Blog Tour: Bitter Edge

Fun times guys. I'm handing over the blog to Rachel Lynch (her new novel, the next in the DI Kelly Porter series, which is a series I am super fond of, was published on Monday) so she can chat about how she achieves the balance she needs in her writing.  Imma pass over to Rachel now, and then I'll stick all the info about the book at the end because trust me: if you like a good police procedural then this series will be right up your street....

Author Guest Post: M.J Lee

The Wrong Man: Author Visit

Guess what guys! Today I’ve got the lovely Kate White here to talk about her new novel The Wrong Man and all things writing! Grab a cup of tea and get cosy!

Author Visit: Jen Campbell

THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
Spirits in jam jars, mini-apocalypses, animal hearts and side shows. A girl runs a coffin hotel on a remote island. A boy is worried his sister has two souls. A couple are rewriting the history of the world. And mermaids are on display at the local aquarium.
The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night is a collection of twelve haunting stories; modern fairy tales brimming with magic, outsiders and lost souls. 

So a couple of weeks ago I asked the lovely Jen Campbell to sit down and have a slice of pizza and chat with me* about her short story collection The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night which is published today. This is how that chat went.

*I say ‘with me’ but actually real life prevents Jen and I from eating pizza together as often as I’d like so what I actually mean is she was there and I was here although in my case the pizza was in no way hypothetical.

Author Visit: Dawn Barker

Fun times, peeps, fun times! Grab yourself a glass of something bubbly – because the sun is shining where I am and it’s a Bank Holiday weekend so why would you not; I’ve already been on the bucks fizz this morning – and make yourself comfortable because today I’m chatting with the lovely Dawn Barker about her novel Let Her Go, and writing in general.

Author Visit: Carys Bray Talks Books

This Tuesday is an excellent Tuesday because I’ve got the lovely Carys Bray – author of the shiny new The Museum of You here to chat about all things bookish. Hurrah!

Carys!  Thank-you so much for stopping by my little corner of the blogosphere; grab a coffee and a jar of Biscoff spread and a spoon and make yourself comfortable.

Before we get started, let’s warm up with a quick fire round.

Ready, steady, GO:

1. Coffee, tea or…?

Coffee

2. Favourite film?

Oh, erm – I do like the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. I know it’s not strictly a film, but I’ve watched it loads of times!

3. Favourite book?

It changes, but at the moment I love A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler.

4. Summer or winter?

Summer

5. Favourite Colour?

Red

6. Last thing you ate?

A Magnum ice cream.

7. Dream holiday destination?

Moab, Utah.

8. If you could jump to any point in history, who would you have dinner with?

I’d love to have dinner with Carol Shields. I think her novels and short stories are brilliant and it would be great to speak to her about her writing.

9. How do you like your steak?

I’m a vegetarian, so alive and mooing, living in a field somewhere would be good!

10. What are your pet peeves?

I hate it when taxis park overnight on both corners of the end of my street, just outside my drive. According to my family, my annoyance is totally disproportionate (but it definitely isn’t – ha!).

I do love that bit! Anyway, on to the proper bookish fun stuff!

Let’s get started.

Firstly, I’ve read The Museum of You (and I thought it was ridiculously wonderful) but for anyone who’s yet to get acquainted with the book, can you tell us a little bit about it?

The Museum of You is the story of Darren and his daughter Clover. Clover is twelve, old enough to spend the summer at home while Darren works, driving a bus between Southport and Liverpool. After a school trip to the Maritime Museum, Clover decides to curate a collection of objects that have been sitting in the second bedroom for years.

I love the whole premise of the book, the way Clover goes about setting up The Museum of You and the way you weave the story she’s discovering for herself with Darren’s. Where did the idea come from?

I was thinking about museums. In my town we lost both our nearest library and nearest museum (the loss of the library was particularly galling – the building that housed it was knocked down and whenever I drive down that road the empty space is there, like a missing tooth). I was thinking about objects and the stories they tell. I’d been to the Titanic Exhibition at Merseyside Maritime Museum and I was fascinated by a display case containing some of the personal effects that had been found at the bottom of the sea. I started to think about curation and what, if anything, we can learn about people from their possessions.

It’s always so excellent when a book is set somewhere you’re familiar with so I loved that Museum of You was set in my neck of the woods – Rivington Pike (about a ten minute drive from my old house), Southport, Formby (which might be my favourite beach ever). Was it a conscious decision to set the book here or did you find Clover and Darren living on your doorstep quite by accident?

It was definitely a deliberate decision. After Issy Bradley, I wanted to set another book in the North West – there wasn’t a reason not to, and we have so many amazing museums here that it was easy to set the book locally.

I can remember a pal of mine telling me about The Lawnmower Museum and thinking she was joking. Have you ever been? What is the best museum you’ve ever visited? Or the weirdest?

I have been! I’m not that into lawnmowers, but the stories really make the museum. I learned that James May of Top Gear once reassembled a particular lawnmower without any instructions. Another lawnmower was pulled by a horse that wore leather shoes so as not to spoil the lawn. And some people like to participate in lawnmower races (12 hour lawnmower races!). My favourite displays involved the ‘lawnmowers of the rich and famous.’ I saw Paul O’Grady’s lawnmower and Eric Morcombe’s Dad’s lawnmower (an object which provoked some serious giggling).

I used to love the Botanic Gardens museum which was close to our house. It was closed in the recent government cuts. The best bit was the taxidermy room which was full of interesting birds and mammals. 

Dagmar. Oh my heart. Talk to me about Dagmar please because I love her, I love her just as much as I love Clover. I actually did contemplate just sending a one question interview that just said ‘Dagmar?’  I want to know about her background and about her friendship with Clover and about what her life was like when she wasn’t with Clover but most of all I just want to know she’s okay.

Dagmar moved to England from the Czech Republic when she was 10. She had a hard time in year 6 at the primary school she attended and she has been having a hard time during her first year of high school too: children call her Dracula and make fun of her accent. Her dad was in the Czech army and experienced some awful things and her mum works long hours in a hotel. Dagmar has had a horrible couple of years, but now that she and Clover are friends, things are looking up for her.

And also Mrs. Mackerel. Is she somebody you know, or did you completely make her up? I’m not even sure which I would prefer. She’s fab by the way. Laugh out loud funny.

I made Mrs Mackerel up, but she was inspired by a funny notebook I inherited from my maternal grandmother. The notebook was full of linguistic mistakes that my grandmother had overheard and jotted down. I decided that Edna Mackerel would make similar mistakes and I started keeping a notebook of my own, writing down funny things I overheard in order to use them in the novel.

Some of the funny things in my grandmother’s notebook came from one of her colleagues at work (she was a teacher).

They included:

“I’m saying this with my tongue in my mouth.”

“There’s a pair of knickers here. I’ve had them on my hands for a fortnight.”

“These three have hit the headlights.”

My own notebook included things my children said:

“I’m just twisting your leg, Mum.”

“He was an “escape goat.”

“It was a racist Shloer.”

The book kind of made me want an allotment; it felt like a kind of catharsis for Darren and for Clover, the allotment – a place they could just go to and be and I love the idea of that. Do you have one?

I do have one and I love it. In 2015 we didn’t need to buy any potatoes or onions for the whole year, which felt very satisfying. I’d love to get better at growing more exciting things like sweetcorn and spinach; that’s my goal this year.

The Museum of You is a different story entirely to your first novel A Song for Issy Bradley although they both deal with loss and grief and the strength of love &your book Sweet Home is a short story collection so a different thing entirely. Which of the books did you find easiest to write, and why?

I loved writing A Song for Issy Bradley because there wasn’t any pressure. I didn’t know if the novel would ever be published and I didn’t think about how it would be received. I just wrote it, and really enjoyed myself in the process. Writing The Museum of You was a very different experience from writing Sweet Home and A Song for Issy Bradley. I knew quite early on in the process that The Museum of You was going to be published which meant that I was working to a deadline and hoping that people who enjoyed my other books would like it. As a result, the process felt quite different.

And is the answer to that question the same as the answer to ‘which is your favourite’ and if not because I’m just a little bit mean, which is your favourite? & I hope that doesn’t make you feel like I’m asking you to choose a favourite child!

Oh, I don’t know! Perhaps Issy Bradley because it was the first book to find a wide range of readers and the one that made me feel like it was okay to begin to describe myself as a writer.

If The Museum of You was a DVD what would the special features be - are there any scenes that ended up ‘on the cutting room floor’ that you can share? *cough*A Dagmar and Clover scene*cough*

The special features would include a few deleted scenes. There was a parent’s evening scene during which Clover attempted to set Darren up with her English teacher. It was pretty excruciating! And there was a scene during which Darren almost thumped someone in a staff training exercise.

Tell us about how you write: do you prefer a loud room or a quiet room; is your manuscript typed or handwritten, do you write during set hours or as the word comes, and at home or some place else? What works best?

I type everything. I like being able to go back and delete things or move them around by copying and pasting text. I work in both loud and quiet places, although I do prefer things to be quiet, if possible. I try to work while my children are at school, but I also work in the evenings and, occasionally, during the night.

 

What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

I’m working on a new novel about a marriage that goes wrong when one partner starts to believe that the world is ending.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve been given?

Read lots. I think it’s really important to read while thinking about what works and what doesn’t. It’s also very enjoyable!

& because I’m always on the look out for new book recommendations, what are you reading right now?

At the moment I’m reading Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. It’s very entertaining.

& what’s the best book you’ve read this year?

I recently read Jenn Ashworth’s fourth novel, Fell. It’s creepy and disturbing, a haunting evocation of regret, redress and the kindness of strangers, and it’s not quite like anything I’ve read before. It will be published in July 2016.

If you want to read The Museum of You (and you should because it's glorious) then you can grab a copy here.

Author Visit: Fredrik Backman

Guess what people. Today is an exciting day because I’ve got the marvellous Fredrik Backman – author of the wonderful A Man Called Ove and the shiny brand new My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises - here to chat about all things bookish. Hurrah!

I know, right, how very exciting.

 

 

Fredrik! Hello!  Thank-you so much for stopping by my little corner of the blogosphere; grab a coffee and a piece of cake and make yourself at home – in fact it’s imaginary cake, take two pieces. TAKE THE WHOLE CAKE.

                  

Before we get started, let’s warm up with a quick fire round.

Ready, steady, GO:

1. Coffee, tea or…?

I'll have some "or". Sounds delicious. 

2. Favourite film?

My wife says that I can't answer any film questions from anyone anymore because "the only films Fredrik likes are films where Kevin Costner plays baseball!". 

3. Favourite book?

Brother Lionheart, by Astrid Lindgren.

4. Summer or winter?

Which one is it that keeps coming in Game of Thrones? I'll have the other one.

5. Favourite Colour?

Cheese.

6. Last thing you ate?

Cheese.

7. Dream holiday destination?

Cheese. Or I mean...well...a baseball stadium where Kevin Costner is would be splendid.

8. If you could jump to any point in history, who would you have dinner with?

My kids. At a point in history where they don't throw food at me. Any point will do fine.

9. How do you like your steak?

In my mouth.

10. What are your pet peeves?

My what? 

I do love that bit! Anyway, on to the proper bookish fun stuff! 

Let’s get started. 

Firstly, I’ve read A Man Called Ove (and I loved it) but for anyone who’s yet to get acquainted with the book, can you tell us a little bit about it and about Ove?

He's a 59 years old man who drives a Saab and who is a bit a annoyed with the fact that people can't read signs anymore.

And how about My Grandmother Sends Her Regards… which is on my To Read pile (near the top, don’t worry!) The blurb for that made me do a happy dance because a storytelling Granny sounds remarkably like my own childhood! Tell us a little bit about it. 

It's about a grandmother and her granddaughter and a secret land they have built together called The Land of almost awake, that you can only travel to by almost falling asleep. It has a few made up animals in it and swords and stuff. My wife read it and told my publisher that "this is what happens when you let Fredrik sit in his office for 6 months without going there and ask him what he's doing. I warned you!".

Where did the idea for Granny’s story come from?

I didn't have a lot of friends growing up. I don't have a lot of friends now. It gives me a lot of free time. Plus, there's always alcohol.

Which of the books did you find easiest to write, and why?

I've never considered writing "easy" or "hard". I consider it "fun". 

And is the answer to that question the same as the answer to ‘which is your favourite’ and if not, which is your favourite? & I hope that doesn’t make you feel like I’m asking you to choose a favourite child! 

I would have no problems choosing my favorite child. I like the little one who still thinks I'm cool.

If either of the books was a DVD what would the special features be - are there any scenes that ended up ‘on the cutting room floor’ that you can share? 

In A man called Ove, in my first draft, the cat didn't appear until chapter 14. It was my cat loving editor, god bless him, who felt so strongly about the cat and worried that the other cat of the book (Ernest, who belongs to Oves father in law) stole the thunder of the REAL catstar of the story. So my editor and me ended up having a huge fight and he almost threw flowers at me and in the end I wrote an alternate version where the cat enters in chapter 2. And it was of course a lot better. Just don't tell my editor. He still thinks he owes me one.

My Grandmother Sends Her Regards and Apologises is such an excellent title. Did the title come first, or last, or at some point in the middle?

It came pretty early on. My publisher hated it. We spent six months of emailing about different versions they wanted to cut it down. It started with "can we call it 'Grandma' or "Grandma's sorry' or something like that?' and ended up six months later with "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD CAN WE AT LEAST GET RID OF THE WORD 'MY' SO THERE*S ROOM FOR A BLOODY ILLUSTRATION ON THE COVER!!!???". I said no. I don't have a publisher at the moment. Apparently I'm "hard to work with". 

Tell us about how you write: do you prefer a loud room or a quiet room; is your manuscript typed or handwritten, do you write during set hours or as the word comes, and at home or some place else? What works best?

Well, I have children. So...no. I don't really have any of those preferences. I write when I'm allowed. Sometimes I write on a computer in my office but more often I write on the backside of restaurant menus when we're on family holidays or in texts to myself on my phone while sitting on the bathroom floor waiting for someone to finish their epic Spiderman vs Rainbow Dash death battle in the bathtub so that we can all go to bed. Sometimes I write by hand, which is wonderful, but that's a pleasure I treat myself like I would whisky or ice cream: When the rest of the family is asleep.  

What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

My third novel, "Britt-Marie was here", is out in Sweden, Denmark and Norway and set for release in Britain next summer. And I'm writing a couple of things that I don't really know that they are yet, but I think one might be a play and one might be a pretty strange series of short stories and one might just be a fairly good joke and might actually be a novel. We'll see.

What’s the oddest thing on your desk? (I have a Clanger on mine that makes a noise when you press its middle. I liberated it from the desk of my boss….)

I have an american football, and very often the fists of my terribly orderly friend Niklas that I share my office with who is trying to take the ball from me and throw it out the window because apparently I'm "fucking annoying!" when I throw it around the office sometimes hitting his computer screen and sometimes hitting him. He's not really a sports fan.

What’s the best writing tip you’ve been given?

"The best type of comedy is stupid but smart." Which, put in a simpler way, would mean that some things has to look really easy although they might be very hard to achieve. A laughter is a very spontaneous thing, so even if the joke took you weeks to construct a sentence around it always has to sound as if you thought of it just now and just wrote it down. That's comedy to me. I view storytelling much the same way. First you figure out all the really difficult stuff with characters and scenery and epic feelings and vital plot points, and then you have to find the easiest possible way to tell it all to a stranger. Because that's the only way it will sound believable. It's like when police investigators always say that you can spot a lie from a suspect because it's too well constructed, the details are too perfect and thought out. Truth doesn't really sound like that. Well...now that I think of it that really wasn't a simpler way to put this at all. 

What do you wish you got asked in these interviews but never do? 

What's your favorite kind of Ben & Jerry's? Well THANK YOU for asking. It's New York Super Fudge Chunk, thank you very much.

& because I’m always on the look out for new book recommendations, what are you reading right now?

"A band of misfits", by Andrew Baggarly. It's a book about the San Francisco Giants baseball team and their way to winning the world series.I'm also reading the instruction manual for our car because there's a light that keeps blinking and my wife refuses to tell me what it means because she claims I "need to learn to read a MANUAL!". As it happens she also refuses to drive the car or let me drive the kids in it while the light is blinking, so I'm guessing whatever she knows is not very good.

[If you haven’t read either of Fredrik’s novels then, well, you totally should. You can get hold of copies here. I’m tempted to provide my Dad with a copy of A Man Called Ove. I think he might like it]

 

Fredrik Backman is a Swedish blogger, columnist and author. His debut novel A MAN CALLED OVE has been a number 1 bestseller across Scandinavia.  It has now sold over 1 million copies. Fredrik's second novel, MY GRANDMOTHER SENDS HER REGARDS AND APOLOGISES, also went straight to number 1 in Sweden on publication in 2014.

Author Visit: Renee Knight

Guess what people. Today is an exciting Saturday because I’ve got the lovely and super talented Renee Knight – author of the thrilling Disclaimer - here to chat about all things bookish. Hurrah! I have been excited about this post for quite a while, just so you know…

Renee! Hello!  Thank-you so much for stopping by my little corner of the blogosphere; grab a coffee and a piece of cake and make yourself at home – in fact it’s imaginary cake, take two pieces.

Before we get started, let’s warm up with a quick fire round.

Ready, steady, GO:

1. Coffee, tea or…?   Ummmm....both
2. Favourite film?       Can't commit but I loved 'The Lives of Others'...
3. Favourite book?     I have a serious commitment problem but recently read The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante and was stunned by it.
4. Summer or winter? Summer
5. Favourite Colour?   Green
6. Last thing you ate?  Penne with Bolognese
7. Dream holiday destination?  Iceland (but I said I liked summer...)
8. If you could jump to any point in history, who would you have dinner with?  Orson Welles before he dressed in kaftans. 
9. How do you like your steak?  Medium
10. What are your pet peeves?  People assuming authority when they don't have it...

And now that’s done, on to the serious stuff –a serious interview on a serious blog because clearly that’s what this is. Honest.

Let’s get started.

Firstly, I’ve read Disclaimer and I loved it – I read it seven hours straight one Saturday because I couldn’t put it down - but for anyone who’s yet to get acquainted with the book, can you tell us a little bit about it?

A)  Thank you so much for that.  Well, Disclaimer is a psychological thriller about a woman who picks up a book from her bedside table hoping it will lull her into sleep.  Instead she discovers that she is a central character in the book and that it describes an event from her past which she has kept secret, even from her husband and son.  As her life begins to unravel we slowly discover what it is she has been hiding. 

Where did the idea for Disclaimer come from?

A) I had a written a novel before Disclaimer which described an incident from my adolescence involving a good friend of mine.  As I neared the end of it I began to think about how awful it would be if it was published and she read it and I hadn't told her about it.  Of course that didn't happen.  I sent it to her and got her blessing and then no one wanted to publish it anyway.  It gave me the idea for Disclaimer though so nothing is wasted. 

The book tells a story from the point of view of two characters: Catherine and Stephen. Who did you find easiest to write, and why?

A) I found Stephen easier to write because he was further from me and so I had to dig deeper, which made him more satisfying and so easier. 

And is the answer to that question the same as the answer to ‘who is your favourite character’ and if not, who is your favourite character?

A) No it's not the same answer. I like both Catherine and Stephen equally.  I think they are more alike than they would at first appear. 

If the book was a DVD what would the special features be – are there any scenes that ended up ‘on the cutting room floor’ that you can share?

A) There weren't any particular scenes that were dumped although everything was trimmed and edited many times.

Did the title come first, or last, or at some point in the middle?

A) The title came last.   Before I started writing I had a working title of 'Privacy' which I knew I would never use, then I had 'Any Resemblance to Persons living or Dead...' which I knew was a too long and then just before I finished I decided on 'Disclaimer'. 

Tell us about how you write: do you prefer a loud room or a quiet room; is your manuscript typed or handwritten, do you write during set hours or as the word comes, and at home or some place else? What works best?

A) I can't manage with noise around me, I become too easily distracted, no music, no radio on in the background.  I type straight into the computer but I might work out the structure by hand first to force me to take it slowly and not rush too much.  I always work in the mornings.  If I leave it too late then I've blown it, unless I'm editing - that I can  do in the afternoons.  I write at home and I've now graduated from the kitchen table and have my own room.   

What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

A) I'm working on the screenplay for Disclaimer and also my second novel. 

What’s the oddest thing on your desk? (I have a Clanger on mine that makes a noise when you press its middle. I liberated it from the desk of my boss….)

A) It's a fake gold duck's head with a blue glass eye (rather evil-looking) and beak which opens and keeps papers together.  I gave it to my dad when I was about eight.  It sat on his desk and now it sits on mine.  

What’s the best writing tip you’ve been given?

A) Take your time between drafts.  Put it away and then leave it for as long as you possibly can before reading and working on it again.  It really made a difference to me - you see things with a fresh eye.   

What do you wish you got asked in these interviews but never do?

A)  To be honest with you I haven't done many yet and so the questions feel fresh to me.  I liked your one about the oddest thing on my desk.   

& because I’m always on the look out for new book recs, what are you reading right now?

A)  I'm reading The Girl In The Red Coat by Kate Hamer which I am really enjoying.  Thank you so for taking the time by the way to read my book.  So glad you enjoyed it. 

***

How much fun was that?! Thanks Renee, you’ve been a gem and I am SUPER excited at the thought of both a Disclaimer film and your second novel. Hurrah for both of those things.

Disclaimer was released on April 9^th so you know, go get a copy. It’s a really great read, I promise. You can catch up with my review of it here (spoiler alert: I liked it a lot.)

Author Guest Post: The Joy of Cake

It’s one of those super exciting Fridays here today, because instead of me talking nonsense about books and whatnot, the blog is being taken over. Yup, that’s right, today’s post comes not from me (apart from this bit, obvs,) but from the fabulous Jesobel Jones, star of Anna Mainwaring’s novel The Lives and Loves of Jesobel Jones. I’m thrilled to be a pit stop on this super fun blog tour, and am absolutely a fan of Jesobel’s policy on cake, because, as I’m sure anyone who reads this will agree, why would you not be? Girl talks sense. 

So, let's talk a little bit about the book first shall we: 

Summary

Jesobel Jones can bake. In a truly triumphant, appearing-on-TV kind of way. But this means nothing to the rest of the world, because apparently all that cake mix is starting to show – in all the wrong places. So when she lands an invite to the Party of Year by the Boy of Her Dreams, she wonders whether it’s time for a new, improved Jess. But will life still taste as good?

Anna Mainwaring's debut is a light-hearted and sometimes poignant take on the pressures that face teenage girls. It's hard to smile in all those selfies when you don't like the girl who looks back at you. But which is more important - looking perfect or being happy?

 

I know, you want to read it, right? & you can because it was published on March 25th (by Portal Press if you were interested) - if you want some more info then you can find it on Goodreads and Amazon. And with that, I shall leave you to read all about Jesobel's theories on The Joy of Cake.

The Joy of Cake: Why is cake important to me.

By Jesobel Jones as told to Anna Mainwaring

Cake is a very important part of my life. End of. What do you mean I have to explain more? Isn’t it completely obvious? No? 

Fine.

Well then, let’s start with one of the most stupid expressions of all times. “You can’t have your cake and eat it.” I beg your pardon.  What kind of weird and wonderful logic is that? What on earth is the point of cake if you can’t eat it? What else are you supposed to do with it? Wear it as a hat? Use it a navigational device? Build a rocket to the moon out of sponge and try to find out whether said moon is made of green cheese? 

No. That is not the purpose of cake. Let’s be very clear here. Cake is for the following reasons:

      1) For celebrations. Parties without cake are like parties without friends. Pointless. And failing to fulfil the definition of the word ‘party’. Birthdays, anniversaries, even weddings, all focus round a cake. Okay, you might decide that you don’t actually want any cake (a strange decision in my book but I respect the rights of all in the world, cake lovers and non-cake lovers) but you would EXPECT a cake to be there.

      2) To cheer you up on a bad day. We all have them. Those days which don’t match up to expectation. Those days when you don’t match up to expectation. And those days when those around just let you down. What do you reach for? A friend, a hug, a chat? All good things. But all of those things could be improved by a slice of very lovely cake.

    3) As expression of art. Okay, I know that sounds pretentious but I take cake very seriously. Yes, some cakes are just vanilla cupcakes that my baby sister Lauren could make. But there are also cakes out there that are just things of beauty: a plate of perfect hued macaroons; a pile of neatly constructed mille-fueille; profiteroles structured to form a turret; sugar spun into the finest filigree. Cake can be basic; cake can be complex. That is the Joy of Cake: it can be whatever you want or need it to be.

      4) A sign of friendship or love. Basically a cake is a hug in the form of butter, flour, eggs and sugar. It means you care about someone enough to make them something. I tried this recently when me and my friend Izzy fell out. It didn’t quite go as planned but at least no one can say I didn’t try.

     5) Cake brings people together. You walk into a room. People are spread around; no one is talking much; the mood is low. You bring out a rather tasty looking cake. Voila! Those people, once sedentary, are now rushing forward to eat the cake. They begin to talk to each other in excited tones. They eat the cake and then begin to compare notes. The mere presence of cake has transformed a boring room into something special. Cake seems to have almost magical properties. 

So that’s all the amazing stuff about cake.  Are there any down sides? Can I eat all the cake I want all the time? Well you can but it’s not really advisable. Whilst cake can and indeed should be a part of daily life, I think I better follow the words of the Great Baking Goddess herself, the one and only Queen Mary Berry. Look at her! She has spent her life making and eating cakes. She’s in her eighties, looks amazing and is a national treasure. She says she just has small slices every day. I personally prefer a few big slices a few times a week but that’s what suits me. Like most things in life you should do what makes you happy!

To conclude, cake is one of life’s most reliable pleasures. Cake never lets you down. So don’t listen to the cake haters, the no-carbers, the dieters, the calorie counters! Join me in the great cake revolution and learn to appreciate The Joy of Cake.

Author Information

Anna Mainwaring first read ‘The Lord of the Rings’ when she was seven and she hasn’t stopped reading since. 

Her debut novel, “The Lives and Loves of Jesobel Jones”, follows Jess through the joy and pain of being a teenager in the modern world; first love, friendship, embarrassing families, and asks the big questions in life: how much cake is it really acceptable to eat?

After studying English at university, Anna made the foolish decision to work in corporate finance, not the best career choice for someone who a) is number dyslexic b) hates anything corporate. After travelling, Anna re-trained as an English teacher and works in a girls’ school in Cheshire. When not writing, teaching, or looking after her children, Anna can generally be found walking up a big hill, looking for inspiration.

Website: www.annamainwaring.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/annamainwaring1