The Magazine: September Issue
I couldn't resist calling this the September issue (IYKYK)! With 1 week to publication, I'm trying (and failing) to distract myself with everything in this month's edition. Plus - ASTRID giveaway!
With one week to go until THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ASTRID BRICARD lands in bookshops, it’s hard not to feel torn between hyperventilating, hiding and celebrating! No matter how many times you’ve done this, pre-publication nerves are a real thing and we authors fixate on everything from whether a bad review is coming our way or whether our events will have to be cancelled because nobody books tickets. But I’m also determined to celebrate because writing a book is a long, exhausting, glorious, messy and magical process and it’s important to raise a glass to yourself and just breathe and say, well done.
Part One of those celebrations is an exclusive live online event on publication eve with members of the online book club I run with fellow historical novelist, Belinda Alexandra. If you haven’t joined the club, then make sure you do in time for this event on September 26!
Giveaway!
A whole box of proofs of the North American edition landed on my doorstep this week – hurray! – and I’m going to celebrate that moment by giving away two signed copies to two Bijoux subscribers. Every subscriber (free or paid) who comments on this post goes in the draw, which will close on Sept 29 at midday AWST. Good luck!
I’m also celebrating a rather large birthday next week, which also makes me want to hyperventilate, hide and celebrate. It’s confronting to consider how much life is already behind you, but there’s also nothing better than celebrating with friends, which is where the image above came from, snapped on my way out to a Parisian afternoon tea (of course!)
And this month, my daughter is doing her mock end-of-year exams, and I’m preparing to head off on my largest ever book tour, so there’s a fair bit going on in the Lester household.
As well as all of that, I’ve read things, watched things, thought about things, been furious about things and been just plain happy. And that’s what the monthly magazine is all about – the things that have made me pause and say, wow, whether for good or for bad. This month, those things include women in the media and how my author’s note in ASTRID BRICARD, written with both rage and optimism, might never come true, a bit more on Taylor Swift (even though I know I wrote about her a fortnight ago), beautiful historical fiction, excellent jeans, and some vintage Dior that I just might have bought.
So, keep scrolling for all that and more in the September Issue!
PS - this edition is quite long so if your email server (I’m looking at you Gmail!) cuts it off halfway through, just click the headline to be taken to the full post).
At the end of my Author’s Note in THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ASTRID BRICARD, I wrote:
I don’t think anyone has to look too far to think of a woman who’s been remoulded by the media, by gossip, and by spite into something less than she actually was. It’s been happening for centuries, and it happens still. I hope historical novelists in one hundred years time aren’t still writing notes like this.
I wrote the Author’s Note fuelled by rage and optimism, two things that fuelled the entire book, actually. But over the last couple of weeks my optimism has started to shrivel.
The note above refers to Mizza Bricard, described in almost every book and article about Christian Dior as his muse. But Mizza was so much more than that (which will be the subject of a future post). In my novel, I try to trace exactly how and why she was remoulded from Dior’s talented right hand – his assistant designer, in fact – to mere muse. No surprises for guessing it was a combination of gossip, spite, the media and men.
In the Author’s Note, I use examples of every female who’s ever achieved a little bit of celebrity to illustrate my point. Examples are chillingly easy to find. And a fortnight or so ago, another example appeared as the internet found another woman to remould, this time from talented actress to bad mom.