Wednesday 27 February 2013

Jim Crace's Harvest: review

Hello there on this penultimate Februarial day: I've reviewed Jim Crace's new novel, Harvest, for The Telegraph. Digest it yourselves here.

Thursday 21 February 2013

Paper Aeroplanes by Dawn O'Porter: Pink Party

Head pupils: O'Dowd and O'Porter
To the basement of an art gallery in trendy London's trendy East trendy London (is that enough trendies?). The walls were white, and ready to be graffitied, for it was the launch of Dawn O'Porter's teen novel, Paper Aeroplanes, which is set in the 90s. 1994 was the year of my musical awakening, so I was mightily pleased to hear Greenday's Dookie on the soundtrack; accompanied by Wotsits, Wham bars and rosé champagne we all got down to merrily defacing the wall with felt tip pens. I kept fearing that the headmaster would walk round the corner and bust me (my inner goodie goodie) so wrote some Catullus; alas such was the exuberance of the night that I got it slightly wrong, which I suppose is what a graffiti artist would do anyway. It was pleasing to see so many Romani eunt domuses, though.

Also eating Wotsits was O'Porter's husband, Chris O'Dowd, proudly sporting a Head Boy badge. The singer Kate Nash was present, looking remarkably gothic; the tv presenter Cherry Healey, wearing some very large glasses; Derren Brown's boyfriend, who allegedly drew a penis on the wall and then left.

The book comes out in May: it's a touching, truthful tale of becoming a teenage girl. There was a copy of Cosmopolitan and a tampon in the goody bag. Not quite my target market, but I'm sure there will be loads of girls out there who'll find much to enjoy. Now, excuse me, I've got to meet someone behind the bike shed. Someone's selling Wotsits on the cheap.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Ray Winstone introduces new issue of PORT magazine

Here's Ray Winstone introducing the new issue of PORT magazine, which Daniel Day-Lewis has guest edited. I've got an interview with the Kes actor Dai Bradley in it: it comes out in March.

Friday 1 February 2013

Fan trailer of The Other Book

It's lovely to find out that someone, somewhere loves your book - as I imagine does higuarshi9, who has made a great fan trailer of The Other Book, on Youtube. You can watch it below: