Just Showing Off

The book, displayed as part of Waterstone's Royal Wedding Memorabilia display in Milton Keynes. Loving that Kate and William picture bunting.

Number 28 (it's number 27 now!) in WH Smith's book chart! Nice that my chart placement very nearly matches my age, no? It's not half price, lest you be wondering, but I think there's a £5 discount.

Irish Examiner piece

This interview appeared in the Irish Examiner on Monday.

Thank you to the lovely Paula Burns, who writes the fabulous fashion blog StyleBible.ie and Siobhan Cronin for making it happen!

Hello, London

(Photo taken from Johnny Cupcakes blog)

I've lapsed from blogging this week having been sent to London to do some promotion for 'Kate Style'. I intend to put more info about what I've been up to on here as it comes along- that way not embarrassing myself if it doesn't happen- but in summary:

Monday: An interview in the Irish Examiner (to be uploaded asap), Meetings, a Twitter competition courtesy of Marie-Claire magazine's UK edition (I couldn't promote it as, for some reason, my iPhone censors certain websites, refusing to allow me access), and a mention on Irish personality Ryan Tubridy's breakfast time radio show. 

He mispronounced my name -entirely reasonable, my friend Sophie nearly crashed her car at hearing it, and my cousin Karen lost her chance at nationwide fame when she refused to go on the show after texting them to verify the fact that I am in fact Irish. 

Lunch, courtesy of Big Daddy, was at Scott's- have the halibut! 

Tuesday: Some recording for a TV show that will air on a well-known news channel in the run up to the Royal Wedding. Filming, it turns out, is much less scary than it initially sounds. Thanks to James and Monita for sorting the whole thing out, and to Black Alice for spending the afternoon walking round the city with me, before stopping off at what remain my fave food place in the city, The Diner on Ganton Street and my favourite confusingly named non-food place, Johnny Cupcakes, around the corner on Carnaby Street.

(a selection of earrings available from Johnny Cupcakes)

Wednesday: I spent the morning recording a series of interviews for BBC Radio. I think I can confirm these as some of them have already been broadcast. I was, some of you may be aware, a horrible unusable mess the first time I went on radio. This time I really enjoyed myself. Thanks to Pete Bestwick for arranging it all.

Today: I'm off, it's sunny and the shops are open. You know where to find me.

Francine Pascal Forever

The (much better) US cover of the book

This month sees the European publication of the much-hyped (in the US anyway) Sweet Valley Confidential, a tome that follows the Wakefield twins and their classmates into adulthood. While I'm gutted that there's no Kindle edition available- I just don't like carrying books around anymore- I am looking forward to reading it.

I was a massive Sweet Valley Twins fan as a kid. The TV show was broadcast when I was in high school myself and I even watched that even though I was strictly speaking too old and the appearance of one of Winkie and Blinkie from The Basketball Diaries as Elizabeth Wakefield kinda freaked me out. No way was Liz blowing poetry-loving junkie Catholic school boys from the LES, you know?

(0:14 for a glimpse of Wakefield)

And also hoping that this likely false report, claiming Diablo Cody is writing the script for the new SVH movie, is true.

I ♥ Roadkill

The Marxist is turning out to be an excellent gift giver. He even (sort of) bought me a raccoon for my birthday.

Twitch is almost certainly the only kind of pet I'm capable of looking after. A Roadkill Toy, he sadly lost his life in a head on collision with a green Ford Mondeo. I know because his death certificate, which was included in the body bag he arrived in, said so.


Also included: an 'I ♥ Roadkill' bumper sticker.


No idea who first came up with these macabre mammalians but I love them, and will be adding Twitch's friends Grind and Splodge to my collection as soon as possible.