Last night people crossed London in the crazy heat to sit in a basement to listen to me do my first ever London book reading and it was gorgeous. Just so, so, so gorgeous.

Not sure what else to say except that I’m sitting here in my dressing grown grinning to myself like a woman in love. Which I guess I am – I’m a woman in love with life, my family and my friends who arrived last night looking so gorgeous… (gorgeous seems to be the word of the day).

In the room were friends who gave me a home when I abandoned full time work in order to engage in full-time navel gazing, friends who did vision boards with me and road-tested sports cars, friends who helped me do spreadsheets when I was crying over bank statements, friends who ran across hot coals with me at Tony Robbins and friends who listened to me and coached me through months and months of book writing slog, which came with an extra dollop of depression just for added drama…

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So I’m pretty sure this counts as bragging but I just thought I’d let you know that I’m an International Publishing Sensation. Yeah, yeah, I know… no big deal.

I’ve discovered this while reading the back of an early version of my book which is currently getting sent out to journalists and writers. If you click into the picture on the right you should be able to see it, along with other exciting statements…

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It’s May 2nd and it’s grey and wet outside but inside there’s sunshine. I’m sitting in my pyjama bottoms, jumper and puffa grinning to myself like an idiot cos I’ve just seen that my book has gone on sale on Amazon. Well, pre-sale, which I don’t really understand the point of… but who cares? My book exists on Amazon and you can order it now. It comes out properly on 6th September. Continue reading →

So guys, we got there: we have a book deal – in fact we have several.

It turns out that publishers are like buses. You wait forever and then they all come at once.

I’ve been desperate to tell you but was waiting for it to be made official – which happened yesterday when a press release was sent out -ABOUT ME!! More details here

In August we got offered a UK book deal (with Picador, the publishers of Bridget Jones)  then everyone wanted to get in on the act;  publishers snapped it up in France, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Spain… And the offers keep coming in. The latest countries are Lithuania and Taiwan. I am going to be made in Taiwan! How nuts is that?

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I was at Liverpool Street station the other day, only to find myself greeted by a sea of topless men. It was quite exciting for a Monday morning. I wished I’d put on some more make-up.

They were all shapes and sizes, ranging from twenties to fifties, I’d say. Some had paunches and slumped shoulders, others were toned and ripped (is that the word?) – standing proud. Look at me proud. And I did look – I couldn’t help it – they were right in front of me…

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When I was younger I wished that I could have brown hair, be called Sarah, and have a father who drove a Ford rather than a series of flash cars that made everyone look at us.

I also wished that one day all my freckles would join up so that I would, hope against hope, get a tan like my friends did. 

‘How long would it take for it to happen?’ I’d ask mum. ‘If I spent a week on the beach? Or a month? Or a whole summer?’

‘Marianne, it doesn’t work like that. And anyway, we’re in Ireland. We’ll be doing well to get an hour of sunshine,’ she’d say, while we sat on Ballybunion beach in the wind and rain, eating sandy egg sandwiches. 

‘But what if we moved to Australia?’ I’d beg. ‘Could it happen then? And would my hair go blonde? If I used lots of lemon juice? And could I change my name to Melanie, or Sarah?’ Continue reading →

Well, this is awkward. I want to get back in touch because I miss you but it’s been so long I feel embarrassed. You’ve become like the friend I keep meaning to call but weeks pass, then months and then it gets too hard to pick up the phone.

I’ve been waiting to have some good news to share but that hasn’t happened and so I guess I’ll just tell you what’s been going on in general… if you’re interested that is…

And if you’re not, I completely understand.

But for those still reading… what’s been happening with you? How are you doing?

Me? Oh… well… you know…  LIFE’S BEEN A SH*T SHOW!

Oh, yes! A proper, start to finish car crash!

The book? What’s happening with the book? Er… do you really want to know? Really? OK…

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Last night I met an old friend from university – we went out for thai and got very very drunk on natural wine. It’s supposed to be better for the hangovers apparently and makes you feel worthy while you are getting obliterated. Jane works in the food industry so she knows all these things.

Anyway. We got worthy drunk and she turned up with roses and macarons for me. After dad died she sent me a text message that was so sweet I keep re-reading it to cheer me up. I might actually get it framed. It’s about how lovely I am. Ha!

Anyway, anyway, we ate food, got drunk and then ended up in some random rock basement bar dancing. It was gorgeous. We hadn’t done that since we were in our twenties. And it’s a shame. I’m realising that this is what life is about. Dancing with people you love, chatting, hugging, laughing, eating and drinking.

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Two weeks and three days ago my dad died. It was unexpected. At about seven in the morning, he jumped out of bed and collapsed on the bedroom floor. Mum called the ambulance but they couldn’t revive him.

He’d had a massive heart attack. He was 67.

When I say it was unexpected – it was as unexpected as it could be for a man who had five heart bypasses when he was 47 and had spent more time than most on the cardiac ward of Frimley Park hospital.

But after lots of false alarms our guard had gone down. Over the last few years he seemed healthier than he ever had been. He’d been to the doctor just a few days before and been given the all clear.

So it was a shock, but then at the same time, not really.

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