When I went to New York last year I had the pleasure of being introduced to top literary lass Lindsey Kelk. At the time Lindsey was in the midst of phenomenal success with her debut fiction book ‘I heart New York’ and we may well have indulged in a few too many vodkas with our friend Rachael to celebrate. When a week later I returned to Old Blighty pining for the Big Apple I quickly purchased Lindsey’s book which had the desired effect of propelling me back to NY through the eyes of her haphazard heroine...

I love chicklit legend Kathy Lette. Not only are her books bloody brilliant but she is also a comic genius with one-liners tripping off her tongue even faster than her books fly off the shelves. When I appeared on BBC Breakfast with Kathy a couple of years ago she subsequently scolded me for failing to shamelessly shoehorn my book title into our on-air discussion. “You should have mentioned it!” she said. “I was right behind you…” That’s Kathy all over - if you’re a lady she’s got your back and she...

Like million of girls (OK, and women who should really know better) I’ve grown to be obsessed with the Twilight saga and have been completely swept up in the story of Bella and Edward’s unlikely romance. So you can imagine my glee when last month I attended Eternal Twilight 2 - a fan convention for the cult Vampire films put on by Massive Events. When I arrived at the Park Inn Hotel in Northampton the place was already swarming with Bella lookalikes sporting Team Edward/Team Jacob t-shirts. It transpired that around...

I loved last year’s X Factor. Whether it was Alexandra Burke’s fabulous performance of Candyman, Diana Vickers’ quirky style (and ‘claw’ action) or JLS just being teen-swoon-tastic - 2008 was a very good year. And as much as I’m enjoying this year’s X I’m not sure the contestants are in the same league for me. Yes, Stacey is adorable, Lucie is great, Olly is cute (when he keeps his shirt on) and Joe’s version of Don’t Stop Believing was surprisingly good last week. But while I initially...

I’m used to doing daft things for my art but I have to admit I was filled with fear when the Daily Mirror asked me if I’d take part in an international conker championship. Although I have collected conkers in recent years - to sprinkle around the house to ward off spiders - I was probably about 12 when I last played the actual game. To make matters worse my plans to compete with some extra-strong varnish-coated conkers were instantly thwarted by news reports prior to the tournament. Apparently all competitors would...

In this month’s Psychologies magazine I was really interested to contribute to a feature about researching your ancestry and how it can help you to make sense of the world. When I started to research my family tree earlier this year it was an odd experience. Not only was bringing the past to life incredibly fascinating and strangely addictive, it was also very emotional. I started my journey into my family’s background with my maternal grandfather’s memoirs, which my mother finished collating and printed after...

The other day I climbed the ladder to my attic and found myself creeping nervously towards a dusty box, just the sight of which made me shudder. Inside was a battered A3 book covered in pictures of cute babies, adorable animals and cuttings from Smash Hits of boys I once fancied - my secret diary aged 14 to 15. Throughout my adult life I have flicked through the tormented year of 1993 on a few occasions but never got very far. Rereading the secret tortured thoughts and crushes of my 14-year-old self was on a par with sticking...

DO SHOW HIM WHAT HE’S MISSING There can’t have been a more humiliating fate for Jo Wood than seeing her husband of 20 years, Rolling Stone Ronnie, run off with a teenage cocktail waitress. But despite her awful ordeal Jo, 54, is determined that she won’t be a victim. “I wasn’t going to be broken by my marriage falling apart,” she revealed after Ronnie left her. “When things get rough, Jo gets going. I picked myself up and recycled myself for a whole new life - and the truth is, I think I’m happier now than I...

When a friend broke up with her boyfriend last year there was one defining moment where she knew she’d hit rock bottom. There she was on stage in a karaoke bar drunkenly bawling ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’ by Whitters to the perpetrator of her heartbreak as a gob-smacked crowd watched on in shock and awe. After that the only way was up… Of course when your heart has been smashed sitting round listening to moping melodies (or caterwauling them in public) seems like a perfectly reasonable idea. But instead,...

So after months of harassing my nearest and dearest for stories and typing frantically day and night (not to mention harping on about it on Twitter and Facebook) It’s Not Me, It’s You finally came out last week. Whoop! The make-or-break reviews began on Tuesday prompting numerous alarming dreams the night before - all with the cheery central theme of the book getting an absolute pasting in print. I was pretty amazed by how imaginatively mean my subconscious could be conjuring up back-to-back vivid nightmares where...