Keris Stainton's Blog, page 59

Nu shooz!

[image error]Years ago, I was walking past a branch of Hobbs on King Street in Manchester and saw a pair of shoes. A beautiful pair of shoes. I stopped and pressed my face up to the glass. They were multicoloured – red and blue and yellow (I think) – with a strap and a thick heel. I LOVED them. But they were, I think, £55. I didn't have £55. I didn't buy them. I've always regretted it and, even now, occasionally google them or check on ebay.

And then today I was in Next and spotted these shoes. I squeaked with joy and grabbed them off the shelf. "Look!" I said to Joe. He started taking his own shoes off. "They're not for you!" I tutted. I tried them on and I LOVE them. They're not the same as the Hobbs ones, but I'm happy. Aren't they pretty?

And since I'm wallowing in nostalgia, remember this:

The YouTube sidebar for this video shows Let Me Be the One by Five Star, Hangin' on a String by Loose Ends ("I'm not your plaything…"), Princess – Say I'm Your Number One, Let's Go All the Way by Sly Fox*, Shannon – Let the Music Play, and I.O.U. by Freeez**. Honestly, I could lose hours.

* I only just got that pun. I actually though it was his name. Sylvester Fox.

** I.O.U. has one of the best bad lyrics ever. "A.E, A.E.I.O.U, U, And sometimes Y." Still makes me laugh.

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I think it's one of those de ja vu things…

Was just reminded of this. I still like it.

(David doesn't remember it. And does not like it.)

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Author interview: Catherine Ryan Howard

I got to know Catherine Ryan Howard via Twitter and I've been so impressed by her self-printing adventures. She's incredibly creative and resourceful and I'm in awe of what she's accomplished in such a short time. So I'm honoured to take part in the blog tour for her new book, Results Not Typical. 

I have to ask you about Disney, obviously [Catherine's first book, Mousetrapped, was about working at Disney]. What's your favourite Disney ride? And what's your one top tip (your Toppest Tip, if you like) for visiting Disney? 

My favourite ride would probably have to be Soarin', which is in Epcot, and it's supposed to be a kind of legs-dangling glide over California. My absolutely favourite thing to do in Walt Disney World though is not a ride, it's to stand and watch Wishes, the fireworks display that closes the park at night. I could watch it every night for a year and never tire of it, it's so amazing.

As for my toppest tip, I would have to say that if I was planning a vacation in Walt Disney World, this is how I'd do it: I'd book a hotel that is on Disney property but that isn't owned by Disney, e.g. Swan and Dolphin in Epcot Resorts or the Hilton on Hotel Plaza Boulevard (across from Downtown Disney). After I'd booked that I'd get hopper passes, which allow me in and out of the parks and into more than one park each day if I like. Then I would be at the park first thing in the morning (for what they call "rope drop"), stick around until about 11am, leave and go back to my hotel for a relaxing lunch, swim in the pool, etc. and then head back into the park from about 4pm until closing. That is hands down the best way to do the parks. You can't do it if you're staying in a hotel outside WDW (because it wouldn't be worth your while going out and getting back) but if you pick a non-Disney-but-on-property, you don't pay through the nose for your accommodation. (And never book through Disney, who act like a travel agent for those other hotels and resorts. Book direct!) You miss the busiest time of the day in the parks (and for most of the year, the hottest) but you still have plenty of time to do everything without driving you and your family nuts. Simples!

[image error]I'm totally in awe of everything you're doing with self-printing – it's so exciting! What's been your proudest moment (so far)?

I remember back at the start of this year, I was invited to do something that was part of the Dublin Book Festival. It was a Pecha Kucha presentation – where you present an idea in only 20 slides, each slide moving on automatically after 20 seconds – and it was just for fun, and the first time I was speaking somewhere as an author, really, and not just The Girl Who Self-Published. There was lots of publishing types there and while I was chatting to one of them she said, "Well, from what I hear, you're doing extremely well." I was so taken aback by the fact that this Publishing Person had not only heard of me, but had heard that I was "doing well", I nearly keeled over. That was a really great moment because it was the first time I realised that people other than my blog readers and Twitter friends had heard of me. Of course even then I'd sold more books than the people I knew + Twitter friends + blog readers so intellectually I must have known that a wider net of people were aware of my existence, but that was the first moment I really thought about what that meant. It might sound like a strange thing to pick out of this whole experience but that's my proudest moment so far!

Can you tell us anything about your next project? 

No, not really! What I'm working on now is a new novel I hope to get published, as opposed to self-publishing it. It's very different from Results Not Typical and it's all totally top secret at the moment but I've been plot-planning all week and am really excited to get started on actually writing it.

If you had to live within the confines of one book, and only interact with its characters (but you would still be yourself), which book would you choose?

Keris, where do you come up with these?! What a difficult question! Hmm… [Goes away and thinks for hours with finger thoughtfully poised on chin.] I know I'm going to pick a book, send you back these answers and then think of a better choice immediately, but let's go with… A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway. Paris is my favourite city and I think I would've loved to live the life of a starving artist in the city back in the 1920s. Although they didn't seem to do all that much starving – all they seem to do in that book is drink and eat and write, which would suit me down to the ground!

Which three books would you take to a desert island?

That's actually a really easy question for me to answer but I have a little re-reading habit with a group of books – I seem to re-read them annually and get as much pleasure out of them then as I did the first time. (So I'd have to leave them in the sand for a while in between reads but they'd still keep me entertained!) Anyone who has read Mousetrapped will not be surprised by my choices: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin. I know: I am oh SO predictable.

What's the last book that made you cry? And the funniest book you've ever read? 

The last book that made me cry was Far To Go by Alison Pick. I was absolutely devastated by the ending of it. I finished it in the early hours of the morning and I then proceeded to cry (and sob, wail, etc.) myself to sleep. It was fantastic book, but heart-wrenching to say the least!

As for the funniest book I've ever read I'd have to say in terms of actual out-loud laughs it would be How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely. If you have any writerly aspirations and/or if you know anything about publishing, READ THIS BOOK. Trust me – you won't regret it!

If a film was made of your life, who would you want to play you?

Drew Barrymore, I think. She's probably the closest thing to me a Hollywood actress can get, although she'd have to eat a few ice-cream sandwiches in preparation for the role…!

Thanks so much, Catherine!

Results Not Typical on Amazon.com

If you visit

We-we-we so excited

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{via SwissMiss}

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What's the longest book you've ever read?

Day 35 of the 40 day book challenge is 'the longest book I have ever read'.

[image error]I'm almost certain it would be this one, A Suitable Boy.

I read it years ago and absolutely loved it, but it was hard to read because it was so heavy to hold (a Kindle would have been handy…).

There was even a warning in the front of the book that it will "strain your purse and sprain your wrists."

Have you read it?

This week, I've been mostly…

My lovely friend (and web-designer) Gabrielle Luthy blogged this this morning and I'm nickin' it.

Listening… to The News Quiz, So Wrong It's Right, Frank Skinner's Absolute podcast. Ace.

Eating… biscotti to go with the Italy book I'm writing. And later on I'll be ordering one of these later.

Drinking… Marks & Spencer's Mojito Juice (non-alco) drink and yesterday I had a caramel macchiato for the first time. It was nice (bit sweet though).

Wearing… my new boots.

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Feeling… excited about finishing the Italy book, starting the next book (NaNoWriMo!) and going on a research trip. Squee!

Wanting… new clothes. I'm bored of almost all of mine. (But I'm rubbish at buying clothes.)

Needing… a car. We've managed without one for a year and it's been a good experience in the main. But I'm not putting up with it for another winter. The end of my tether has been reached.

Thinking… about how I'm going to end this book I'm writing. I have no idea.

Watching… I've just finished watching Friday Night Lights and I'm in mourning. I loved it so much and I'm so not ready to let it go. I need to find something amazing to replace it with. Oh and I'm also watching Strictly Come Dancing, which I think might be great this year.

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Enjoying… Since there's no 'reading', I'll use this one. Enjoying Stephanie Burgis's A Tangle of Magicks.

Is it that time of year again?

I've got a lot on this week – a school visit at my old high school (eep!), plus trying to finish one book and then planning the next one before NaNoWriMo kicks off in November.

I didn't think I'd be doing NaNo this year. I thought the next book would be done and dusted by November, but I ended up writing a different book and so I will indeed be starting a new book for NaNo. Again. I'm actually pretty thrilled about it. Even though I know it will be a challenge since I'm hoping to get away on a research trip in November too, but NaNo has never let me down before, so I'm looking forward to it.

Who else is doing it this year?

That's my boy

Joe just woke up and when I went in his room, we had this conversation:

Me: "We've got to go into town."

Joe: "No town…"

Me: "We'll get the bus!"

Joe: "No bus…"

Me: "Sorry, but we've got to go to the bank."

Joe: "No bank…"

Me: "We can go to Smiths and get you a book…"

Joe: "Okay."

A book I wish I had written

Day 34 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a book I wish I had written'.

Huh. Tricky. I've read so many gorgeous books. I've read books that I've actually hugged after turning the last page. There are books that I read over and over and know I'll keep reading them over and over for years to come. There are books I shared with my mum and books I share with my children. I don't know if I've ever thought "I wish I'd written that." Or at least, I can't remember.

The one that keeps popping into my head is Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton, but that may just mean I need more tea…

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A book I would love to read, but never do

Day 33 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a book that I would love to read but never do'.

I looked on my Amazon Wishlist for the book that's been on there the longest. I added Pedro and Me on 28 February 2006. There are a couple of books that have been on there a little longer (including one called How to Really Love Your Child – pfft, as long as it's nothing important) but I've wanted to read Pedro and Me for so much longer (before I even had children I needed to learn how to really love, in fact).

Pedro and Me is Judd Winick's autobiographical graphic novel (I struggled with what to call it since it's not a novel, but this is apparently the correct term, per, um, Wikipedia) about his friendship with Pedro Zamora. Judd and Pedro were both featured in the MTV reality series The Real World: San Francisco, with which I was utterly obsessed.

It was, I think, the first reality show I got completely, ridiculously, involved in (it was on in 1994, so very early days for reality shows in general) and I remember sobbing when I heard – or presumably saw – that Pedro had died. I really must read this soon.