Just because

Last Saturday I forwent my usual Christmas knees up in London with mates to do the best thing EVER. The annual Dragon Xmas Charity Sale in Oxford. The Dragon Sale is a gorgeous prep school in the heart of the city I can just imagine some of my characters at. My Xmas sales at Upper Caldecote Primary involved a few jars of chutney and a badly dressed Santa (not that I’m complaining) but this was on another scale. Plenty of fodder for my books with all the yummy mummies and dashing dads running round in red trousers. I was signing books in the prestigious Authors Corner (scribbled in by my heroine Jilly Cooper on previous years no less) with a whole host of literary heavyweights. And me. Robert Harris, Richard Dawkins, famous historian Roy Strong… but my favourite part of the day was morning coffee at the headmasters at which I got to share a living room with the two Jeremys. Clarkson turned up looking a bit bleary eyed, but Jezza Paxman WOWZERS! He bounded in like a red setter, looking very lean and jocular. I now have a bit of a crush, especially when he admired my sparkly shoes. Jeremy Paxman does sequins, who knew?

All of the taste of Xmas dinner with none of the effort

I’ve been through three books with That Woman and I STILL haven’t been immortalised in print. I am her muse!!! Without me she’d be nothing! I noticed she’s on her sixth now (only from reading her blog, she never tells me anything) but when I had a sneaky nose through it last night, I was horrified. Aside from the amount of sex – being dry-humped in the park every day by a succession of panting Chum-breathed perverts – and you soon go off it I can tell you. No, I am even MORE horrified that there are THREE dogs in this new one and is one a Jack Russell? Is one called Effie? NO. Yoko Ono never had this problem with John Lennon. #ungrateful

My fifth bonktastic bonkbuster is out on Jan 19th (hint hint) but I’m already onto pastures new! My sixth Jo Carnegie tome is still set in the Cotswolds, but this time with a whole host of new characters and a gorgeous market town called Beeversham (I know). I have just spent a glorious day tucked away from all the wind and the rain writing about the beautiful blond naughty Beau and the curly-haired, flashing eyed Dylan. They are *dusts off cheerleading pom poms* H to the O to the T. Hope you like reading about them!