Pink Cupcakes

Is an eReader any good?

I think I'd like an eReader.

This isn't a betrayal of the paper book and I'm certainly not abandoning it, but as I buy so many books my shelves are bursting and it's, well, getting a little expensive.

Interestingly, it was a leaflet in an Amazon purchase before Christmas that reminded me about the eReader.  I'd read a rather negative article about them months ago, where basically the writer asked, why do we need to download a book?  Fair enough, but I used to think that about the iPod too, and what about Borders going into adminitsration because it can't keep up with online sales?  Hum, I do wonder about the future.

So I reclaimed the Waterstone's Sony eReader advert stuck by a magnet to the fridge and started doing a little reasearch and discovered these cute pieces of kit are actually quite cool.  From a bit of a geek's perspective the Sony eReader 'Touch' (silver pic above) internally holds around 350 books, has a 6 inch paper like effect screen and 5 text sizes to suit your eyes.  It allows you to write notes and highlight and also features a built in Dictionary, and accomodates up to 6,800 page turns before it needs recharging.  The only differences between the 'Touch' and 'Pocket' Edition (pink pic top) is the 'Pocket' has a 5 inch screen and 3 text sizes.  Apparently there are other eReader models but I've limited my fancy to just 2 otherwise I'll spin myself out, as anyone close to me will tell you I am dreadful with technology much to Big Fella's amusement.

Asleep yet?

Then wake up!

So, with around 21, 000 eBooks available from Waterstone's alone and with book prices starting at £1.00, the eReader is now a serious contender for my affections.  

I have mentioned this little device to Big Fella and will nudge his memory closer to March.

Karen

Karen's Voluptuous Delights

 

I love Jamie O.  I love Nigella.  Now I love Sophie.

When I stumbled upon Sophie Dahl's "Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights" in my local bookshop I have to be honest it was the cover that caught my attention, pretty, pink and wellies.

Until that moment, I didn't actually know Sophie Dahl was a writer.  I bought the book, a combination of a cook book and a memoir and now it's currently my favourite cook book.

The thing is, I love the whole celebrity chef thing, I love Jamie O for all his cliche cheekiness, but have to admire him for his balls and determination.  I love Nigella for her curves and indulgence and a wee bit of me has a think bubble above my head when I watch her BBC Christmas specials sighing, "oh I wish that was me."  In truth, I love all those books that have super stylish photographs of the writer looking cool in their garden digging up radish, stirring a soup, cooking at the Aga and illustrations of fruit and veg (think "Relish", "Etiquette for Girls" and "Jamie at Home")  and Ok it may not be cool for everyone, but it's certainly ticking my box.

 

So I've taken the idea of recipes, stylish pictures and illustrations, and incorporated it into the personality of the main character in my second novel.  At first I was a bit worried she would be perceived as geeky, even dull; using the idea of an artist creating a cook's journal on the side in a piece of erotic literature may not sound arousing, but it actually slotted in very nicely; her sexy, boyish 30 something counterpart certainly thought so anyway...

 

I think it's the idea of selling a lifestyle, something I am afraid I am susceptable to, and something I know is blatantly reflected in my writing, but something I know we all like to indulge in at some time, whether we lose ourselves in being a rock star, a glomorous actor or a celebrity chef, we all at some point buy into what we see or read - sometimes this is healthy, other times not so, it pays to have a sense of reality but not so much it becomes negative, a reason I can absolutely not stand watching soaps on TV.

I love that I create a world for myself and for those who enjoy my work, a lifestyle many of us, especially us girls, aspire too, or at least fantasise about sometimes - an Aga, a successful creative career, growing veg in the garden, a log fire, a sassy gown for the party, the attentions of an elegant and oh so beautiful man (or woman) and a head splitting orgasm.  I like that I can write and sell sex and an Aga on the same page and still be as effective as a cliche erotic fiction setting. 

Right, so I started with Sophie and ended up with sex and an Aga, so goodness knows how that happened, but if I've managed to get anything across in this rather rambled post, it's that it's OK to entwine sex with a bit of monogamy, a bit of humour, and a bit of Cath Kidston - stand back, the unconventional housewife has landed.

I think you know what I'm saying.

x

The girl is just mad about books

Years back, I remember being a shy and not very confident 16 year old, being asked by my A Level English lecturer what kind of books I read.  OK, it wasn't very extensive at the time, and perhaps I did need to broaden my horizons a little, and who knows, maybe she's the reason I now eat books like they're on the verge of extinction - but I doubt it.

See, I simply LOVE books, and writing this novel has taken me to new depths, for which I'm very grateful.  For me, one of the most time consuming, but most satisfying parts of writing, is research, and for "A Love That Makes Life Drunk"  I'm proud to say I've ventured into realms that, dare I say, frightened me.  Books such as Georges Bataille's "The Story of the Eye" and "The Sexual Life of Catherine M" by Catherine Millet, but I feel all the more rich for it, and I know it certainly had a huge influence on my writing.  As a reward for opening my literary mind, I've discovered Jeremy Mercer's "Books, Baguettes and Bedbugs" and finally got my act together, and revisisted Du Maurier's "Jamaica Inn"; hey, who knows, maybe I'll even give "Jane Eyre" another whirl - well, maybe...

Anyway, last night I was at my younger cousins wedding party (that's me on the left looking very smiley), and since I knew there were going to be a lot of potential "pinkcupcakes" readers, I decided this could be the ideal opportunity to start spreading the word about my new novel.  Armed with postcards and naive confidence, I confided in a few people who know I write.  Happily they were dead excited and so this spurred my mission further, and since I've been going on about this book on the last few blogs (and the whole reason I'm here!), I really should tell you the release date will be early October- too long to wait? Not to worry, I'll be giving sneak previews and regular installments right here as the release date approaches - I've got to keep you interested somehow right?

Actually, I'm working very hard at the moment as I've given myself a deadline to finish this final draft, and I have to be honest, it's excruiating. Don't get me wrong, I love this damned book, but after going to work (a necessity I'm afraid) and then entertaining my little fella and the big fella, I'm exhausted, but I simply can't stop, because two very important people are calling me, and their names..?  OK, you deserve a peak - Jefferson and Lily.

Right, that's enough, it's Saturday night, and I'm off to do what I do best - champagne and olives of course!  Catch you very soon, cheers K.

Just crazy about cupcakes

OK, so you're wondering what this pink cup cake thing is all about, and since you're still reading, I hope it's everything you want it to be.

pinkcupcakes, is actually an independent publishing company born during brunch at Love Saves the Day.  Over a Bellini and pancakes (topped generously with Manchester honey - cool hey), I ranted to my other half about how to get my novels published. OK, so we've had this conversation a million times over the last five years, but this time, he really had something, "self publish", he said, and I can't repeat what I said in return, but after a bit of retail therapy in Selfridges (just browsing of course) I couldn't get it off my mind.

See, for me, and I guess for many unpublished writers, self publishing could be seen as cheating or copping out, well it's not, it's incrediably self liberating.  I retain total control and I get to keep my hard work in the process, and I'm not alone.  See, at some time during their careers, Virginia Woolf, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Byron, Mark Twain, DH Lawrence, James Joyce, William Blake and Anais Nin, have all tried their hand at self publishing, and I'm honoured to be following in their footsteps.

And another thing, self publishing is NOT vanity publishing - just wanted to clear that up.

Anyway, that's that, and here we are.

So, I'm a writer, and have been since the age of 11, and now at the tender age of 33, I'm finally ready to do this huge thing called "my dream" , and yes I'm nervous, but yes, I'm very excited, and the reason I'm so absolutely happy about doing it now, is because of this, my novel: "A Love That Makes Life Drunk".

I can't give too much away just yet, but it's a piece of contemporary fiction heavily inspired by consistent influences in my life (see "About"), and that's all I can say at the moment I'm afraid, but I promise to keep you posted as the release date approaches.

Anyway, feel free to browse this site and discover a little about what makes me tick. Cheers K.