The Call of the Walking Boot 8 Aug 2010, 9:38 am

  My favourite restaurant used to be the Café Daquise in South Kensington. No longer. It evaporated into thin air. Whoof. Bang. Gone. And no one – absolutely no one bothered to ask me or considered my feelings before they took it away.   A family run eatery, that’s what it used to be since 1947. It had [...]

Summer Affair 1 Aug 2010, 4:01 pm

  Confessionistas – women writers who bare it all. Their aim: to describe the complex life of modern women. At least according to an article in the Observer this Sunday. So, my immediate thought upon reading the piece was, should I bare ALL or at least MORE in this blog? For the sake of my nymph’s [...]

The Allure of the Rheingold 25 Jul 2010, 4:29 pm

  Drama has taken hold of the publishing world. The events that are currently unfolding might lead to the total annihilation of book publishers  – or so they say.   In case you haven’t followed the nail biting saga, let me fill you in – it’s a classic really with lots of big baddies.   The main part is played [...]

The Second Coming of D’Artagnan 19 Jul 2010, 1:01 am

  It’s been a wonderful week. The Guardian Books Blog publicly called me “a D’Artagnan”. Yep, that’s right, one of the Three Musketeers – voila c’est moi – brave and clever because I set up a publishing house to challenge the UK’s homogenous reading culture. And successfully so. Because  here comes the second good news of the [...]

Lady-like Promotion 12 Jul 2010, 3:30 am

  Peirene is a high maintenance young lady, she is ambitious and intelligent too. And she has understood one vital ingredient of aiming for success. Promotion.   I recently went to an evening of women writers and publishers. The topic of discussion was Self-Promotion. I was delighted to be invited and thought the topic interesting. Peirene on the [...]

Temptation 3 Jul 2010, 6:50 pm

  Long term relationships are hard work. I’ve known my husband now for 17 years. So I guess a bit of extra marital fun ought to be allowed. Don’t you agree? Just a bit of smiling and laughing and a twinkle in the eye. C’est tout. Nothing more.   He understands. It’s Peirene who’s kicking up a fuss.   On [...]

Two True Geniuses 25 Jun 2010, 5:31 pm

  True genius shows itself early – think of Mozart. Well, I don’t want to be too boastful BUT I, too, belong to that select circle. Already at the tender age of two I knew what I wanted: to extend my waking hours. I used to get up at 4am every morning. Sadly, unlike Mozart, I [...]

Botox Thoughts 17 Jun 2010, 7:07 pm

  I am a woman of a certain age, I might as well admit it. I have now reached the moment where I could consider Botox with a clear conscience. Each time I look at a picture of myself I am surprised I am no longer 20. ( I am sure anybody over 40 understands what [...]

Showbiz in Sloane Square 11 Jun 2010, 5:27 pm

  My nymph, I am afraid to say,  has gone of the rails! She thinks she’s a star now – a film star – living in Belgravia, hanging out with the Gucci and Armani crowd.   Yesterday evening saw the launch party of Peirene Title No2, Stone in a Landslide by Maria Barbal. We went to town for [...]

Gossip at the Hairdresser’s 28 May 2010, 6:11 am

 I have a really good gossip story for you this week. A publisher tries to get in touch with one of his authors for a publicity stunt he succeeded in setting up. He sends the author an email. No reply. A few days later, sends another one – of the type “I was wondering if you [...]