June 28, 2007
Internet Radio Interview
I've just been booked in to do my first internet radio interview (about Crushed) on a radio show called "All Things That Matter" on PIVTR in September. Snag is, the station is in Maine which is five hours behind London. The interviewer, a writer called Philip Harris will be interviewing me at 3 p.m. their time, I must remind myself nearer the time not to go to sleep before 1 a.m.
Posted by frances on June 28, 2007
June 18, 2007
I Know What I Like
Helen Ralli is an art student who designed the eye-catching cover for Crushed. They do say that a book is judged by its cover, which probably explains why my Young Adult novel is out on permanent loan at Westminster libraries.
Helen has just received a distinction for her work during her foundation course at Camberwell College of Arts, so John Ralli, her father and I went to inspect his daughter's new offering at the college's end of year preview.
I didn't know what to expect when Helen handed me a pair of headphones before I entered her "Restaurant" titled installation. (She later told me she was inspired after eating a 'weird' meal at Dans le Noir, where the food in the pitch black restaurant is served by blind waiters). I certainly didn't expect to enter a tunnel of darkness, and while I was listening to the explicitly clear voice giving instructions on my headphones, I panicked. I found the experience so disorientating, that I yelled for Helen to come inside to rescue me.
Luckily, the person who went in after me (a modern art aficionado called Damien Kelly) enlightened me when he emerged.
"Helen's simple but clever concept of participative art provided an eerie but thoroughly enjoyable six minute adventure. The challenge was to do a number of specified drawings on a single sheet using three different coloured crayons. The crayons were identifiable only by different markings. The concept provided an eerie insight into the a blind world. I imagine the task would have been a piece of cake for blind people but for the normally sighted it produced an amazing jumble of artistic colours and shapes which were displayed in an adjacent booth. This was participative art at its best and most enjoyable. Helen Ralli is indeed a name to watch out for."
Helen has now been accepted onto Camberwell's three year BA(Hons) Graphic Design degree course next year, so he might be right.
I would love to have explored "Restaurant" again, but unfortunately there were too many people waiting outside to go in.
Posted by frances on June 19, 2007
June 15, 2007
Queens Park Library
I gave a talk about Crushed to a sprawling class of Year 6 kids from Wilberforce Primary School at Queens Park Library (a beautiful and spacious building) today. Their teacher who described my novel as 'eccentric', said the kids had read the first chapter at school. The kids weren't sure what the word 'eccentric' meant, but they seemed to appreciate what they had read and asked incredibly intelligent questions. After the kids lined up to get my autograph at the end, the librarian informed me that someone had stolen their last copy of Crushed, which I thought was flattering.
Roopa Farooki is giving a talk at the library on Monday 30th July at around 6.15 p.m. Her first novel, "Bitter Sweets" was shortlisted for the Orange prize for new writers. Don't all rush now!
Posted by frances on June 15, 2007
June 13, 2007
Gong
Simon Maxwell is the director of the Overseas Development Institute, Britain's leading independent think-tank on international development and humanitarian policy (whatever that means?). He's also my cousin. He writes witty (global) despatches like this one on Open Democracy. The Queen gave him a CBE at Buckingham Palace for his efforts this morning, and afterwards he treated friends and family to a 'Grande bouffe' lunch at RSJ, a restaurant in Waterloo. A civil servant at the lunch said that Tony Blair only has time to read the first paragraph of ten page memos, so it's comforting to know that it's not only producers and agents who have the same reading habit.
Posted by frances on June 13, 2007
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