Keris Stainton's Blog, page 103

Wanting Wednesday: Love cushion

I've wanted this cushion for a while, but I think I might have to keep wanting it since it wouldn't look quite so nice covered in chocolate hand-prints and bogeys (I've got two young sons, in case you're reading and thinking 'how much of a pig is she?')

It costs £62 from Rockett St George and I just love the buttons.

OMG! I've got a book coming out. Part one.

As the publication date gets closer, I thought maybe I should write a weekly update on what's happening and how it feels. And last week was a bumper week.

First of all came the news I'd been waiting for for quite a while… my favourite YA author, Meg Cabot, loved DELLA SAYS: OMG! You may have already noticed her lovely comment up there in the sidebar, but just in case you haven't, she called DELLA: "A fun, delicious treat you'll want to eat up in a single bite!" *swoons* Meg's photo was on an...

Oscar frocks

While I cannot dress myself at all, I love to look at other people in posh frocks, so I do love the morning after the Oscars. I still don't know who won everything – although I'm THRILLED that a woman has finally won Best Director (finally!) – but I've already chosen by best and worst dresses worn by the biggest stars. (Although I'm confident that later today I'll see some horrors worn by people I've never heard of.)

Click to enlarge 'em.

60 Days Giveaway: Wake & Blue Bloods

And now it's only 60 days until DELLA SAYS: OMG! comes out - *runs around* *flails* – how can that be?  (Tune in tomorrow for the first of my weekly updates on what goes on during the build-up to a book release.)

I couldn't decide whether to give away Lisa McMann's wonderful Wake or Melissa de la Cruz's Blue Bloods (which I haven't yet read, but which sounds amazing: Gossip Girl meets Twilight? What's not to love?) so I've decided to give away both.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply...

How do you eat soup?

Remember my perfect writing room? And how I didn't know who owned it or where I'd found it? Well it turns out Reese Witherspoon has just bought it. Not just the room, you understand, but the whole house.

You can read all about it (and see lots more pictures) over on Hooked on Houses, but here are some more of my favourites (click to embiggen):

So turns out it wasn't just my perfect writing room, it was my perfect house. Glorious. (And in Ojai too, so I could hang out with the Walkers. You...

Um… WTF?

I just saw this and looked around the room to see if someone was playing a trick on me.

It's certainly possible that it's some sort of administrative error, but I don't care. I'm taking it. More popular than Jedward. My friends… I have arrived.

Wanting Wednesday: a pug

Just the one would be fine – I don't need five – but I really, really do want one. They're just so hilarious. I don't usually get over-excited about dogs, not even puppies, but whenever I see a pug I just want to pick it up and make a run for it. You can't not smile when you see them.

Photo taken from here. The pugs above are five of Valentino's six pugs, who are named Molly, Milton, Monty, Margot, Maude and Maggie. I don't know which one is missing from the picture. But I do think Maude is a ...

Thaw by Fiona Robyn

Ruth's diary is the new novel by Fiona Robyn, called Thaw. She has decided to blog the novel in its entirety over the next few months, so you can read it for free.

Ruth's first entry is below, and you can continue reading tomorrow here.

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These hands are ninety-three years old. They belong to Charlotte Marie Bradley Miller. She was so frail that her grand-daughter had to carry her onto the set to take this photo. It's a close-up. Her emaciated arms emerge from the top corners of the photo and...

Spring, spring, spring!

Okay, possibly not really. There's apparently some disagreement as to when spring actually begins, but I'm counting it from today because the sun is shining! And I found this photo last night and it makes me happy.

Two of my favourite things: New York and blossom. *happysigh*

Photo by abcdefghelen on Flickr

The Noughties: 2009

If 2008 was brilliant, 2009 was even better. Almost certainly the best year of my life, I think.

It started rather brilliantly, with Joe being born towards the end of January.

For my birthday, me and David went to stay at The Midland in Morecambe, where I've wanted to stay for a while. Since it was derelict, in fact.

In June, we broke our no foreign hols rule and went off to Disneyland Paris for Harry's fifth birthday.

In August, we met up with lots of other bloggers at Butlins in Bognor and...