Tuesday, October 30, 2012

The Search for Anne Perry

 
The Search for Anne Perry

By Joanne Drayton

Anne Perry is known as a best-selling writer of historic crime fiction. In 1994 the revelation that she was, in fact, Juliet Hulme, the teenager who along with Pauline Parker was convicted for murdering Pauline's mother, shocked the world and turned Anne's new life upside down. Anne Perry was understandably cautious when it came to allowing interviews, especially as most focused on the murder, so it was an absolute coup for New Zealand writer Joanne Drayton to gain permission to write this biography and have the opportunity to spend time with Anne. The result, in my opinion, is a fascinating insight into the woman and her writing.

Drayton has approached the work as a biography of Perry's writing, weaving in the events of her childhood, illness, the murder and her imprisonment in a way that neither sensationalises nor minimises it, and that lets the reader see how Anne Perry expressed elements of her past through her characters and writing. In this biography we see her all-consuming friendship with Pauline Parker and the events that lead up to that fateful day. We also see how she rebuilt her life in another identity, how vital her novel writing was to that and the impact of her past life being revealed and fears of how people would now perceive her.

I found The Search for Anne Perry to be a fascinating and sensitive biography, but also one that asked and answered the hard questions.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Well heeled...or not

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Mine came while fencing at the National Champs in Christchurch, in the women's teams gold medal match, I was fencing the Commonwealth champion, we were in the lead when...SNAP...good bye Achilles tendon.

An operation and an enormous plaster cast later I find my self laid up for the next 6 weeks, and then the long road of rehab.

So what am I going to do for all that time, going stir crazy on the sofa, not being allowed to be up and about? Got a few ideas and they involve a lot of catching up on reading, and writing (woohoo - perfect opportunity to concentrate on the new novel) and some blogging. I know I've been very slack of late, life has been insanely busy, but I now find myself forced to slow down and given a chance to catch up on a few things I have neglected.

Pretty dramatic way of getting a break!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

All the best, Bill...

On Saturday night I had the pleasure of mixing and mingling with friends and booky people at the University Book Shop for Bill Noble's retirement do. It was great to see the affection and esteem everyone held for Bill and what he has achieved as a book seller.

Bill Noble talking to his adoring crowd.

Anyone who reads this blog will now I loooove the University Book Shop - it's my home away from home, and Hubby reckons I must be a shareholder by now, because I spend way too much money in there. I love UBS because it is a fabulous book shop - I'll often pop in just to breathe the books, and I love UBS because it is so supportive of its local writers. The fabulous staff recommend our books, and they have a big table, right in front of the door where everyone who walks in has to trip over the NZ latest releases. I've loved having my book launches there - they let you drink wine and eat food amongst the books! (They say the wine loosens people's wallets) They look after me so well.

So farewell, Bill. Thanks for everything! And looking forward to UBS with a new captain at the helm.