Here is a short excerpt from Gucci Wars – Jenny Gucci’s Story, Chapter 9: The year is 1979 and Jenny and Paolo have moved to New York where they quickly find themselves at very heart of society life. However not everyone is welcoming … Maurizio’s wife, Patrizia (who would later be known as The Black Widow), feels her position as the leading Gucci Lady in New York is being threatened by Jenny. We all now know…
Continue readingSince embarking on my publishing journey earlier this year I have been on a steep learning curve. The last few months have seen me attempting to get to grips with all sorts of new (to me) subjects: printing processes, copyright law, royalties, distribution logistics, digital marketing and a host of related topics that had previously never crossed my radar. Workplace situations and job descriptions have changed dramatically in a generation and I am often left…
Continue readingHaving been a journalist and broadcaster for almost fifty years, long ago I lost count of the number of interviews I have carried out … however the number of interviews I have given is another matter entirely and could probably be measured on the fingers of one hand. It is a strange feeling when the notebook is on the other lap; and I doubt that I am alone in finding it difficult to keep my…
Continue readingIf a picture paints a thousand words – as we are led to believe – then a 90,000 word book would need 90 illustrations on its cover to accurately indicate what the story is about. Obviously this is not only ridiculous, but – if taken literally – would mean that our book wouldn’t need any words at all. Practically, we writers are left with the difficult choice of which single, crucial part of our story…
Continue readingSummer finally arrived in the Norfolk countryside during the second week of September. After an exceptionally cool and grey couple of months, it took many of us by surprise. I welcomed the warm sunshine with open arms and grabbed the opportunity to – at last – pull out a summer dress from the back of the wardrobe, shake out my shorts and head for the dusty sun lounger. The unexpected warm weather came with an…
Continue readingBook covers of all colours and styles have been on my mind recently. When deciding on the final design for “Gucci Wars – Jenny Gucci’s Story”, I was faced with an elaborate questionnaire from *SilverWood’s design team together with the message that, most importantly, the cover should match the content of the book. It was as if they knew that I would be tempted to go off piste and select an attention-grabbing but irrelevant design. …
Continue readingWriting is a constant work in progress… there rarely seems to be a point that you can lean back, draw a firm final line and type the words “The End”. For me it can be an arduous, lonely and often frustrating occupation which will – if I let it – take over my whole life. And then – just when I think that I might have finally cracked it and everything is falling neatly into…
Continue reading
