Salutations, my sweets!
I guess that some of you may be reading this blog for the first time, having found the address in the back of my new book, Let's get Lost. In which case, I say welcome! I try to update my blog weekly-ish with news, views and lots of ungodly whining.
And really, that's the main theme at the moment. Let's Get Lost goes on sale in North America (which includes Canada, yes?) tomorrow. And you should all go and buy it because it will change your lives in a myriad of amazing ways. Blah blah blah. Being British, I find the hard-sell a bit unseemly, so instead I will direct you to a little added value post I wrote for my Amazon plog, where I shared the playlist I listened to while I was writing the book. This is something I always try to do as a mood-shifter, a source of inspiration and a way of getting inside my character's head. I'm not saying that Isabel would know or even like all of these songs, but some of them are just so her. And certainly, she knows, loves and constantly listens to Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl by Broken Social Scene.
So, without further ado,
Broken Social Scene - Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl
Rilo Kiley - Portions For Foxes
Belle And Sebastian - Expectations
Ladytron - Seventeen
Blondie - Rip Her To Shreds
Camera Obscura - Suspended From Class
The Shins - Caring Is Creepy
Black Box Recorder - Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
Bright Eyes - Travellin' Song
Tindersticks - Tiny Tears
Thelma Houston - Crazy, Mixed-Up Girl
(Most of these fine recordings are available on iTunes and they're well worth checking out.)
You may want to actually follow this link to the Amazon plog because I did a nifty little website link for each artiste, because it was one click html coding. If I tried to do that here, my brain would explode.
In other news, I've just finished the first draft of the second book in my new series. The final draft of the first book is still in its padded envelope staring balefully at me, while I try to ignore it. Have I really talked about drafts? Would you like me to? What else would you like to know?
Finally, I'd like to say a big, shiny thank you to all the people who left comments in the lost post at blogspot – that's ,Caitlin, devann-dianna, madisonxxx, Caitlin (again?!) sarab3, Victoria, fairuh, lucy, and sinead – I'm really glad that the books meant so much to you.
OK, I need to go to the post office and drink more coffee.
Live on
Sarra x
(cross-posted to http://blog.myspace.com/sarramanning)
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Give me the ability to rage correctly...
Sunny afternoon greetings, gentle readers
But though the sun is shining (which makes a change round London town), I have dark clouds in my heart. Nothing too serious though I am incandescent with rage at the curtains and blinds department of John Lewis in Brent Cross Shopping Centre. I had to leave a very angry message on someone's answerphone, which did contain the phrase, "It beggars belief, quite frankly." When I'm incandescent with rage, I turn into Joyce Grenfell who none of you will know because you're too young and/or not British.
My other journey into angst is because the last four chapters of my current book (nope, still can't reveal any details, but I'm on the second one in a four volume sequence) have been scrapped. I got back from Florence, read them and realised that I was quite possibly insane. Joking aside, I think it's worth mentioning the Holy Grail that is the chapter by chapter outline. I plan one out in laborious detail before I write a book, which isn't to say that I never deviate along the way. But this is the ninth or tenth book I've written and I still get over-excited about some minor story arc, forget my plot outline, beaver away, and then have to junk the lot because it's doing nothing to further the plot. If you trawl back through the archives on http://sarramanning.blogspot.com you will find even more words of wisdom on plot outlines.
Let's Get Lost is coming out in hardback in the US and Canada on 19th October. Remember that date, put it in your Blackberries and then take the necessary action on that day. As ever, I can't wait to hear what you think of it. And if no tears are shed while reading it, then I've failed miserably!
And one last thing, a little book rec. I'm reading But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn, a memoir froma writer who used to work for Rolling Stone. As well as being funny as anything, she has lots and lots of tips on interviewing celebrities. I know a lot of you aspire to becoming journalists and this book is well worth a read. Not many of us will ever get to interview Brad Pitt or Madonna, but there's lots of good advice to take away from the book. My own journalistic career is ticking along and if you buy the current issue of British Elle (with Jordan on the cover), you can read two pieces of mine. One is about learning to knit and the other is about bunny rabbits. Yup, you read that right! I got paid to write about bunnies - it's either one of the best or worst things I've ever written, depending on your politics.
So, that's all that's going on in my world. Be happy, be safe and do not order any blinds from John Lewis in Brent Cross...
Love
Sarra x
(crossposted to http://blog.myspace.com/sarramanning)
But though the sun is shining (which makes a change round London town), I have dark clouds in my heart. Nothing too serious though I am incandescent with rage at the curtains and blinds department of John Lewis in Brent Cross Shopping Centre. I had to leave a very angry message on someone's answerphone, which did contain the phrase, "It beggars belief, quite frankly." When I'm incandescent with rage, I turn into Joyce Grenfell who none of you will know because you're too young and/or not British.
My other journey into angst is because the last four chapters of my current book (nope, still can't reveal any details, but I'm on the second one in a four volume sequence) have been scrapped. I got back from Florence, read them and realised that I was quite possibly insane. Joking aside, I think it's worth mentioning the Holy Grail that is the chapter by chapter outline. I plan one out in laborious detail before I write a book, which isn't to say that I never deviate along the way. But this is the ninth or tenth book I've written and I still get over-excited about some minor story arc, forget my plot outline, beaver away, and then have to junk the lot because it's doing nothing to further the plot. If you trawl back through the archives on http://sarramanning.blogspot.com you will find even more words of wisdom on plot outlines.
Let's Get Lost is coming out in hardback in the US and Canada on 19th October. Remember that date, put it in your Blackberries and then take the necessary action on that day. As ever, I can't wait to hear what you think of it. And if no tears are shed while reading it, then I've failed miserably!
And one last thing, a little book rec. I'm reading But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn, a memoir froma writer who used to work for Rolling Stone. As well as being funny as anything, she has lots and lots of tips on interviewing celebrities. I know a lot of you aspire to becoming journalists and this book is well worth a read. Not many of us will ever get to interview Brad Pitt or Madonna, but there's lots of good advice to take away from the book. My own journalistic career is ticking along and if you buy the current issue of British Elle (with Jordan on the cover), you can read two pieces of mine. One is about learning to knit and the other is about bunny rabbits. Yup, you read that right! I got paid to write about bunnies - it's either one of the best or worst things I've ever written, depending on your politics.
So, that's all that's going on in my world. Be happy, be safe and do not order any blinds from John Lewis in Brent Cross...
Love
Sarra x
(crossposted to http://blog.myspace.com/sarramanning)
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