Sorry for silence, I’ve been head down trying to finish my second novel, which will be out at the end of this year/early 2011, with Headline Review again. I’m almost done, and I’m really excited for you all to read it – it’s very different to Luxury in terms of story, but I hope it’s just as satisfying a read, with lots of secrets to be uncovered and characters for you to get to know and, hopefully, love (and love to hate…).
I’ve also got a short story in an anthology called 33: West, an exciting project by new, innovative publishers on the block, Glasshouse Books. 33 is a collection of stories by a huge variety of writers, each set in a different borough of London, and is divided into two volumes, East & West. Mine is set in my home borough of Merton, and is a light, slightly farcical story about a summer wedding. Other contributors include Stella Duffy, Daisy Goodwin, Nicola Monaghan and Emma Darwin, and the books are published on July 14th. Do get in touch if you’re organising any events over the summer - I and other contributors will be available to do readings and/or talks in bookshops, libraries, festivals or (almost) any other venue around the capital…
Speaking of which, I spent a fantastic evening recently visiting the Wimbledon & New Malden WI Book Club to chat about books and writing. There are some photos on their website here and I’d like to thank the book club for such a great turn out, and for making me feel so welcome. I’m always happy to come to book groups, WI meetings or other events, so do email me on mail at jessica dot ruston dot com if you’d like to arrange something.
I’ve got a few events of various kinds coming up over the next few months. First, and most curiously, I’ll be appearing at the Buxton Festival Fringe with the Hendrick’s Horseless Carriage of Curiosities, as part of Damian Barr’s Peek & Speak, doing a bit of story-telling as well as telling about the role of stories in my life. Do come for a Hendrick’s G&T if you’re in the area on Saturday 10th or Sunday 11th July.
On 21st July, I’ll be at Winchester Discovery Centre, having a ‘Girls’ Night In’ with fellow Headline authors, Adele Parks and Sasha Wagstaff, chatting about how we write, our work and anything else that comes up in between! The event starts at 7.30 pm, tickets are just £5 and available online here.
Finally, on 22nd October I’ll be one of 14 authors taking part in a literary dinner at the Harte and Garter hotel in Windsor. We’ll all be signing, chatting and eating and drinking with guests during what looks set to be a fabulous evening in aid of The Rainbow Trust. Sign up here to be kept up to date with details as they emerge.
And I’m still writing Come for Dinner every week, so do pop over to The Lady’s website and have a read – the full archive is here, if you’ve missed a few…
