It's only words...

The Last Post...

2011-05-02T12:00:00.000+01:00

This is my last post here on 'Its Only Words...'
Because I have a new Website & Blog over at The Wonderful World Of Ali McNamara
I will be updating this new site daily with photos, updates, and other bits & pieces that catch my eye.
Thanks for joining me here over the last few years. Hope to see you on the other side...
A x

From Notting Hill to Chile...in a month!

2011-04-05T21:05:00.001+01:00

Hello,

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?

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!

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...

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...) http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/9.html

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.

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.

" 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...? "

Fantastic story! And this is their wonderfully visual website if you’d like to follow their travels http://www.thelongwayup.info/

And if you’re Geza or you know Geza please get in touch!

Also March was Comic Relief night and if you didn’t see my escapades for Red Nose day here’s a link ;-)

So here’s to a fun-filled April....Mine starts with a wedding over in Germany next week. More on that next month...

Until the next time,

A x

She...

2011-02-14T12:28:00.001Z

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 From Notting Hill with Love...Actually because they enjoyed it so much.

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....
Dear Ali
I have never written a letter to an author before but I have just finished you book and feel compelled to write to you.
I hope you don't mind!

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.
Notting Hill is my favourite film of all time.
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.
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.
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.

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.
I cannot wait to read your next one
Love
*****
(a sucker for love and slush)

This song has special meaning for me too as it was playing at the exact same moment I heard From Notting Hill With Love...Actually was going to be published!

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.

Happy Valentines Day. I hope you get all the romance you dream of today and everyday...

A x

To me, you are perfect....

2011-02-02T11:03:00.000Z

Hello Blogs are back again!
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....

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?

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.

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...

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.

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!

Andrew Lincoln doing just the right thing in Love Actually. "Aahhh..."

Until the next time,
A x

Lots & Lots of photos...

2010-12-03T17:00:00.001Z

Photos for you of some of the events that have taken place this week: Publication day!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50413&id=116485481722368

The Book in the Press!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50310&id=116485481722368

Launch party One!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50417&id=116485481722368

Launch party Two at the Travel Bookshop - Notting Hill
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50424&id=116485481722368

Written blogs will return in the new year after things have calmed down a bit :-) Aside from publishing From Notting Hill With Love...Actually in all good bookshops & supermarkets now!! I'm currently trying to complete Book Two!

New Video diary soon though...
Ali x

2010-10-18T12:13:00.000+01:00

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 http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html

Here's a taster of the last two.

Our visit to see my novel being printed & The Press launch of From Notting Hill With Love... Actually at the Travel Book shop in Notting Hill, London. Enjoy!

Apologies

2010-09-13T17:41:00.000+01:00

Apologies for the delay in bringing you the 'Questions to a Publisher' video diary.
This was filmed on my publishers video camera and we are currently having a few technical problems with the film.
Hope to bring you this real soon!
In the meantime my latest video diary was made for ChickLit Blog Novelicious
Check it out here 'My Writing Room'
A x

Put your questions to a publisher...

2010-07-14T12:18:00.000+01:00

Want to know what really goes on inside a publishers offices behind closed doors....

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...

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.
Either Tweet me @alimcnamara, drop me a message on my Facebook page Ali McNamara or leave your question below.

Deadline for questions 26th July 2010.

Big Breakfasts, A Big Brother & One Very Big Cup.

2010-06-08T19:30:00.004+01:00

Hello friends!

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, http://www.thegrand.ie/

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 .

http://www.annanhotel.co.uk/

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...

But much to look forward to at the moment, with countdowns going on wherever I turn.

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!!

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.

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?

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!)

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.

Check out how many times I manage to say ‘Front Cover’ in the first video!

http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/10.html

Until the next time,

Come on England!! (Apologies to my foreign & Scottish readers! )

A x

From Notting Hill... with cup cakes :-)

2010-04-22T14:48:00.006+01:00

Hello,

Can you believe it’s been another month since my last blog! I cannot believe how quickly the year is flying by already.

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.

This was partly for our own amusement, partly so we could sample some of the delicious cup cakes at The HummingBird Bakery 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...
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...

The Coronet Cinema, Notting Hill

Me outside Hugh Grant's infamous 'Blue Door' now painted black!!

THE Travel Bookshop!

This is the road that Scarlett house sits in, during my novel.

And just the sort of houses she & her neighbour, Sean live in.

The locked gardens of Notting Hill complete with bench...

And Caroline & Hannah smiling contentedly after enjoying delicious cupcakes!

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.

(Click on it to see a bigger version)

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.

Oh there was another Notting Hill link during the day. Guess who I stood next to on the tube train?

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.

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 Notting Hill

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.

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.

Signs, you get them all the time. Sometimes they’re obvious like those two, sometimes you just have to know where to look.

So until the next time, keep your eyes peeled...

A x

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. :-)
(Again for a larger photo just click on the picture.)

Twitter v Facebook -The battle for No1

2010-03-18T16:42:00.008Z

Which 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.

And what exactly is 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.

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.)
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?
Here’s my guide to what they have to offer.
Let’s start with Facebook.

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.
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...
It’s good if you feel a need to build your own pretend farm, flower garden, or run your own cyber cafe.
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.
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...

Ok, not all of those things might be classed as plus points in Facebook’s favour... Perhaps I’ll move on.

Twitter.
Twitter was launched in 2006 but started to become popular in the UK in 2009.
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!
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.
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. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/feb/18/jan-moir-stephen-gately

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.
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 ;-)

And me, well I use both!
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 Mafia Wars - which is probably best kept to the small screen...
Until the next time, enjoy your social networking and why not come and join me on mine.

I love them both really ;-)

Twitter: @AliMcNamara http://twitter.com/AliMcNamara
Facebook:

www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1032877752
A x

Ronan, Robbie, Bradley, Archie - Four men. One awesome weekend!

2010-02-25T15:11:00.018Z

Hello again!
Got lots to tell you this month. Yes another month has flown by, where has all the time gone already this year?
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....

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.
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 ;-)

And on the second night I decided no, I’m putting my camera down tonight, I’ll just enjoy the show. And how 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!
Concerts without cameras – I highly recommend them... Either that or bring someone else along to take the photos for you ;-)

Also the night we were there a certain footballer - Mr Robbie Keane made an appearance at the gig.

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.
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. http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/4.html
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?

I'm going to make a promotional YouTube film for my novel before it's published on 25th November, 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

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!

But here instead is me posing outside the Radisson.
While I was away in Glasgow it was also the big Eastenders storyline reveal. ‘Who killed Archie Mitchell?’
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?
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!
And what did I think when I finally reached home and was able to watch Thursday and Friday’s episodes for myself...
Absolutely brilliant! Well worth all the trouble & stress :-)
RIP Bradley :-( But long live Eastenders!
Happy 25th Anniversary.

Until the next time,
A x

What's Occurrin'? Gavin, Stacey, Editing & plenty of emulsion paint!

2010-01-29T14:08:00.021Z

Well hello there!
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 Reduced Shakespeare company style.
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!
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.

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.
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 http://www.tomscakes.co.uk/ it tasted just as good as it looked!

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!!
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.

And what’s been happening on the book front I hear you cry? Well maybe you don't, but I’ll tell you anyway. From Notting Hill with Love ... Actually is now on WH Smith, Waterstones and Amazon 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.
It got a fab pre-review on this site http://chicklitreviews.com/2010/01/18/book-news-from-notting-hill-with-love-actually-by-ali-mcnamara/ I just hope the reviews are as good when it’s published on 25th November!
And I’m currently working on what’s called a copy-edit. For those that don’t know this is really 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!!)
I should have a cover to show you very soon too, as they’re working on it as we speak at the publishers...
More on that soon.
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!
I’ll be back very soon with more.
Not very 'Reduced Shakespeare' in the end I know, but then I always was a bit too wordy for my own good! ;-)

Until the next time,
A x

'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...

2009-11-13T12:48:00.050Z

Hello,
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.
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.

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. http://www.thegrand.ie/ It’s a lovely hotel and this was the longest I’ve ever had the joy of staying there.We had a lovely relaxing time, just walking along the coast, going out for meals and generally just chilling!
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...
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?
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.
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!
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.
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.

Me posing in the hotel room before we left.
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.
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 ;-)

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.
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.
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. 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.
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?! ;-)

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, and then a DJ until the wee small hours when we finally returned tired but happy to our hotel.

A big thank you to Carol & Lizzy for organising everything this year

& thanks to Lucy C & her crazy camera for this photo of me!

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! 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.
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.

So that was our break away in Dublin. Eventful, relaxing, yet very very enjoyable.
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.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/album.php?aid=113183&id=1032877752&ref=nf

This must be a record breaking length of a Blog - even for me! Thanks for sticking with it to the end ;-)
Until the next time,
A x

T is for Traumas

2009-10-15T12:48:00.026+01:00

So what are these traumas I speak of in my title, you ask?
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.
My second recent trauma was my hair.
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.
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!
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!
Warning: It’s a lot harder to go from brunette back to blonde, than it is to go from blonde to brunette!
Photos of the transformation...

Me looking slightly bleary eyed but dark haired first thing!

Me with all the colour stripped out of my hair!

Yes it was meant to go this colour!

Looking like an oven ready turkey!

Nope this isn't the right colour!!

Trying to put on a brave face with GOLD hair!!

Two days later.. phew that's better.

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.
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.

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.

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.
I send my thoughts and deepest sympathies to his partner Andrew, his family, friends, and all his loyal fans.

Until the next time,
A x

Three celebrities, Two strangers & One fantastic day out in London

2009-09-12T07:32:00.009+01:00

If 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....
Let me explain further!
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.
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.
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.
Then we set off for the Unilever building where Little Brown’s offices are housed.
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!
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!
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!)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!
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'!!
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. :-)
Oh and there’s more...
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!
And then what’s a girl to do when she has a few hours to spare in London but.... go shopping of course!
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...
First Mark Hayes, GMTV’s fashion expert coming out of River Island and then diving straight into Next. 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.
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...
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. ;-)
So to you stranger on the train, Hannah, Caroline, and for all of you reading this to the end, I say thank you.
Till the next time,
A x

Thanks to worldachitecturenews.com for the photos of Unilever house

When you wish upon a star...

2009-09-05T17:05:00.017+01:00

Well this is the entry I’ve been dying to write since I started blogging. Yes I’ve finally done it - I’m going to be a published author!

My novel From Notting Hill with Love...actually. will be published by Sphere in winter 2010 and I’m thrilled to bits!

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...

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...
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 Destination. 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...
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...
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 Notting Hill. Notting Hill 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.
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...
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!
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...
Until the next time,
A x
Oh I almost forgot I’m on Twitter now! Alimac141 if you’d like to follow me for more frequent updates.
The Blog will be kept for my infrequent yet longer ramblings on life ;-)
Photos of me celebrating below. The rest will be on the Facebook link at the end should you wish to take a look ;-)

Me with Champagne!

At the restaurant with balloon and flowers!

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!

Presents from my children: A poem from my son & a collage of all the films from the novel from my daughter - I cried!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=665444&op=1&view=all&subj=100000102878899&id=1032877752#/album.php?aid=106586&id=1032877752&ref=nf

Silence is golden... as long as it’s not forever Mr Williams.

2009-08-13T16:21:00.013+01:00

I’ve been silent for a while – so what?
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!
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?
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?
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.
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.
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.
Here’s a thought - what’s worse when you go out for a meal?
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.
Both are equally sad, but in different ways.
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.
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.
So to me silence is definitely golden...
Talking of music Robbie’s back!
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...

http://www.robbiewilliams.com/video/official/robbie-back

Just hope the music matches the new look Robbie ;-)

What else is new?
Still chasing around after a publisher for From Notting Hill with Love...actually. We’re subbing to the US and well as the UK now which is quite exciting, if equally as slow!
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...
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 :-)
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:
Ali McNamara 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 ;-)

Until the next time,
A x

Ronan Keating & Queen found providing 'natural uppers' in London...

2009-05-31T17:59:00.020+01:00

Hi I’m back again with another blog. Blimey what’s going on – so many in one month!
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?

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. ( http://alimcnamara.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html ) 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!
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.
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!
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.

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.
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

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.
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.

Ronan's solo - the Cyndi Lauper classic 'Time after Time' from his recent No1 Album Songs for my Mother.

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 ;-)
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.
Until the next time,

A x

More photos here http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98392&id=1032877752&saved#/album.php?aid=98392&id=1032877752&ref=mf

The Island where they're never 'closed for lunch'!

2009-05-27T22:05:00.012+01:00

Well hello again,
I’m back from my holiday in Ireland suitably refreshed and ready to go again.

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.

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
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/dingle/45770
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in the area, I can’t recommend Elaine’s house enough – it’s was beautiful.

Dingle is famous for its wild Dolphin who permanently resides in the bay – Fungi. http://www.dodingle.com/pages/fungi_dingle_dolphin.html

We went out on a boat trip to see Fungi – well worth the money, the children (& the adults!) loved it :-)
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.

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.
So this time I really wanted to go over and visit the island for myself, and I was not disappointed.
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!

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...

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...

Oh if you’re a regular follower of my blog you may remember King Puck? No, well he’s a gentle hint ... Yes we actually stopped this time in Killorglin, the place where they crown a Goat King every year & I got you photos.

And my favourite thing that happened the whole time we were there?
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!’

Ah, the Irish, you gotta love em ;-)

Until the next time,
A x

Happy Birthday & Happy Holidays....

2009-05-15T19:27:00.004+01:00

A really, really quick blog today because I’m off on holiday tomorrow!!
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 ;-)
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.
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? ;-)

Morph could take Gromit anyday...

2009-05-07T21:44:00.028+01:00

Well hello again,

So much for the shorter, more frequent blogs I hinted at in my last entry!
So what’s been happening that’s been keeping me so busy? Well...

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...

Talking of being published my son is now a published author – before me! He won a worldwide Haiku http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A222922 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.

The ankle sage continues!

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...

The crystal therapy and Reiki 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.

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. http://beyondbeliefhealing.com/crystals

And this is the best scientific description I’ve found from Wikipedia:

Marcel Vogel (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. 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.

And all I can tell you is they work!

Reiki - now that was completely new to me when I had my first session.
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.

Further detailled information about Reiki can be found here http://www.reikifed.co.uk/pub/about/reiki/index.shtml

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!
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.

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!

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!
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?

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.
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.
Bring back Tony Hart’s Morph- that’s what I say. In a battle of the animated plasticine he’d take Wallace no worries ;-)

Until the next time, (which will be a sooner I promise!!)

A x

The Greatest day of their lives?

2009-03-13T15:57:00.011Z

It’s a quick Take That themed blog today.
(Hey, maybe if I make my blogs shorter I’ll do more than the usual one a month! )

First, huge congratulations to the team of celebrity climbers that scaled Mount Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief recently.
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.

My second Take That link is to their latest single Up all night. 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 Golden jubilee!

See the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfZ68iH3cKs

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 Shine.
I hope you have a similar song that works for you, if not feel free to borrow mine ;-)

Until the next time,
A x

Donate to Comic Relief at https://donate.comicrelief.com/donation/

When will I be Back to the Future again?

2009-02-25T21:12:00.010Z

Nostalgia is my blog’s theme today.

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?
Am I being too obscure here? Too many analogies for you?

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.

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.)
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.

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?
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.
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.

Here’s our group; Swavesey Village College, Class of 1987:

I'm standing 4th from the right, middle row, with the long dark curly hair.

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.
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?
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...

For more information on ‘Herbie Adams’ check out his official Facebook page http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=51809787294&ref=mf
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 :-)

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 http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/6.html which also covers my time having arthritis as a child.

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....

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.

(Apologies in advance for the really corny pun coming up!!)

Maybe next time I write instead of wallowing in the past I'll feel like being

'Back to the future' once more! ;-)

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

From Notting Hill with Love....actually.

The full Upbeat/ funny blog service will resume soon – promise! Even the bounciest of us are allowed to wallow occasionally ;-)

Until the next time

A x

I love it when a plan comes together... and hate it when it doesn't!

2009-02-01T17:20:00.006Z

A writerly based blog today

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.

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.
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 ;-)

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.
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.
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.’

When you finally piece together all the parts of the story you’re going to write.

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...
How do I get a novel out of that? Well you’ll just have to wait and see ;-)

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.

Ah well it gives me more time for catching up on my reading, and of course writing and researching that new novel...

Oh, I had a Birthday in January too.

Check out the very writerly cake I was surprised with. It tasted as good as it looked!

Till the next time,

A x

Glad it's all over - Johnny Depp covered in chocolate, surely not?

2009-01-06T11:50:00.008Z

Well hello again, and Happy New Year!
I hope you had a good Christmas and brought the New Year in without too much of a hangover!
Instead of starting the first Blog of this year with resolutions, I’m going to start by holding my hand up and admitting three guilty secrets to you...

The first is that every year at about this time I’m always secretly pleased that all the festivities are over, and we can put the decorations away in the loft until next year.
Yes, shock horror – I actually like the bareness of the house without the clutter of all the cards and decorations. I don’t have any particular dislike to them when they first reappear from the loft in early – mid December, I love to see a brightly lit Christmas tree as much as the next person. But when it’s time for them to come down, I’m usually ready for some change. Whether it’s to my diet – all those extra calories make me begin crave the low fat/ low sugar options I live on for the rest of the year again. And who doesn’t start their year without a thought of at least one thing they’re going to do more or less of in the following 12months, even if they don’t out it officially as a dreaded ‘resolution.’

I see January as the start of a fresh new year and I love it!

The second is, I don’t get all the hype about the movie Mamma Mia?
Ok, yes I went to see it in the cinema when it first came out (I may have blogged on here about it?) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although my husband became slightly panicky beforehand, and I had to physically restrain him from leaving the cinema before it even began, when two women in front of us began discussing whether or not they would be standing up to join in with the singing & dancing during the movie. I think he wondered what he'd let himself in for!
In fact the cinema was so full that night of post-menopausal women, you could almost smell the hormone replacement patches! And every time poor tone deaf Pierce Brosnan showed an ounce of flesh, the universal hot flush that went around the room was so great - I feared the sprinkler system might cut in!
Anyway, I enjoyed the film at the cinema, and duly bought the movie on DVD when it came out before Christmas. But there were women throwing several copies into their baskets in Woolies the day I bought it (Ah, poor Woolies – if this blog is being read in the future in some sort of time capsule type affair – Woolworths was once a very famous shop on virtually every High Street, famous for it’s Pick & Mix sweeties, and usually where you went to buy your first record/tape/CD *delete as age appropriate. Yes, we actually had to physically walk to a shop to buy music once upon a time, not just click a button on a computer to download it!)

Anyway, then I find out it’s the fastest selling DVD of all time in the UK... I’m sorry I just don’t get it? Yes, it’s a good film. Yes, I like the Abba songs in it. Yes we fast forward when Pierce Brosnan sings like everyone else does. But why, when my friend who’s the same age as me came over at Christmas and we watched it together, did she want to sing and dance around our lounge during the film? My ten year old son was happy to oblige her (any chance to perform and he’s up there.) but my now 13 year old daughter and I just sat and looked blankly at each other in a ‘has the whole world finally flipped out’ kind of way, while they cavorted around the room.
‘But,’ my friend informed us, ‘The whole cinema was up and dancing in Germany when I saw it.’ (She lives there.) What’s also interesting is she actually saw the movie dubbed in German. Abba songs in German - now there’s a thought...

You’ll be pleased to know my third and final confession is much shorter – but in two parts. The first is horrifying enough – I’ve only just realised how gorgeous the film star Johnny Depp actually is! How have I been missing this all these years? I caught a few of his movies over the Christmas period, and I’m more than a little impressed... And the second part is more of a question: Is it very wrong of me to fancy him as Chocolate factory owner Willy Wonka too? ;-)

Until the next time keep warm,
A x

PS. If you’re reading this, thanks for the German Mamma Mia stories – M ;-)
PPS. No more news yet on the Novel, except it may have a new title... and now post Christmas, I’m well into the re write before it’s sent back to the publisher for their final decision... I’ll keep you informed.
Just realised I was going to talk about reality TV today, with the return of celebrity Big Brother and Dancing on Ice on this Sunday.

Think I’ve babbled on enough today though, maybe next time... ;-)

I'll leave you with the gorgeous Mr Depp.

Alcoholic Robins in Christmas take over bid?

2008-12-16T22:06:00.008Z

Hello,

Apologies for the lack of blog posts recently, but the call of the festive season has taken over life as it always does at this time of year.

It’s no wonder we’re all so stressed by the time we get to the 'big day' - the phrase a ‘Merry Christmas’ was obviously originally born from the copious amount of alcohol needed to keep you de-stressed on the approach to the 25th, calm during the actual day itself, and in celebratory mood post Boxing day that its all over for another year.
That makes me sound like I’m a right Scrooge – which I’m not, Christmas is a lovely time of year when all the glittery commercialism is stripped away, and you think about the true sentiment behind this annual festival, whether you’re religious or not.

This is the second year that I have chosen not to buy Christmas cards. I can see the point of sending Greetings of the Season to someone you’re not going to see, but I’ve always hated the ridiculous ritual of handing a person a card when you can just as easily wish them a Happy Christmas to their face.
Instead we donate to charity, and send as many emails greetings as possible. We still send the odd computer printed card to people we can’t contact by email or won’t see in person (a simple piece of A4 paper folded into a card and printed in Black & white with our seasonal message on it ) this is what it said this year.

100% Charity Christmas Card!
Again this year to do our bit for charity and the environment we have chosen not to buy Christmas Cards.
Instead we have donated to the NSPCC.
We wish you a peaceful Christmas and a healthy, happy, 2009.
Ali, Jim, Rosie and Tom

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/donate/donate_hub_wdh53240.html

And doing this has made me feel a whole lot better about the whole Christmas card nonsense. My husband still finds it hard to get his head around though, not sending out bits of cardboard with Snowmen grinning manically on them, and Robin’s perching precariously on every snow covered surface known to man.

Talking of Robins, why are they so popular on Christmas cards? They far out-weigh the Santas, Snowmen, and brightly lit Christmas trees covering the front of the cards that tumble through our letter box each year. As I write we have eighteen cards hanging up in our lounge, and I kid you not there are 15 robins smugly looking down at me every time I walk through the room. It’s a good job I don’t suffer from ornithophobia! (Go on - you look it up if you haven’t guessed already!)
Anyway this year I’m actually looking forward to Christmas more than I have for a number of years.

I feel as I approach the end of 2008 that I’ve actually achieved something this year.

With my writing especially – I’ve gained a literary agent, and well I’m not going to say too much at the moment in case I tempt fate, but I’ve had a bit of interest in my novel from a publisher. I must stress though that nothing is definite, and I’m re-working parts of my novel as I write. But as much as I’m starting to detest one type of bird because it’s performed a take-over bid on the Christmas card market, I’m becoming very fond of another bird that’s long been associated with publishing – a little Christmas puzzle for you there ;-)

And BIG news especially if you know me - I’ve become a brunette again!!

Yes after about seven years of being blonde I’ve finally taken the plunge and gone back to my natural brunette, and I have to say I love it! I already feel different – but I can’t really explain why? Maybe in a later blog I’ll be able to explain it better... I felt like the time was right for a change, and so I took the plunge a week last Saturday and I haven’t regretted it for a minute.

So now it’s only left for me you wish you all a very
Happy/Merry/Peaceful (delete as appropriate to you!) Christmas & a healthy and happy 2009!

Thanks for reading all my babble this year, I’ll try and do it a bit more often next year.

Until then, take care,
A x

Ronan Keating & Barack Obama in the same Blog - how do I do it?!

2008-11-05T14:19:00.011Z

Hello!

The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that I’ve changed the sub-heading on my blog.
That’s because I’m overjoyed to announce that after three years of rejections, I’ve just signed a with top London literary agency – The Marsh Agency.
My novel is now as I speak, in the hands of several large publishing houses (well it would be if they had hands!) It’s in the hands (or more likely lying on the desk at the bottom of a pile of other manuscripts) of some lovely editors waiting for them to read, and consider it for their company’s future publication schedule. So fingers crossed...I’ll be keeping you updated.

I promised when I started this blog that one day I’d tell you the story of how I began writing – so today with everything good with the world (Congratulations to Barack Obama!) seems like a good a day to do so as any!

It all started one day back in 2002 when I was in WH Smith browsing for a fitness magazine, I couldn’t find it on the shelf so I had to ask one of the assistants to go and look for me. While she was gone I had a bit of a browse around and happened to pick up Ronan Keating’s new CD from a display in the middle of the shop. I knew I liked a couple of the songs on the album, and so I decided to buy it, along with my magazine. When I got home I played the album, and then I found I kept playing it over and over again.
From that moment on, I was completely and utterly hooked.

Back then I used to use Ronan's official website to keep up with all his gossip and news. One day – about six years ago now – I had been away on a training course, and I posted a message on his forum about playing Ronan’s music while I’d been away staying on my own in a hotel. Another girl responded – called Karen, and we began a silly (late night if I remember rightly) conversation on the forum about what might happen if Ronan were staying in the same hotel as you. Over time this began to develop into a little story, to which we kept adding new installments every night, until we realised that more and more people were logging on to the message board just to find out what happened next. It sounds incredibly bizarre now I know, but its true – the website often used to crash because there were that many people waiting for their nightly fix! Fans from around the world would wait impatiently until I got in from work at night (I worked in fitness then and often worked evenings.) demanding their next fix of the the story!This went on for some months until eventually we’d run out of things for Ronan to do, and so we had to bring the story to an end.
We then had requests to make the story into a proper book – so we decided to do it for charity. I collated with help from a few other people (To whom I will always be eternally grateful) all the many instalments, edited them into a novel, and then sold email & disc copies of the story to anyone who wanted one.

I then (on my own this time.) went on to write two more novel length stories featuring Ronan along the same lines – posting them on the message board in instalments every night – then selling them at the end as a complete novel on disc or email attachment with the proceeds going to charity.

So something that started out as just a bit of silly late night banter, in total raised over £1000 for Ronan’s cancer charity – The Marie Keating Foundation; brought me together with one of my best friends – Karen, the girl from Glasgow I wrote the first story with; and made me realise that writing was not only something that I really enjoyed doing, but something that other people seemed to enjoy reading too.

I then had a go at writing a couple of ‘proper’ novels, before the idea for
‘You had me at ...Ronan Keating.’ came along. (Check out my website http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/ if you’d like to know more about it.) And although Ronan doesn’t feature in the novel, him singing the theme from Notting Hill “When you say nothing at all.” plays a key part at the end.

Ronan has kindly consented to his name being used in the title, and Richard Curtis and ‘Working Title’ productions have said they thought the idea to be an excellent one for a romantic comedy.

So that bit of late night banter on a website six years ago, is now turning into for me, what could be my future career…

Until the next time,
A x

Oh I keep forgetting to mention you can always leave me a comment on this blog. You don’t have to have a blogger account to do so. It would be lovely to hear from some of you occasionally, who I know read my ramblings … ;-)

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks...

2008-10-16T17:29:00.007+01:00

You may remember a few blogs ago when my thoughts were mostly time related – well in a similar fashion here are some thoughts I’ve had recently regarding age. And more importantly how we change as we do!

My daughter came home from a friend’s house the other day with tales of her friend’s dog and how it was very wary of strangers. So much so that the dog actually growls and barks at outsiders when they go near him in the house. Not a great advert for the canine world you might think – that is until you realise that the dog was born in laboratory, and until it was rescued by it’s now family, knew only cruelty from humans while it was used in animal experiments. It is now an elderly dog, and all this took place when it was a puppy – and yet it still remembers. A chilling thought.

I personally can’t bear to think about what that dog must have been put through in those laboratories. I only hope it was a worthwhile type of testing, for drugs to cure a life threatening disease – not just some unnecessary testing of a new shade of lipstick, or a scented anti-dandruff shampoo.
Yes, of course I use both of the above things myself, but there are many products out there that do not use animals in the testing of their products – but human volunteers instead, and this is where the age part of it comes in.
When I was younger I wouldn’t use any product that had been tested on animals. I was also vegetarian, wouldn’t wear leather, campaigned against fox hunting – you name it I did it.
But as I’ve grown older my feelings for animal rights have still remained as strong – but my actions have wavered. Yes most of my beauty products still come from the Body shop – but there are a number of others in there now, that I have no idea of their manufacturers testing polices. I eat meat – but always buy free range eggs. Wear leather – but would never wear fur. You see I still have the same convictions, but I’ve softened as I’ve aged.
My daughter is taking up where I left off (much younger than I began I might add) – she’s now the veggie in the house, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be long before I’m being asked the ethical policies of the shampoo she’s washing her hair in, and the make up she wanting to put on her face...

Some more ‘age’ instances I’ve noticed recently :
Our attitude to Christmas -
Why are my children already busy planning what to put on their Christmas lists? When I refuse to even discuss the festive season until at least mid November? (And I know that’s still early for some people – usually those without large families to organise gifts and food for!)
I used to love Christmas – but now it just seems to equal several months of spending money you don’t have, on things people don’t want. Buying food you don’t need, and never have any hope of eating before January. And practising those fake smiles for getting you through the present opening session on Christmas morning – when you’re given yet another gift you don’t really want, and can’t understand why anyone would think you do!

The internet/Computers -
I spent several phone calls yesterday afternoon trying to coach my seventy year old parents through ordering their groceries over the internet – something I find so simple myself. And actually they’d done quite well until the very end, when you have to make simple choices about whether you want your shopping delivered with carrier bags or without (without obviously – better for the environment!) and whether you want your shopper to substitute items or not.
This caused great debate and consternation, as did the process of inputting their credit card details over the internet – but we got there in the end. And I’m pleased to report their shopping arrived safely today.
And on the plus side – unlike the two instances above – I was the young one for a change ;-)

Until the next time

A x

Service with a smile guaranteed!

2008-10-01T20:19:00.013+01:00

Hi just a quickie for you today!
Actually considering the picture I'm about to post, that comment could be misconstrued!
We saw this service being advertised on a white van in Ireland..
I think the N needs to look a little bit less like an H !!!
Ah well, it amused my husband for a good few minutes.

And here's some more delights for the 'Nasty Files'
This week with an Elvis theme!
In reverse order at No3 we have:

Collectable Elvis Presley Showstopper Charm Bracelet
A bargain at only £99 + £5.99 P&P
Then there's this little beauty -

Elvis Presley Illuminated Rotating Tree
"Elvis's generous holiday spirit and warm, sparkling charm is lovingly evoked in this exclusive, first-ever illuminated collectable porcelain tabletop Elvis Presley Christmas tree! Aglow with over 100 sparkling faceted gems and gleaming 22K gold, this distinctive, handcrafted Elvis Christmas collectable rotates as it plays the nostalgic melody of "Blue Christmas."
Only £110 + £7.99 p&p

And finally in at Number One and the 'King' of the King merchandise is -

Collectable Elvis Presley Aloha From Hawaii Musical Egg!
"You'll feel the excitement of Elvis's legendary concert in Hawaii with the first-ever Elvis tribute in the shape of a sparkling collectable musical egg."
£49.98 + £3.99 p&p

I know what's going to be on the top of all your shopping lists this Christmas! ;-)
(As always the Nasty Files are simply the opinion of the Blogger, & do not reflect in any way on the fine craftmans ship of these quality items!)

Until the next time,
A x

Wishing witches, Camp waves, King goats, and Petrol flavour ice cream?

2008-09-26T15:42:00.009+01:00

Yep you read it right, all three of these thing I experienced on my recent trip to Ireland.
Every year my husband, Jim and myself have some time away on our own without our children. This is usually just a long weekend, but this year we choose to have a week travelling around Ireland in a motor home. Now you see as I read that sentence back to myself it doesn’t sound quite right – the first part is ok, the travelling around Ireland bit, but the next - IN A MOTORHOME should have struck a warning sound with me when I first spoke it, many months ago.
I’m the first to admit I’m not much of a ‘camping’ sort of person. Much more a 4star hotel type girl ;-) But it was one of those, seems like a good idea at the time sort of things that I should have thought through more thoroughly. Anyway I’m not going to harp on about the pro’s (very few other than having your own portable toilet with you wherever you go – very handy when you want to go in the middle of no-where!) and con’s (the worst has to be the sleeping arrangements – I need a proper bed to sleep in a night with lovely clean sheets and a soft fluffy duvet. Not a sleeping bag above the driving cabin of a supped up white van!) of motor-homing as I’m sure some people out there love it, and perhaps if it were your own vehicle, and you could furnish it to your own requirements, it wouldn’t be too bad. But I would warn anyone out there from hiring a motor-home from this particular company http://www.kamp-easimotorhomes.com/ I’m saying no more other than – DON’T! Go elsewhere. You have been warned. (Unless you want to tour Ireland in a vehicle mostlly held together with Duck tape!)

Ok onto the delights of the Emerald Isle.
Ireland is a very beautiful country, and I would highly recommend visiting its west coast. The Dingle peninsular and the Lakes of Killarney on the Ring of Kerry, are extremely beautiful and definitely worth a visit.

But it’s the quirkiness of some of the things I noticed along the way that I thought I might share with you today.
Here are my TOP 5

In at No.5 is the Automatic Toll with a mind of it’s own:
So we pull up at this tollbooth, and are told the price for our vehicle to go through, then as we sit there rooting about for change, the toll changes its mind to a cheaper price. Great, even better we think, so again we begin to look for the right money, we throw the first 2euros into the bucket, then while there is some more ‘discussion’ between the two of us about the next set of coinage to use, the toll just gives up waiting on us, and opens it’s barrier – as if to say ‘Oh for lords sake – just forget the rest and go through will you, get out of my sight!’

NO.4 The Campers Wave
This may not be native to Ireland, I’ve a feeling it’s more a motor-home thing. However, everybody waves at you when you pass in your huge tin shed on wheels. From fellow motorhomers to random people you pass on the side of the street – you get the ‘campers wave’ a sort of half salute, half wave. (Plus, is there some sort of lower age limit we weren’t aware of before we hired this thing? As everyone we saw driving one was well into their second half century of living, or at least they looked as if they were!)

NO.3 Sheep are supposed to be white, & Dolphins aren’t Toadstools.
It’s patently obvious how proud the Irish are of there local area and it’s people, and never was this more evident than in the support for the local Gaelic football team when we drove through the county of Kerry. The final of the All Ireland cup was two days later and everywhere was covered in Yellow and Green flags, streamers, posters, and signs wishing the team Good Luck. Shop windows where bedecked in Green & yellow, and we even passed an unsuspecting sheep sprayed in the Kerry colours!

There is a small town called Dingle on the West coast where its most famous inhabitant is a 24year old bottle nosed Dolphin called Fungi. http://www.dodingle.com/pages/fungi_dingle_dolphin.html we weren’t in Dingle long enough to see Fungi which was unfortunate, but what is more unfortunate I think, is naming a beautiful animal like a dolphin, after a mushroom.

NO.2 Petrol Flavoured Ice-Cream.
Nearly every petrol station in Ireland sells Whippy Ice-creams and has a huge plastic cone on the forecourt advertising the fact – what’s that all about? And more to the point, how, when you’ve paid for your petrol, and bought your ice cream, are you supposed to hold it while you drive away?

Ok and in at NO.1 is…
Crowning a goat as your King!
Every year in the town of Killorglin in County Kerry a group of people go up to the mountains and catch a wild goat. The goat is then brought down to town and a young local will crown the confused goat the King of the Puck. This marks the beginning of the annual Festival, and the town erupts into an orgy of drinking, dancing, and the great Irish singsong. There is a large statue of a crown-wearing goat on the outskirts of the town to lay witness to this.
http://www.puckfair.ie/index.php

The Irish – you gotta love them. Well I do, my husband is halfway there already!

Just one more thing before I go today. This is a photo of me climbing the Witches wishing steps at Blarney Castle. They say if you can walk up to the top and down again backwards with your eyes closed your wish will come true. I managed to – so I’ll keep you posted…

Until the next time,

A x

If you would like to see more of my Ireland photos I've uploaded them to my facebook photos page http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82391&id=1032877752

That's just 'Nasty'!

2008-09-05T13:40:00.006+01:00

Time is a funny thing - and I’ve been thinking about it a lot this week.

We either spend our time trying to speed it up, or slow it down – whatever happened to just letting it tick away happily at it’s own pace?
Most of the time we complain we don’t have enough of it; either that or it goes far too quickly, or not fast enough!

For example how many of us mothers dreaded the six-week summer holidays when they were approaching, wondering just what we were going to do with our little darlings to fill their days? But how many of us this week when they’ve now gone back to school, our wondering just how did that six weeks manage to fly past so quickly – and what on earth did we do with all that time… I certainly am.

Why does something you enjoy pass so quickly? Yet something you hate go on forever? There’s still 60 seconds in a minute; 60 minutes in an hour; 24hours in a day?
Why are we always trying to speed up our journey times, but slow down the ageing process? Break world speed records, yet slow down global warming?
Faster – slower, faster – slower, it’s a wonder the whole world doesn’t grind to a halt – maybe it will one day…

From my own point of view waiting for news is one of the worst examples of time going slowly. Yes, I’m waiting again for possible good news on the novel front... and it feels like I've been waiting forever!

Can’t say anymore just now – but don’t worry you’ll be one of the many ‘first’ to know whenever that good news finally arrives – because it will one day… mark my words. I’ve never been beaten yet and don’t intend to start now.

Ok, I’ve just realised that this is quite a gloomy blog for me – so I’m going to try and cheer it up a bit, by continuing something that my daughter and I have been doing through the Summer holidays on here - I’ll call it the Nasty Files ('Nasty' BTW has to be said in the way that Donkey says it in the film Shrek. If you don’t know what I’m talking about go watch the movie it’s great!)
The first entry to the Nasty Files is something we spotted in our TV guide this week:

This lovely side table isn’t just limited to the almighty Manchester United. Oh no you can get it in other football teams too! A bargain at £145 +p&p

& then there's this little beauty :

Who, if you're too young to remember is Nora Batty from Last of the Summer Wine - yours to own on your sideboard forever for only £59 + p&p!

I hope to bring you more items to add to the Nasty files soon...

*Disclaimer: Obviously the Nasty file is just my own personal opinion, and I’m sure there are many people out there that would love items like these to take pride of place in their living rooms ;-) *

Till the next time,

From me & Donkey
x x

Hail the almighty Gok – a new super hero in our midst!

2008-07-24T17:10:00.004+01:00

Apologies for this blog, biased towards the ladies today ;-)

You know how names go through spells of popularity? I.e. there are now a huge amount of teenagers just about to hit their twenties called Kylie & Jason?
Well I forecast the name Gok entering the top ten most popular names for boys list very soon.
Gok Wan - he of the wonderfully titled ‘How to look good Naked’ & more recent ‘Gok’s fashion fix’ programmes on C4, has been voted by women in a recent survey “The man I’d be most likely to leave my husband for.”
It’s not surprising when you watch ‘How to look good Naked,’ Gok possesses a rare something; a power so strong, no super hero has ever been able to carry it upon his being before – the ability to make women feel good when they look at themselves in a mirror.
Not just the quick glance we all do before we go out, thinking ‘well that bit looks ok I guess, but I wish my bum/ stomach/ thighs/ looked a bit smaller, then everything would be ok.’
When Gok’s finished with his women, not only do they all look wonderful, but they actually believe it too – which as we all know is half the battle.
Think back to the number of times you’ve received a compliment about your appearance. Do you ever actually believe what that person has just told you – or do you think they’re just being nice? Why is that? Why can’t you accept that they genuinely think you do look good?
Is it because you still don’t conform to the media’s ideal of what’s beautiful – an ideal that we’ve been promised has been about to change from unattainable into realistic for years?
But I think the tide is now slowly beginning to change, and people are becoming happier to accept that if it’s not natural for you to be a size 6, then no amount of dieting is going to get you there if your body says you should naturally be a size 14. Ok yes you can starve/smoke/drug yourself there – as many models/actresses/singers/and media folk do to attain that ‘perfect’ beauty, but if you want to live a normal, healthy, happy, life – the two just don’t mix.
I’m not talking people that are classed as obese (hated that word when I worked in the fitness industry & still do) and need to lose weight for medical reasons – that’s a whole different issue. I’m talking cosmetic reasons here. So if women can be persuaded that they do look fantastic with curves (men seem to think so anyway!) and just because their clothes size isn’t a size zero, doesn’t mean that their sex appeal has to be the same… Then I say all hail to Mr Gok Wan, because he is a huge part in starting to make the women of Great Britain feel good about themselves again!

This post was inspired by three things:
1.Someone telling me I looked like one of the members of the girl band -Hope my immediate reaction was ‘well I can’t be, they’ll all be anorexically thin if they’re in a girl band. And on finding photos of said band, I found out they were not – so my apologies to you girls for that. However, I’m still at a loss as to which one I look like…

2.Seeing some photos of a genuine overlly thin girl group - Girls Aloud on the Internet – I’m sorry, but that can not be natural. They were not that thin when they started out I’m sure of it.

3.Mr super hero himself! Although my daughter and I are not so keen on your new show, Gok – sorry, although we do tune in every week, & your outfits are always better, so I guess we’re still adding to your viewing figures ;-)

I'm famous! Well kind of ;-)

2008-06-24T10:43:00.009+01:00

Hello,
Apologies for it being yet another mention of Boyzone! But it’s just a couple of newspaper clippings this time ;-)
I was in Glasgow on Sunday night at a very last minute gig with one of my best friends, Karen, who lives there. Karen and I met six years ago now, through one Mr Ronan Keating, and have been great mates ever since.
Karen wishes to remain anonymous (she’s funny like that!) although anyone that knows us both will spot her right away once you know where I am in the picture ;-)
Perhaps more on our past exploits together in another blog…But for now, my brief appearance in the Scottish press ;-) (2nd photo)

Larger versions can be found here
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/Alimac71/BoyzoneGG1.jpg?t=1214303001

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v397/Alimac71/BoyzoneGG2a.jpg?t=1214303043

Lucky George!

2008-06-13T16:24:00.008+01:00

Well it’s Friday the 13th – unlucky for some?
That is if you believe in all that superstitious stuff…
Four leaf clovers, horseshoes, rabbits feet, and so on are all supposed to bring you luck, but why, and who on earth decided that they were lucky? Or for that fact that Friday the 13th was unlucky?

Well speaking from my own point of view (and that’s what writing a blog is all about) my luck definitely changed recently when I bought a monkey. Yes you read that right a monkey! Not a real one I hasten to add, but a toy one.
I had no intention when I went into a Cambridge gift shop with my two children a few weeks ago of buying a stuffed toy animal, but there was just something about George (more as to why he’s called that in a moment) that said buy me – and so I did.

I mentioned in my last blog that I would explain a bit more about the lack of blog posts recently. Well without going into too much boring detail, over the past few years I’ve had some health problems – in which I’ve managed to baffle much of the medical profession. But just recently after being referred yet again to another neurologist - I was diagnosed as having a condition that’s like a cross between Epilepsy without the fits, and Migraine without the headaches! Trust me to be awkward!
Well the Neurologist suggested I try a new Epileptic medication and surprisingly –because nothing else ever has – it seems be helping right now. The great thing about having lots of hospital tests over the last few years is having them tell me how fit and healthy I am! Which is great, but wasn’t actually getting to the root of my problem!
But finally something seems to be helping me – and I’m starting for the first time in a long while to feel just like the old me again.

But as I’ve said on here before, everything happens for a reason, and before I started to feel ill I was working almost full time in fitness and hardly had anytime for writing. Now as result of my problems, I’ve slowly cut down on much of the personal training, and concentrated more and more on my writing. As a result of this extra time my writing has definitely improved.

Anyhow, back to George. George named after the George Sampson who recently won ‘Britain’s got Talent’ because I saw George perform on the show for the first time the day I bought my George, and dancing George with his arms and legs flaying about to ‘Singing in the Rain’ looked just like my monkey George, with his own rather gangly limbs.
George Samson of course went on to win the show – nothing to do with his namesake of course…

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kyDnYeUnT7w

But what has happened in my own life since George the monkey came into it?
The main things of course is the vast and sudden improvement in my health – after having four years of specialists and tests and ‘not knowing.’
The second lucky thing was having yet another agent take an interest in my novel – when I hadn’t heard from anyone in ages.
The third; I got the free VIP tickets to see Boyzone (see last entry)
Fourth; the next night I caught one of the Boyz hats in a stadium of 20,000 people four hats where thrown, and I caught one of them.
Then this week, in addition to already having great seats to see Boyzone again (yes I’ve got the bug now!) which a friend had got for me for one of their Birmingham shows. I managed on the morning of the second Birmingham show to get a front row centre seat for that evening! I guess some people would think that seeing Boyzone in concert four times in a fortnight bad luck – but not me ;-)
So many other things have happened too – that we keep saying ‘That’ll be George’ in our house when anything out of the ordinary happens now.

If only George could pick our lottery numbers...
Superstitious – no, not us ;-)

Don’t 'scream' until you see the whites of their eyes!

2008-06-03T13:01:00.011+01:00

Hi, first apologies for not blogging for so long. I know when you start blogging the first thing they tell you is DO IT REGULARLY! But sometimes other more important things just have to come first… (More on that slightly serious note another time.)

Over the weekend I was lucky enough to witness for myself the return of Boyzone to the stage. As previous readers of this blog will know, I became quite a fan of one Mr Ronan Keating some time ago, after discovering quite late the glory of this Irish charmer both in person, and on stage.
I was never a Boyzone fan as such, I knew of their music obviously, but at the time they were around Boybands weren’t really my ‘thing’. So it was with mixed emotions that I approached the forthcoming reunion tour between Ronan and the other four members of the band – was it just about the money? Or was it really, as they kept telling us in carefully prepared pre tour interviews, because they’d put all the bad feeling of the past eight years behind them now, and were ready to give the fans what they’d always promised them - a final reunion tour?

Well the crowds at the O2 arena on Friday and Saturday night didn’t seem to care what the Boyz true motives were – they were there to enjoy themselves and have a ball ‘No matter what!’
I was lucky enough to witness the show from two very different perspectives. On Friday night I was given two VIP passes (Many thanks to those who shall remain nameless, but know who they are...) and as much as I enjoyed being backstage with my husband, and then watching the show from both the wings, and in the so called VIP area reserved for family and friends (one of the better tiered side blocks,) it was nothing compared to the atmosphere of being up close and personal with the Boyz on Saturday night, in my genuine 2nd row centre seats, that I had bought myself from being online at 9am the day tickets went on sale – it was just fantastic!

Ok, I didn’t quite scream when I saw the whites of their eyes, but I sung and danced, and thoroughly enjoyed myself on Saturday night – particularly enjoying the section of the show from a personal trainer's point of view, when the Boyz sang half naked on treadmills, while doing a workout to ‘When the going gets tough!’
I also think being fit (or is that tall?!) helped when the Boyz threw their hats into the crowd after a medley of Michael Jackson songs. It was like one of those slow motion shots you get in a movie, of a bride throwing her bouquet into a gang of desperate single women, as I sailed across the heads of the two ladies (my apologies to you if you happen to read this) next to me, to grab one of the Boyz hats and claim it as my own unique souvenir of the night!
If you’re going to see the Boyz be prepared for a great two hours of tunes and lyrics that will be familiar to you even if you weren’t a true fan ‘back in the day.’
But perhaps anyone with an allergy to dairy, should be pre warned that treatment from the St Johns Ambulance team may be needed during the show, as it was mice heaven as far as the costumes and some of the dance routines were concerned – but that was what I enjoyed about it all, it was just so different from what I’d been used to seeing Ronan do as a solo artist. You needed to take your cheese along with a pinch of salt – I guess a taste many a Ronan fan won’t be able to stomach. But, as with all rich foods – a little of what you fancy does you good once in a while, and as long as Ronan’s new cheddar rich diet doesn’t continue for ever, I can’t see it can do him, or us as fans too much harm – just for the time being…

2008-05-26T20:55:00.002+01:00

My apologies for not blogging since the New Year - if you should for some reason be following my occasional ramblings!
I've had some health issues to deal with - but normal service will be resumed soon I hope.

A x

Celibacy in the New Year anyone?

2008-01-10T15:56:00.000Z

Happy New Year!

For most of us this time of year means the usual resolutions – Lose weight, get fitter, give up smoking.
I don’t smoke, but even fitness instructors – who find themselves spending more and more time sitting on their behind writing – enter the New Year needing to accomplish the other two.
But how about giving up your mobile phone for 3 months?
To me this would be as easy as giving up cabbage, but to American comedienne Amy Borkowsky it’s a real hardship. You can follow Amy’s progress on her blog Cellibacy should you feel at all sympathetic to her ‘plight.’

Other than New Year’s resolutions, further trauma to be found in January is on the 24th. (No, this is not my Birthday – that’s the 14th in case anyone’s interested!) The 24th is officially the most depressing day of the year according to the so called experts. Don’t they have anything better to do than to discover this?
What if you give birth on that day, or pass an exam, or even realise you’ve already shed over half a stone since Christmas, and you can fit into your skinny jeans again? All these would be a cause for great celebration (especially in my house, as I’ve never had the sort of legs that would fit into Jeans like that in the first place!) But no, apparently we’d be unable to experience the joy in these things, as we’d all be too immersed in our sea of depression to surface long enough to smile.

Rubbish! Enjoy January if you can, it’s a new start to a New Year, and who knows this could be your best year ever – I’m hoping it will be mine.

Until the next time, keep smiling.

A x

Boyzone, Spice, and everything nice - is it all for Children in Need?

2007-11-14T19:26:00.000Z

How often do you switch on your favourite chat show and find a celebrity you don’t often see interviewed sitting on the sofa, chairs, or other household appliance currently deemed fashionable for interviewing guests on?

‘Oh that’s interesting,’ you think, ‘I don’t see them on TV too often.’
But very quickly into the interview, you realise that they’re there for a purpose. Which is? To plug their latest book, CD, film, perfume, or luxury toilet roll range - and you begin to feel ever so slightly cheated, as if you’ve been duped into listening to their sales pitch.
It’s almost akin to the product placement that goes on in the cinema and television these days . If you’re not aware of this – then you're definitely being duped!
It mainly happens in American movies and TV shows, when for example, the lead in the movie buys (or if he’s really cool, just nudges the machine in the right spot so it drops him a free one) a can of Pepsi from a vending machine. Or when the cops are on a stakeout, and they sit in their car eating donuts – watch as they casually lift them from a Crispy crème or Dunkin donuts bag. See what I’m saying?

This is all very well and good – I’m sure when I’ve got a book out (you notice I say when, rather than if!) I’ll be all too happy to sit on Richard and Judy’s/ Fern and Phil’s/ Jonathan Ross’s sofa, and chat to them about how wonderful my forthcoming novel is. Gosh, I’ve just realised they all have sofa’s, who has chairs these days except Parky - and he’s retiring?
Anyway my point is – this is all fine, and an excepted part of TV interviewing these days. But what happens when it’s a charitable event and there’s still ‘plugging’ going on?

This Friday sees the long awaited (by their fans) and anticipated (by the media) return of Boyzone to our TV screens.
They will be performing together for the first time in nearly eight years on the BBC’s Children in Need show.
And just how have their fans reacted to this news?
Well, if you log on to Ronan Keating’s message boards - with eagerness and excitement mostly. There is the odd doubter, a fan that doesn’t approve of the reunion, and wants Ronan to only continue with his solo career. But what’s the betting you’ll still see the Doubting Thomas’s sitting on the front row of Wembley arena next year, waving their glow sticks (will someone please explain why these are necessary in life?) and singing along with the rest of crowd?
But why have Boyzone chosen to make their comeback TV appearance on the BBC’s Children in Need show at peak viewing time on a Friday night?
Is it, as they and other acts would have you believe, solely to support this very worthwhile fundraising event? Or is it in fact, because they can at the same time ‘plug’ their new song, and in this case their new tour, which coincidentally goes on sale on Monday morning?
Ronan Keating and the other members of Boyzone I know do an awful lot for charity. In Ronan’s case it’s mainly through the Marie Keating foundation in Ireland, and Cancer Research in the UK, so I would never knock the Boyz overall commitment to charitable issues.
But are we really to be duped into believing that Friday night's big comeback is all about the ‘Cheerity mate’?
The Spice Girls are already booked to appear on the same show, they’re singing the official Children in Need song this year. I caught a bit of their video today, and I really don’t think that Posh gyrating about in what amounts to bondage gear, and Mel B rolling around in her bra, really fits in with the general ethos of Children in Need, does it?

But maybe I'm being too cynical, and there will be no mention of future albums or reunion tours, and both groups will just sing and enjoy the company of the big cuddly one on Friday night.
Oh, and alongside Terry Wogan, will be that Pudsey fella too ;-)

Til the next time,

A x

Pink Ribbons & Pizza!

2007-11-07T12:33:00.000Z

Gosh, I can’t believe 15th October was my last Blog!
Hmm, now I’m trying to sit here and think just what I’ve been up to since then?

Well there was Half Term to keep me busy; with the joys of baking, the cinema, shopping, and Pizza Hut buffet to keep my children busy. Is it natural for a 9 year old to be able to eat nine pieces of Pizza + salad at one sitting? It seems to be for my son! And he just burns it right off – so unfair.

I’ve just come back from a rather lovely weekend in Dublin. My husband and I (sounds rather formal!) try and have at least one weekend away every year without the kids (my parents are very accommodating) actually this year we’ve managed two - St Ives, Cornwall in May, and Dublin in November. The Dublin weekend is fast becoming an annual event, and you’ll know if you’ve been following this Blog from an earlier entry, that we were attending a charity ball while we were there.

We had a lovely evening as always at the Pink Ribbon ball in Dublin’s Burlington hotel. The charity that puts on the event – The Marie Keating Foundation always does a first-rate job, it’s a fantastic evening for all to attend, and they raise lots of money as result.
This year after dinner, there were two acts to entertain us, a swing band ‘The Legends of Swing,’ and Bryan McFadden – Ex West life. Bryan was great; I’m a fan of his solo stuff, if not of the West Life boys, and I hear he put on a good show. Yes you read that right, I HEARD he put on a good show. Where was I when all this was going on? Outside chatting to an old friend I bumped into in the bar! How typical of me, but I didn’t mind, it was great to catch up with the friend again, who coincidently is also called Bryan too!
I also caught up with another chap during the evening – Ronan Keating. If you’ve been on my website, you’ll know I have a bit of a soft spot for Mr K, who I’ve been lucky enough to meet a number of times. He’s a grand (as the Irish would say) chap, and lovely to chat to.
This time I had my fitness hat on (which didn’t match my dress unfortunately!) and was talking training matters with him.
He hopes to do the London Marathon next year, and another long distance walk across Ireland (this would be his third) to raise money for both Cancer Research UK, and the Marie Keating foundation.
Not an easy thing to do I was telling him, when the training for each event is so different, and both events are so close together. But he seems to have it all in hand, so after a brief discussion, I wished him best of luck with it.
But I’ll wait and see next year if he manages to do both….

Me grilling Ronan about his training regime! I feel like I was ‘papped here, but thanks to the people that took the time to send me these photos.
P.S. Ronan's not really cross on the second from last photo, even though he looks like he's fuming!

And in more formal pose with Ronan, and then hubbie!

Do you have the X~Factor?

2007-10-15T13:27:00.000+01:00

Why are people, (especially in the UK) always afraid of what other people might think, if they do something that makes them ‘stand out from the crowd?’

I admire people who have their hair died bright purple, wear clothes that others might not class as being ‘in vogue’, listen to the music they really want to, and not just what’s classed as being cool. My personal favourite is people who actually say what they think.
Not the rude types, who try and impose their own views upon you, but people that stand up for what they believe in, or who aren’t afraid to do something that might make them unpopular.

Love him or hate him, Simon Cowell is one of those people. My daughter and I have only recently discovered the ‘joys’ of the X-Factor on Saturday nights. And I have to say I really admire The Cowell. Look beyond the tight jerseys, and high waisted trousers – see that’s something else he hasn’t bowed down to the critics on, his unique dress sense, even though he’s been ribbed about it mercilessly.
The Cowell always says what he thinks, if that then makes him unpopular, he doesn’t care (ok, perhaps he can be a bit harsh on occasions – even I have to admit that.) but at least you know you’re getting an honest opinion from him, and I admire that.

Why can’t people take a leaf (if not the whole tree perhaps) out of his book? Why are they so scared of what others will say?

I’m a member of a message board for a well-known singer. I’ve been a fan of this chap for about five years. (if you don’t know who this is, then you’ve not checked out my website very thoroughly – the clues are there…)
My husband and I always attend a charity ball every year he holds in aid of his family’s cancer charity, and we will be doing the same this November.
So what should I find when I log onto his website’s message boards, but a topic created for this very event.
I log on with interest, to see what everyone’s saying, and am not really surprised to find the usual bitching and carryings on. (Just why are women are so bitchy? Another Blog me thinks) But the most interesting thing is – the comments on the thread are nearly all from people who are NOT going to the ball. So where are all the posts of delight, from people have got tickets to go to this wonderful event?
They’re kept well hidden in those same people’s minds. Whoah! They can’t tell people they’re actually going to this can they - what might people think or even say if they find out?

So me being me, decided to write the following, and post it on the Ball topic – I called it

‘Circle of Shame.’

I looked around the small room and saw the look of guilt and anguish on the faces of the other women that joined me in the circle of shame.
We called it that – the little meetings we regularly attended.

All it needed was for one of us to speak up, one of us to stand up and be proud. Not have to hide behind the forced silence, imposed by the harsh words and guilt trip laid in our path by others.

Then one day it began to happen. I noticed the numbers begin to decrease at our meetings, as one by one the others found the strength and courage to share their guilty secret, and when they shared, they no longer felt scared, no longer felt the guilt.

Now their secret was out, and everyone knew, they realised it wasn’t a bad thing, they knew they should be proud of what they were going to do, and no longer would they hide behind the shameful secret that has haunted them for the last few weeks.

And suddenly I knew too. I knew it was my time to come clean, my time to hold my head up and be proud. So that others could also follow in my footsteps, and tell the world their joyful news.
I slowly pulled myself to my feet. The others around the circle of shame looked warily at me. Surely I wasn’t going to spill the beans, tell them my secret? What might people say? Would they walk past me in street whispering and pointing? “There goes that woman,” they’d say, a look of disgust on their faces “You know the one who… well you know?”
But I didn’t care any more, my guilty secret would be over forever, and I would be able to relax and enjoy myself once more.
“My name is Ali,” I said in a shaky voice. “And yes I’m… I’m…” I nearly bottled out, as my bravery began to drain away as quickly as the colour was from my face. I took a last deep breath, and thought about the real reason I was doing what I was. The important, life changing reasons that could take place as a result of my actions.
“ And I too am going to the Pink Ribbon Ball again this year!”

And so far it’s had some great reactions. And people have indeed ‘come out’ and told others that they’re going – and are pleased to be doing so.

So I say well done to them – The Cowell would be proud of you.

A x

It all happens for a reason...

2007-09-25T21:49:00.000+01:00

How odd – in my last Blog I made the statement ‘This will have happened for a reason.’ regarding some ‘bad’ news I had received.

Well I've just discovered the agency I was dealing with when I was getting the permissions for my new novel, is an agency with much trouble within its ranks just now.
So, was my rejection – that wasn’t really a rejection – good news instead of bad?

Being the positive person I am – I like to think so!

I have now read through, and I hope ‘polished’ the new novel once more. And have sent it off to a very nice agent who was very helpful last time I submitted a novel to her.
As I’ve said in a previous Blog you don’t often get much individual feedback and encouragement from agents, and when you do you cherish it, and remember that person’s name.
I’ll keep you posted…

As you can see if you’ve come here from my website, my current novel only has a working title just now. It does actually have a real title – but (quite unusually for me) I’m feeling a bit superstitious about it, and don’t want to reveal it’s full title until I have some good news about the book.

Talking of superstitions, we have three horseshoes hanging in our house now. They’re painted ones my children and myself bought on our canal boat holiday this year. So we should have a whole house full of luck just now – shame the lottery numbers haven’t noticed yet ;-)

Ah well maybe soon…

Until the next time,

A x

Ying and Yang?

2007-09-17T19:36:00.000+01:00

Do you believe in Ying and Yang?
If something bad happens, something good must too, to balance it out?

http://fly.cc.fer.hr/~shlede/ying/yang

Well, last Thursday I finally got the news I’ve been waiting for. And although it wasn’t quite the life changing career news I was half hoping for – in retrospect, it was quite good.

Basically, to quickly fill you in, my new novel has a movie theme, and the story features parodies of many movie scenes, I needed to find out if what I’d written would cause any copyright issues. So I asked the agent of a writer whose movies feature quite heavily in my novel what he thought.
He finally got back to me on Thursday, after an agonising six week wait.

The Good news is he can’t see any problems with copyright in the way in which I’ve interpreted and used his client’s films in my novel – which is a relief – and they’re quite happy for me to go ahead with it.
But the bad news is – there was no other news. Not that I was really expecting any, after all he was only looking at it to check for copyright etc. But you never know with these things… it may have got passed on to someone, who knew someone etc etc…

But hey it didn’t, so we now carry on down the usual literary agent path with submission after submission, waiting to see if one of them like it. Or maybe this time it might just be the first one who shouts, “Yes, you’re brilliant, I want to help you get your fabulous novel published!” (Or words to that effect.)

One of my great beliefs and sayings is ‘Everything happens for a reason.’
And this will have happened for a reason, just you wait and see…

Strangely, after I had that ‘bad news’ email. I also had two ‘good news’ ones the same day – one of which was from another agent (oh what a showbiz life I lead!) of a celebrity whose name features both in the title of the novel, and in the story itself, saying that his client had no problem with me using his name in the book. Excellent news!

So now I actually feel quite positive about everything again, and very much in control of my own destiny once more.

Till the next time,

A x

I hate JUNK!

2007-09-07T13:11:00.000+01:00

No, not the messy, rubbishy, car-boot kind – but the sort that pours through your letterbox, clogs up your Inbox, and the worst offender, insists on phoning you masquerading as “Just a courtesy call.”
I know this is someone’s job to ring you just as you’ve sat down to dinner, settled down to watch Eastenders, or sunk into a hot steaming bubble bath – but have these people no shame?

Here’s a quick tip if you suffer the same problem with unwanted callers:
The Telephone Preference Service
http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/
The Telephone Preference Service (TPS) is the central opt out register on which you can record your preference not to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls to your home or mobile* telephone numbers. It is a legal requirement that all organisations (including charities, voluntary organisations and political parties) do not make such calls to numbers registered on the TPS unless they have your consent to do so.
Give it a try – our unwanted calls have all but disappeared since we joined this scheme – I highly recommend it.

Anyway, one of the main reasons I hate all these forms of Junk communications now more than usual, is one of the same reasons I now find myself having time to write this Blog. I’m waiting for some news!
I can’t say too much just now for fear of Jinxing it becoming good news – but it’s to do with writing, and could be great for my career… I’ll keep you posted.
Waiting patiently (something I don’t do well at the best of times) involves me refreshing my inbox every five minutes, jumping for the phone when it rings, and even though I don’t expect the news will come by snail mail, pouncing on the doormat when the post arrives. (Then chucking it all in the recycling bin when it’s predominately Junk.)
Here’s a question for anyone out there who’s a Postie: What do you think of Junk mail? Is it a real pain that you’re forced to deliver all this extra post that’s obviously unwanted? Or do you get paid extra for doing so? I’ve always wondered…

So to get back on course (I told you at the beginning I’d ramble) waiting for the ‘news’ is preventing me from getting on with further writing projects – I just can’t start something new until I know.
That’s just the opposite of what the writing ‘experts’ tell you to do. Finish one project, they say, then send your baby out into the world (well actually off to your publisher/agent etc.) then start something new – so the painful wait for (hopefully) some positive feedback, isn’t such a tortuous affair.

This painful wait is trebled if you’re an unpublished writer without an agent, because at this stage you’re ‘touting for business so to speak.
The standard way to sell your manuscript in this day and age is to send to a literary agent - a preliminary letter, 3 chapters of your novel, and a synopsis of the whole book. The agent will then 99.9% of the time will throw you into a ‘Not right for our agency’ pile. Or a ‘Not confident of being able to successfully place it with a publisher’ pile, or even the ‘I really loved this, but with my already large client list, and huge workload, I didn’t feel… blah, blah.’ Which basically all amount to the same thing – NO! And you then (well about six weeks later) get a letter saying as much, but gift wrapped beautifully - so not to offend - with one of the above agent catch phrases.
But occasionally you do get the odd word of encouragement – which, if there’s any agents reading this, (And if there are can I just remind you of http://www.alimcnamara.co.uk/ again!) means the world to us writers, and can make the difference between us sitting down at that keyboard again to write something else, and banging our head against a wall/flushing it down the toilet/ or, drowning our sorrows with a family size bar of Cadburys Dairy Milk. (I prefer the later, even if my waistband doesn’t!)

So now you know ONE of the reasons I’m currently finding the time to Blog.

More soon,

A x

I write – therefore I am.

2007-09-06T21:46:00.000+01:00

No, I don’t actually take it that seriously. But my writing has become very important to me.
The story of how I started writing I will tell you in a later Blog when news is thin on the ground, but it’s certainly different...

I’ve now completed three novels. I write what I call ‘Romantic comedy’, some people might call it ‘Chick Lit’ but I don’t. Not because I have anything against Chick Lit – far from it, most of the novels I read are classed as this and I thoroughly enjoy them. But I just don’t think my novels have enough mention of shoes, make up, and designer labels in them to be fully crowned with the Chick Lit tiara (as sparkly and shiny as it may be.)
If you would like to know more about the novels I’ve written go here www.alimcnamara.co.uk

And if you want to know about me as a personal trainer go here www.alimactraining.co.uk

And if you want to join me on MySpace go here
http://www.myspace.com/alimac71

Gosh, seems like I’m everywhere in cyberspace now, I guess Facebook is next - whatever that one is, or Bebo?

I’ve just caught up on MySpace, but I’m told that’s old hat now. (Story of my life!) My friend count on MySpace is very poor compared to some, but I don’t want friends called Cindy whose ‘space’ is covered with topless pictures of herself. Oh excuse me, they’re not topless photos, Cindy is ‘tastefully’ covered with lace and leather clothing that probably belonged her Barbie doll at some stage. And under the heading – Who would you like to meet on MySpace? I think Cindy should say her feet, because with the size of her boobs, I bet she doesn’t see them very often.
I also don’t want to be friends with Rock bands from Detroit, and guys whose ‘Space’ is covered with red sports cars, Page 3 models, and whose ‘Top friends’ all look a lot like Cindy.

But MySpace is fun if you just take it as that. I’m particularly proud of my ‘me as a Simpson’ picture. Try it here for yourself: http://simpsonizeme.com it’s great fun if you like the Simpsons, and who doesn’t?!

See, I’ve gone off on a tangent about MySpace now and I was supposed to be talking about my writing. Well if you’re interested in that, you’ll have checked out my website by now, so enough said on that subject for today.

Until the next time,

A x

Welcome

2007-09-05T14:36:00.001+01:00

Hello & Welcome!

Well I’ve had this Blog since February and this is the first time I’ve actually had the chance to write something in it.
“Why?” I hear you cry, “Do you have an exciting, crammed social life, full of wild parties, handsome men, and fluorescent, umbrella-filled cocktails?”

Answer: No.

But I do have a husband (fairly handsome some would say), two children, a part-time job as a personal trainer, and a strange – but very compelling – desire to become a published author.
So in all honesty, if the word ‘Wild’ is ever used in conjunction with me, it’s usually to describe state of my hair upon wakening in the morning.

“So why should I read on?” I hear you cry. (Full of questions aren’t you!)

Good question.

One I have no answer to currently – but if you might like to read about the trials of trying to become a published author, in between me babbling about lots of other probably quite irrelevant stuff in my life -
You’re either:
A. One of my friends waiting to see if I mention them in this Blog
B. One of my clients (again for the above reason)
C. Just really really bored!
Whatever your reason (and I’ll probably just be babbling to myself most of the time!)
Stick around and I’ll try and write something vaguely entertaining for you to read!