Upcoming stuff...

1. I will be reading in London on Monday October 13th at the WritLOUD event for Birkbeck, 6.30-8.15 pm, RADA Foyer Bar, Malet Street, London WC1E 7JN. Tickets are free, with a suggested donation to Oxfam, but you can reserve a place in advance - writloud@aol.co.uk. Don't be put off by the picture above - I won't be reading through a loudspeaker, just normally. I wanted an image that made it clear I was saying important things, such as look at me. Maybe this picture would be better ...



Phew, yes. Much better. I'm thinking the outfit looks like a winner too. Right, let's move on...

2. Anyway, a story of mine, Dictionary of Death Dreams, is going to be in the print edition of Monkeybicycle. This will be sold from November through bookshops (including Borders etc) in the States, but I'm not sure where it'll be available here yet. You can get it from the website though, and an extract is in the excellent In the Red magazine and on the website.

3. Remember my month of giving things away? Well, I've just written it up for the UK's Psychologies magazine and it will be in the December issue. It was great doing it, not least because I got to talk to people like Stephen Post and Fiona Harrold, both of them proof that busy people can often be the most generous with their time. Thanks to them. It reminded me too what a great project, Cami Walker had set up with her 29 day Giving Challenge. She's looking for the last few people to sign up at the moment, so do give it a go. (And let me know if you do too.)

Cor, I have been busy. Do you think I just gaze at park benches and do nothing all day? No, no, no, that's just half the day...

4. An article about my ultimate writing heroine, the inspiration behind my first novel, Something Beginning With, Alice Duer Miller is going to go up on Vulpes Libris next week. I'll be back to let you know the exact day because I'd like EVERYONE to rediscover just how great Alice Duer Miller really was. In fact, writing the article made me really want to write more about her. I'm thinking a Hollywood epic at least. Can you copyright a human being?

5. I haven't written much on here about my work with textile artist, Anne Kelly because I'm saving it up for its own HUGE post because its been a HUGE project for me this year. And one that's changed some of my process. Words and pictures, pictures and words. If there's been a theme for me this year, it's that. Anyway, Anne is having an exhibition at Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7QR, 31 October – 30 November 2008 and some of our collaborations, based on The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, will have their first outing. You can visit Anne's website for more details.

6. And finally ... but by no means least, I'm absolutely delighted and proud to say that my new novel, now called GETTING THE PICTURE, will come out with Ballantines in New York in Summer 2009. Much much more on this to come ....