEi326nrdyAl1Ej6MdAzTcMqmhH5rIV4h7QFiGOwdIABstvpbkClWIdTCwkKZEhyphenhyphennPK4lmmDUjrL_MbeTxI24DqEAZ_SIIRgAfCQlSyWXSa4wR9W8j-6c_az4ClU/s400/backfuture_l.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div>Ok if you've finally stopped groaning, on a brighter note my novel now has a new title (if still no publisher as yet!) It's now called<br /></div><br /><div><em><strong>From Notting Hill with Love....actually.</strong></em><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The full Upbeat/ funny blog service will resume soon – promise! Even the bounciest of us are allowed to wallow occasionally ;-) </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Until the next time</div><br /><div>A x<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></div></span></div></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5104138252750168454.post-35658248723509456042009-02-01T17:20:00.006+00:002009-02-01T17:53:14.209+00:00I love it when a plan comes together... and hate it when it doesn't!A writerly based blog today<br /><br /><div>As a new month dawns so does the cold realisation that the novel I’ve been working on isn’t the novel I should be working on right now.<br /></div><div>I’ve come to this conclusion as a result of the recent re-write I’ve just completed on my last novel, (still currently titled “You had me at Ronan Keating...” and still being decided on by the publishers, so no news there!) I realised after going back to this novel how much more I’d enjoyed writing this, and how, for many reasons, I was finding the new one I was working on much more of a struggle to complete. However, not being the type of person to give up on anything without a fight I’d struggled on thinking it would get better. Or perhaps, to write a better next book I had to find writing it more of a challenge.<br />The niggling doubt that perhaps I might not be doing the right thing in continuing, was not helped by lots of new ideas for plotlines and characters continually popping into my head for another future novel I'd had an inkling of an idea for recently. So, after some good advice from my agent, I have come to the conclusion that by putting this novel aside for a while, I’m not quitting and giving up on it, it’s just a novel that needs to wait a while until it’s the right time for me to write it. It will happen eventually (it had better I did an awful lot of research for it!) just not now, it’s obviously not the right time. The right time will come, and I know it will, because it’s a great idea for a novel. Well I think so anyway ;-)<br /></div><div>So now I’m going to write what I really want to write at the moment, what seems to be calling out to me to be written, and most importantly what I know I’m going to enjoy writing.<br />This will take me right back to square one in an author’s creative process – the planning and researching stage of writing a book. This is one of my favourite parts, but I know some authors that hate it.<br />I’ve never been short of ideas – I think it comes from being an only child; I had (and still do have) a very active imagination! And quite often the research stage throws up even more ideas for characters and plotlines you’d never even considered before, and that’s what’s fantastic about it, that feeling of (to quote the late Mr George Peppard when he was in The A-Team) “loving it when a plan comes together.’ </div><div>When you finally piece together all the parts of the story you’re going to write. </div><div></div><div></div><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 250px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 244px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/a-team.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div>I won’t tell you what I’m researching, but it’s an eclectic mix that’s involving me amongst other things re-watching a 1970’s and a 1990’s BBC sitcom, and re-reading several children’s story books I read to my children when they were young...<br />How do I get a novel out of that? Well you’ll just have to wait and see ;-)<br /><br />Other happenings since I last wrote? Well I said I was going to blog about reality TV shows but Celebrity Big Brother disappointingly failed to ignite the post Christmas TV schedules this year, and I came to Dancing on Ice as an ice skating virgin, but exited disappointed shortly after the third ‘celebrity’ had skidded precariously across the floor with their partner. So I’m down to the bare basics of Eastenders four times a week at the moment and not a lot else – but even the usual comfort and familiarity of Albert Square is leaving me feeling bereft since the departure of the lovely Robert Kazinsky as Sean Slater at New Year.<br /></div><br /><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 416px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 233px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/images/characters_cast/characters/sean_s/sean_slater_large_2.jpg" border="0" /><br />Ah well it gives me more time for catching up on my reading, and of course writing and researching that new novel...<br /></div><br /><div>Oh, I had a Birthday in January too. </div><br /><div>Check out the very writerly cake I was surprised with. It tasted as good as it looked!</div><br /><div></div><div>Till the next time,</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>A x<br /></div><br /><div><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 390px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos-e.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v646/194/48/1032877752/n1032877752_284508_171.jpg" border="0" /></div>Ali McNamarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16183352873309869538noreply@blogger.com3