On... my newsletter

Seems silly to call it a 'newsletter' when I'm not a big company, I'm just me. But, whatever you want to call it: I send an email out about once a month, and here's the latest. Want to get the next email? Just email gemma@gemmaburgess.com and put 'Email me!' in the title.

Why, hello.

I think I’ll blame the cover of A GIRL LIKE YOU for the lateness of this email, as I kept thinking ‘I’ll wait till that puppy is ready to yap before I write a newsletter’.

Then the cover was seriously late. Like months overdue. I began to resent it the way you resent a friend who always breezily turns up an hour late for coffee. I got twitchy, couldn't sharpen my newsletter banter claws, pacing and fretting endlessly.

I shouldn’t have worried. (How many times have you said this in your life, seriously? I’m starting to think I should have the whole worry gland removed entirely as it’s such a waste of space.)

The A GIRL LIKE YOU cover rocks. I can say that without fear of sounding boastful as I had nothing to do with it. (Some authors have a say in their covers, but in chicklit, we take what we’re given.) I’ve attached it so you can check it out – the cover girl is clearly doing a Walk Of Shame, the naughty little scamp. She’s barefoot, drinking champagne from a bottle and what appears to be a pair of knickers are peeking out of her bag. Rock on, little cover girl. I like the cut of your jib.

Winning free stuff

A GIRL LIKE YOU launches at Christmas (woosquared) so I’ll be in touch with the chance to win free copies and vouchers for places like MAC and Reiss (I know the way to your hearts). More about this... soon. It's getting great feedback from people so far, although my mother is unimpressed that there's a bit more sex in it than THE DATING DETOX. "How can you write about one-night-stands when you've never had one?"... uh, yeah.

The A GIRL LIKE YOU trailer

I’m not sure if you’ve seen The Dating Detox trailer (it’s www.thedatingdetoxtrailer.com). I wrote and filmed it with a few friends for, more or less, the cost of a few bottles of wine, threw it out to the internet and it’s had over 20,000 views. Which isn’t bad.

Now it’s time to make the trailer for A GIRL LIKE YOU. I’ve had an idea. I’d love you to be involved. And any girls you know with a penchant for showing off and having fun. In my next email I’ll let you know all the gory details, but it’ll be pretty damn good. Everyone who participates in the trailer will get free advance copies of the book and, erm, anything else cool I can get my hands on.

Stay in touch

In case you don’t know, by the way, I write a blog at www.gemmaburgess.blogspot.com and I Tweet. Now now, don’t look at me like that. Twitter is not quite as dorky as everyone thinks. There are a lot of very funny people who aren’t saying things like ‘I’m eating porridge again! Totally love porridge!’ etc... I shimmy on bashfully, say a few things, immediately delete one or two of them in a fit of irritated self-editing, check out what everyone else talking about, reply to a couple of people and skip away. Twitter is fun. I’m @gkateb. If you come and play, I’ll introduce you to some funny people you may enjoy.

What are you reading?

I’m about to go on holiday, and would love your advice on what to read.

I’ve got the new Jilly Cooper JUMP! (gasp of excitement), AMERICAN WIFE (I heart Curtis Sittenfield), Last Night At Chateau Marmont (trashy fun), P.S. BAD MARIE (someone on Twitter said it was good), LADY AUDLEY’S SECRET (I love Victorian melodrama) and FROM THOSE WONDERFUL FOLKS WHO BROUGHT YOU PEARL HARBOUR (it’s a Mad Men thing).

I eat books, so those’ll be done in about three days. Any recommendations? Will truly read everything from paranormal teenlit to Russian novels (Ruskylit?), so bring it on...

Gem x