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Tasha's a chatty, flirty 30-something who loves music, food, sex, clothes (not necessarily in that order) and her boss. This is not a romantic comedy, though: she's in love with the wrong man at the wrong time, leading her into a minefield of moral dilemmas and social taboos. You may laugh with her at times, but you may also cry with and for her as she tries to make the best of what life throws her way.

I’ve reached a rather devastating conclusion this evening: I’m far too British for my own good.

I’m modest. I can’t confidently identify any brass instrument, so how can I possibly blow my own trumpet?

Followers will know that my Twitter and Facebook updates are quiet and unassuming, especially compared to those of other writers.
I’d like to be more in-your-face, but quite honestly that’s not me.

I squirm with uncomfortable admiration when reading some authors’ self-publicity on the social networks: I’d rather sit in a bath full of slugs than launch a daily (let alone hourly) self-promotion campaign.  I did it once, for five days, and although the event was successful in attracting new readers, I found the experience very stressful. Pushy sales tactics have me looking for the door, and being pushy is something that feels very unnatural to me. I’m aware that the authors who engage in regular self-publicity are the ones who are getting noticed, gaining followers and selling books, but that does not make the slug-bath any less attractive.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Joanna Vanderham: stage debut and Emmy nomination":

Hi there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog. Is it very difficult to set up your own blog? I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm thinking about making my own but I'm not sure where to begin.

Do you have any points or suggestions? Thank you

Here is my web page; hack Twitter account

Stratford upon Avon is one of my favourite places on the planet: along with Glasgow and Chester and Cardiff, it's a town that I will never tire of visiting. I spent less than eighteen hours there last week, but it was worth it!

After my exam on Thursday, I drove from Birmingham to Stratford upon Avon, arriving at my hotel at around 5.30 p.m.
I was late, so S was waiting for me in reception, and we drove immediately into town to pick up H, then went to dinner at Cafe Rouge on Sheep Street. It was lovely to finally relax (the exam had been nerve-wracking and headache-inducing, and the drive from Birmingham had been infuriatingly slow) and to spend some time catching up.

After dinner, we walked around the corner to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. We stood chatting outside the auditorium door for a while, and I was thrilled when the gorgeous Georgia brushed past me (she was being escorted back stage; I didn't see her again). My mostly non-spoilery report on Richard II is here (Tumblr). It's not a review, it's just a summary of my experience, with photos. Two excellent reviews can be found here and here.

I'm collecting photos of David signing autographs at the Stage Door; you can see them here.

On Friday morning, after saying goodbye to H at the train station, S and I went into Stratford upon Avon. We had breakfast (coffee with scone and jam) at the Fourteas Tea Room on Sheep street, a delightful forties-themed establishment. This photo shows tin helmets and great coats hanging on the coat-stand; unfortunately you can't properly see the pictures or wartime newspaper articles on the wall beyond.


We strolled through the town, stopped to chat with the foreman in charge of setting up the Mop Fair - and learned the history behind the event from him (info here and here) - then we walked back along the river to the car, returning to our hotel for a coffee before I headed home. I took these photos with my phone: