The Bookseller leads with a headline today on age guidance for children's books. It's a subject I feel passionately about - so much so I was moved to comment on Caroline Horn's piece which you can read here: Including age guidance on books does a great disservice to the group who should matter most - young readers. Already divided by an industry that decrees girls should read books with pink, sparkly covers while boys manfully cope with rearing beasts, they are now segregated into age groups which are meaningless. As any educationalist will tell you, biological age has little to do with reading age. My 8 year old daughter reads four to five years above her age and adores those beasty books meant for boys. Surely this is about knowing the individual child and feeding their reading needs accordingly? And to help those confused adults buying books as Christmas presents, nothing can replace a well-informed bookseller. There are any number of them to be found up and down the country running independent bookstores, sharing their wealth of knowledge with customers and providing the type of service supermarkets and faceless chains simply cannot match...

Authors don't just write. There are any number of peripheral activities essential to success. And I'm not talking about research or reappointing the writing 'shed' (invariably nothing of the sort). I'm referring to the round of events which many of us are asked to attend and which we would be insane to pass up. I've done a lot recently - which is why this blog has suffered from neglect - and enjoyed every minute. I know there are authors out there who hate the very idea of meeting their readers. Solitary creatures by nature, they would rather impale themselves upon their pens than have to deal with the public. Me - I love it. But that's because I come from an acting background and positively thrive on interaction. OK, I admit it. I'm a sucker for applause. Some of the most genuine comes from the kids I encounter when out and about. After all, if kids hate you, you soon know about it. They tend to give you that dead-eyed stare. My most recent event bears that out - I had the pleasure for the second year running of attending the Kids Lit ...

Here's my latest video - the Biker Goddess stock signing tour to promote Kumari. I spent a day whizzing round the major Central London book stores on the back of a Triumph Bonneville clad only in a sari, a pair of Raybans and a dodgy leather jacket. Move over Isadora Duncan...

Yes folks - here I am in a marvellous centre spread feature by journalist Kate Youde which you can read here. The five page special focuses on what it flatteringly describes as the 'best local writers.' Not sure how Hanif Kureishi feels about being left out but there you are. In case you missed it, there was another piece a couple of weeks ago about my forthcoming event at the shiny new Shepherd's Bush Library. You can read that one here.

Here's me talking about my writing life at the Thoroughly Modern Heroines event which took place at Waterstone's in Notting Hill - beside me are fellow authors Josa Young http://oneappletasted.com and Kate Morris http://katemorris.co.uk. Click on this entry to see the video and for more check out my Youtube channel AmandaLeesTube...

I've just taken part in the first ever Chiswick Book Festival, sitting on a panel chaired by the brilliant author and lecturer Celia Brayfield debating the perfect book group book.  Like many of you out there I ostensibly belong to a book group.  I say ostensibly because I hardly ever manage to make it along. This is not because of any lack of love of books but rather the result of an intense burst of writing that has seen me publish a trilogy and start two completely new projects in a short space of time.  Compared to the other members of the panel and the audience, however, I classify as a wimp.  In one small area of West London there are eleven known book groups and probably many more beavering away anonymously.  Judging by the discussion that ensued, they are well-read, positively keen to overlook hyped up bestsellers and hungry for excellent writing both classic and new. The debate bore out the old adage that you should never underestimate your audience.  Publishers sometimes make the mistake of thinking that dumbed down sells.  Maybe in Dan Brown's case but then he is an exception to every rule.  What was apparent is that people everywhere, from ...

From time to time I emerge blinking from behind my keyboard to meet up with readers and fellow writers.  If you can make it along, it would be lovely to see you there. Here are a few dates for your diaries: Sunday 27th September, 3pm,  I'll be at the first ever Chiswick Book Festival to talk about the perfect Book Club Book along with Celia Brayfield - sadly I won't be able to make the Saturday Children's events as (happily) my best friend is getting married (aaaaaah): http://chiswickbookfestival.org Wednesday 30th September, 7 - 9pm, Waterstones Notting Hill - I'll be talking about Thoroughly Modern Heroines alongside fellow authors Josa Young and Kate Morris: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=101979982767&ref=mf Saturday 17th October, 2.30pm, Shepherds Bush Library - I'll be talking about the Kumari trilogy and giving some writing tips http://www.lbhf.gov.uk/Directory/Leisure_and_Culture/Libraries/Shepherds_Bush_library/14295_Libraries_Shepherds_Bush.asp

I was invited along to the grand civic opening of the new Shepherds Bus library slap bang beside the shiny Westfield shopping centre.  The location is no coincidence as Westfield coughed up a considerable amount of money towards the library as part of the redevelopment plan for the area.  As a staunch supporter of Alan Gibbons' Campaign for the Book I am delighted to see new libraries being built and this is a particularly magnificent example.  There are yards of shiny new shelves - so many that one librarian confessed they have had trouble filling them in time for the opening.  The space is open, airy and light with funky touches of acid greens (I'm beginning to sound like a design programme here) and, best of all, I'm doing an event there on Saturday October 17th, 2.30pm, based on my Kumari trilogy. The actual cutting of the ribbon was carried out by an adorable local schoolboy assisted by an avuncular Jeremy Paxman.  Those of you who like to yell at University Challenge the way I do will realise that avuncular is not an epithet normally applied to Mr Paxman.  He sweetly told this tiny child that he represented the future and he, Paxman, the ...

With that back to school feel in the air I decided it was time to take a look around at what my fellow YA authors were up to web-wise.  After all, you can always learn a few new tricks or, as most writers do, simply nick all the best ideas... And where better to start than with Mr. Alex Rider himself, Anthony Horowitz?  Actually, this part of his site is my favourite - a very cool section on all things Alex.  You can check it out at: http://anthonyhorowitz.com/alexrider/ Next up I paid a visit to the creator of Coraline, one of the best films I have seen all year.  Make that the past ten years.  As you would expect from the multitalented Neil Gaiman, this site is a visual feast full of quirks and surprises.  Do like I did and spend many a happy hour digging through all the amazing content on offer.  You can find it at: http://neilgaiman.com I know that the equally talented Eoin Colfer is keenly interested in all things technical and it shows at his whizzy site.  There's an excellent online game,  The Artemis Fowl Inner Circle, and plenty of useful information alongside an eye-popping design. http://eoincolfer.com Before you think I'm biased, there are a couple ...

I've got an idea.  It's been hammering at me for days, intruding on all sorts of mundane thoughts.  There I am, making up shopping lists in my head when BAM! it's popping up between the veggies and the washing powder.  Even more interesting, this is a revamp of an old idea or at least one I've been mulling over for some time as the basis for my new adult novel.  I've already come up with on heck of a premise and sketched it out on paper.  Now my brain is filling in the twists and turns that, like the layers of an onion, will wrap around the core of the story, ready to be peeled away by the reader. As the legendary Darley Anderson once said to me, all the best ideas need to stew like this.  It's that slow simmer in the mind before you so much as hit the keyboard that will turn a book from mundane to great.  If an idea isn't strong enough it won't survive the process.  If, like mine, it just won't let go then you know you have a winner on your hands.  You need to knock it about, question it, hit it from ...