Talisman

smoked mackerel salad !

I don't remember much at all of my time at school, but the book I remember most of all was My Family and other Animals by Gerald Durrell - I actually won a copy of this in a creative writing competition - I got second prize. I still have it, and although I have seen the film, have not read the book at all since I left school in 1982. Perhaps that will change soon though.

Home made mushroom stroganoff. Take 1 box of cheshtnut mushrooms with a couple of white mushrooms. Wash and slice. Peel and chop 1 red onion. Stir fry mushrooms and onion in a little olive oil until just beginning to brown. Add a glass of dry white wine to the pan, mixed with a cup of vegetable stock. Sprinkle with fresh or dried dill and simmer with half a carton of soya cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is nice and thick. Serve with brown rice and steamed vegetables - we are having baby corn and asparagus - enjoy !

I don't know about the US, but it is a legal requirement here in the UK that copies of all published books are sent to the British Library in Wetherby, Yorkshire for distribution to various other regional ones throughout the UK - Welsh, Scottish for example. I would imagine then that the British Library must also have archives somewhere.

Only Fools and Horses is my favourite, hands down. I also though like EastEnders Casualty Desperate Housewives Ugly Betty Brothers and Sisters Doctor Who and of course Babylon Five

It is one of the most important prizes in the book world - as the article in The Times and other sites said, the 'Oscar' of the book world. I personally feel that despite what Michael Rosen says, authorship is everything. Who is it sho spends time with these people gathering facts, getting under the skin of the 'celebrity author', writing it in a style that makes it sounds like their own work, then presenting it to the publisher and going through the editing process with them to get everything right - not Katie, but the ghost writer. It may have been Katie's ideas that went into that book then, but it was the ghost writer who did the bulk of the work, and is therefore the true author. That work should then be honoured and acknowledged in the correct way. Ghost writers though are very private people, and this is a difficult but interesting and very lucrative profession to get into if you have the stomach for it. It is a license to get right under the skin of these celebrities and ask them all those pertinent questions that no one else can - not so much maybe with Katie, as let's face it, there is not much of her life that has not already been shoved down our throats anyway, but you know what I mean. Ghost writers are also paid handsomely for their efforts - usually for a set fee, but often with these celebrity books, also for share of the profits. They do the work knowing that it is part of the deal for their name not to be mentioned and not wanting the publicity that goes along with all of this. I do believe that things are changing, and public are wising up to these things and wanting things to change. That change takes time to filter down through the echelons of the publishing industry, which is notoriously resistant to change. It will though happen, it is an inevitability and only a matter of time - it is not if, but when. Perhaps a fair compromise would be for the ghost writer to retain her anonymity (I know her name, but most of Katie's fans and those outside the publishing industry wouldn't), but for the prize money to be shared equally between them. Mind you, with the fuss that this has caused, I would be very surprised if it won anyway - it it does, then I don't think we have seee anything yet. It could be of course though also, and I made this point on my blog site, that this has all been divinely inspired by the universe in order to raise awareness of such issues. Who knows after all what the higher agenda is or what truly goes on behind the scenes.

I did indeed write about this on the other thread. As an author who as worked damned hard to get where she is with even a meagre amount of success, I won't deign to say that I really think though, as if I did I would doubtless end up being banned ! I have written about it my m blogsite though - which some of you may like to look at http://juneaustin.blogspot.com/

That's a good idea !

You're telling me !

A carvery is a special roast where the chef carves the meat for you in the restaurant. I don't eat meat myself, but we also went out to lunch. We had aubergine and walnut bake with a nice cripsy salad and lots of coleslaw - at the local garden centre while we listened to the rain pattering on the roof.

This to me says it all - couldn't believe it when I read this story http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=542032&in_page_id=1773

Perhaps I will ask my work colleague who is a musician, if I can use some of his music !

Sorry, but not sure what you mean here !

They can be a great way to publicise your book and get interest, but alsoe expensive to make with copyright costs involved in the use of music in particular, so sadly are out of the league of most self published authors like me.

Usually one at a time, unless I am using them for research for own writing - and then it can be anything up to 10 at a time !

As an author myself, I have to say (and most other authors agree) that the whole celebrity book thing really gets on my nerves. Okay Coleen might have a brain, and I have to admit that I do have a grudging respect for her, but the likes of Jordon and Jade Goody writing books - I mean come off it, does anyone seriously think that either of these two can write, I mean apart from anything else, where would they find the time in between TV presenting, having plastic surgery and bikini waxes ? ! It seems a really sad indictment of our society when a ghost written novel by a glamour model sells more copies than the winner of the Booker prize for literature. It seems ironic to me that self publishing is seen as vanity press, by pandering to their clients egos, when commercial publishers are the real culprits here. Commercial publishers that offer vast sums to celebrities in order to publish their works or more accurately ideas, are the ones who really do the pandering. This sets up a three way symbiotic relationship that feeds the ego of the celebrity keeping them in the public eye, at the same time offering publicity to the publisher who makes even more money. This also in turn feeds the illusion that celebrity status is desirable as it gives fame and fortune thus making the public, especially young women, feel that their own lives and aspirations are inadequate. I believe that books at their best should enlighten and educate, making us think about the issues that really matter, whether through fiction or non fiction. Books such as these celebrity titles do nothing to either educate or enlighten, but have the opposite effect. They contribute to the general dumbing down of society by feeding the public with an endless supply of meaningless drivel that keeps their minds in overdrive and acts as a distraction that ultimately keeps both them and the so-called celebrities in chains as they have to work ever harder in order to maintain the illusion. In its own way, the rise in self publishing can be seen as a by product of the so-called celebrity culture, since it leads people to a false sense of their own superiority, believing that if these celebrities, most of whom have no obvious talent apart from courting publicity, can do it, then so too can they. It is then partly the industry

pack of 3 sandwiches from tesco - one cheese ploughmans, one egg and cress, one cheese and spring onion, packet of crisps and a large mug of tea.

mixed brown and white rice with stir fried carrots, mange tout, baby corn and red onion and loads of soy sauce.

Pasta with Dolmio sun dried tomato sauce, brocolli and carrots with coleslaw

home made and very simple stir fry - mixed brown and white rice with red onion, baby sweetcorn and mange tout and lots of soy sauce.

Probably a bowl of soup, we have our main meal at lunch time on Sunday.

Next time I am down that way I will let you know then !

I occasionally still find errors in mine also - it is bound to happen, like when others say, book go through so many hands and so many stages in the publication process. Out of interest though Kylie - what is your work ?

Why not, if I am ever down your way ? I live in Surrey, but go to Stonehenge sometimes - are you far from there ?

Actually it is a real struggle - I work four days a week - usually Monday to Thursday and so have to be very organised. Friday is book promotion day - the day that I set aside for ringing book stores, networking with other authors that I know etc. Until November last year I was working full time on this, and aimed to ring at least 10 stores a day - even so it took me 4 months of solid work to get through all 330 Waterstones. # Now I have just one day a week (and an hour or so on Saturday mornings) I aim to ring around 20 or so stores. I do this in phases - some between 9.30 and 10.30 am and the rest after 3.30 pm, since these seem to be the best times. In between those times, I write and go to the gym, amongst other things. I also ring shops for an hour or so on Saturday mornings, when they first open - today I spoke to half a dozen or so branches of Borders, most of whom asked me to email them with further information. My partner and I then went out to lunch, and I spent the rest of the afternoon emailing various branches of Blackwells academic book stores that I have compiled a list of. I also went through some magazines looking for ads for smaller independent stores, as a possible home for some of those 70 odd books that were unceremoniously dumped on me yesterday by a certain wholesaler - say no more ... After work in the evenings is also writing and networking time - my social life revolves around the various writing websites that I am a member of and pushing a trolley around the supermarket once a week .... Sunday then is the only day off I get - when I just flop out and do as little as possible, apart from going to the gym and eating. It is difficult and I have to be extremely organised, but this is my chosen path and despite the obstacles I just keep going. To not do so would be unthinkable, as it would be like cutting off my right arm. I could no more not write than I could not breath - as I would simply die inside. I do sometimes wonder if it is worth it all - but then I read the emails I have from happy readers and look at the comments on my blog and know that it is.