November, 2001

Thank you, thank you, thank you! One Hit Wonder went into the paperback fiction chart at number two - and stayed in the top five for five weeks! This truly is a best case scenario - and also sets up a rather attractive pattern. Ralph's Party's highest chart placing was number eight, Thirtynothing's was number four, One Hit Wonder's was number two, The London Brothers … but no, I can't possibly go around thinking daft things like that about a book I haven't even written yet! Sales of One Hit were also helped along considerably by a truly amazing raft of press reviews. It's so strange when you've written a book, when you've experienced every moment of doubt and insecurity, the nights when you couldn't sleep because it was all going so horribly wrong, the editing and the cutting and the starting again, and then to read all this positive stuff that makes it sound really slick and like a proper book - possibly akin to an actress reading about how flawlessly beautiful she is when she knows it's all airbrushing, lighting, collagen injections and padded bras. And thank you all so much for all your fantastic messages in my guestbook - I really wish I had the time to write back to you all individually and to answer some of your queries, but I've got pretty much a whole book to write by the spring so I'm afraid I can't. But I read my guestbook every single morning and it's invariably a positive and heart-warming start to the day. So thank you.

So - what have I been up to? Well, I've finally come to terms with the fact that I'm incapable of self-discipline without my husband here at home to stop me faffing about and spending the entire day on the net. You could call it writer's block, or you could call it being a lazy old mare - either way, drastic measures were called for, so I've started a new writing regime. Every day I take my pen and a pad and install myself in a coffeeshop somewhere in London and write there. And so far it's working a treat. I live in a basement flat on a really quiet road so I can sometimes go for a whole day without even setting eyes on another human being - all that solitude was starting to make me a bit introverted. I just love sitting in a coffeeshop window, watching the world go by. It's good for the soul as well as the writing and I wish I'd done it months ago. I wrote twenty five pages in the first week alone! London Brothers is still scheduled for November publication next year - but it's going to be in hardback, so you'll either have to start saving up those pennies now or wait a few months for the paperback publication. Sorry about that.

Anyway - I haven't really done anything else interesting enough to write about, so I'll leave you with the usual links - oh, and a recommendation in case any of you were strapped for a good read. Ben Hatch. He writes fantastic books. He's got one out now called The International Gooseberry and it's brilliant. As is his first novel, The Lawnmower Celebrity . For more recommendations, go to Lisa's Favourite Books

See you all soon.

Lisa XXX

Yasmin Boland the Queen of Bondi Beach, author of Carole King is an Alien and all-round inspiration

Jenny Colgan the Queen of Clerkenwell Road, author of Amanda's Wedding and Looking for Andrew McCarthy and a joy to know

Penguin the ultimate publishers and a really cool website

Pocketpig don't know why I love this site so, but I just do. Sabrina is an American living in Cambridge who keeps a diary of everything she eats (with accompanying illustrations) and just general stuff about her life. It's nowhere near as self-indulgent as the other myriad 'me me me' journal sites and I get very upset when she's late posting her entries!

Friendsreunited Hugely popular so probably doesn't need any help from me, but if you went to school or college with me, please leave some details here so I can have a nose at what you're up to now!

Chicklit Cool, intelligent and lively site for lovers of fiction, chick or otherwise.

Chatroom for me! A reader very kindly (and somewhat embarrassingly!) set up this chatroom about a year ago. Nobody seems to visit which is a shame, so maybe this link will give it a boost.

Girls' Night Out/Boys' Night In Great stories, good cause, please buy.

Previous updates:

September 2001
July 2001
April 2001
September 2000