On Yer Bike!

Ping-pong aside, it's now my turn to be excited! Because finally, London's Cycle Hire Scheme is about to begin! And even more thrilling, one of the rental docks is just around the corner from where we live.

The empty rental docks in Kensington.

I haven't had a bike since my uni days (and I'm not going to say how long ago that was). Although I've contemplated several times buying a bike in London to glide through the pathways of the park, I've always come up against a typical London problem: storage. But now -- starting on Friday -- I can round the corner, pop in some change, and cycle my rented bike all the way from Kensington Gardens to Hyde Park and beyond!

The cycle hire sign, ready for its debut this Friday.

Since I'm terrified of traffic, I definitely won't be going on-road. But come next Friday, if you see a blonde streaking past you (not that kind of streaking!) in the park, I'm finally on my bike!

To Prom -- Or Not to Prom

Me and my dearly departing Canadian friend at the opening night of the Proms last night.

It's my favourite time of year: Prom time!

No, it’s not a graduation dance for freedom-drunk teens – it’s one of the biggest classical music events of the year. Started in 1895 with the goal of bringing classical music to the masses, the BBC Proms is an annual eight-week series of concerts by symphonies and orchestras from around the world.

Short for Promenade Concerts, Proms refers to the walking or strolling some audience members used to do inside the hall. Now, it refers to the standing areas in the hall, where you can buy a ticket on the day for only £5. Queue up for access to the Gallery – where you can lounge on the cement floor high above the Royal Albert Hall. Or, you can stay standing at ground level in the Arena. Either way, you can’t get better music at a better price. (Extract from 24 Hours London)

With yet another expat friend heading back to Canada after a three-year stint in London, we decided to mark her departure with a final dose of British culture at the Proms. I've been to loads of Proms -- and the final night at Hyde Park, which has an atmosphere all its own -- but I've never been to the opening night. Due to broken trains, though, we didn't join the queue until around 6:45 pm, by which time it stretched outside the Royal Albert Hall, down a small side street, and back again.

The queue outside the Royal Albert Hall.

Sadly, we didn't get in -- we weren't even close! Still, we managed to drown our sorrows with a final pit-stop in Soho, so all wasn't lost.

The ornate facade of the Royal College of Organists.


The side of the Royal Albert Hall.

The Albert Memorial and the top of the Royal Albert Hall.

Have E-Book, Will Travel

24 Hours Paris is now available as an e-book for Kindle and is coming soon to all good ePub formats near you! :) It's great if you're travelling and don't want to carry your travel books with you. 24 Hours London is next in line.

And in other news, 24 Hours Paris just got another great review, courtesy of Nayu's Reading Corner! Check it out here.

Happy Tuesday!

The Winners!

It's the day after launch and everything went well! Thanks to everyone for all the lovely comments here and on Twitter. I'm over at writer India Drummond's blog today with the top five Paris places for writers. Thanks, India, for hosting me!

And now for the winners of 24 Hours Paris and 24 Hours London!

24 Hours London goes to... Gemma Noon, who prefers London! Here's her reason:
Paris has effortless chic and is, I think, the more refined and grown up of the two cities. London is the more daring. It gets things wrong. it also gets them oh so right. Culturally it is more willing to embrace those that give it a go than its posh neighbour.Paris is chic. London is cool.Hell, I'm still in my twenties. I vote for cool :-)

24 Hours Paris goes to... Virtual Onion, who prefers Paris! Here's the reason:
Hard choice but I'd have to say Paris. It is a city of romance, beauty, 1920s writers and existential debates in little cafes. It inspires and refreshes. It feeds the body and the soul.

If you could both please email me your postal addresses (marshawrites AT gmail.com), I'll get the books out to you! Congratulations!

If you haven't won, don't worry! You can still win a copy of 24 Hours Paris on Me and My Big Mouth. All you need to do is write something in French (hello, Google Translator!) in the comments section and he'll choose the winners on the weekend!

Breathe!

Phew. Well, I did it! I managed to get through the BBC London interview.

I don't know quite why I was so nervous -- I've worked in PR and in journalism. I know how these things go. And I swatted up big time, making up cheat sheets and refreshing my memory. Still, when it came time for the producer to ring me, my hand were cold and clammy and my heart was pounding.

All in all, I think it came out OK. Here's the link to the interview. Fast-forward to about 15 minutes in if you don't want to listen to the whole show, and I'm on! (The link's only up until a week from today.)

In other news, I'll be launching a contest soon for 100 followers -- it may take awhile to actually hit the mark but I really appreciate everyone who's helped me get there even if I've been absolutely rubbish at returning comments! Thanks everyone and stay tuned.

Tomorrow: My new eReader!

On the Radio

I'm going to be on the radio! If you're in London, tune in to BBC London at around 12:15 pm GMT tomorrow (Tuesday) where I'll be talking about late-night London with host Robert Elms. Here's hoping I can form coherent sentences! If you're not in London but you still want to listen, you can listen live here. I'll try to get a clip somehow, too.

And in other news, I've been severely remiss in returning comments and follows and I'm very sorry! I've think I've caught up with the follows but please feel free to give me a nudge.

Happy Monday!

My Favourite Bits

I meant to post this yesterday, but... I forgot! I recently did an interview with Ola Fagbohun of the Diverse Traveller website. Click here to read what I had to say about life, travel and my favourite London bits.

(And watch out for the giant photo...)

Monday, Monday

Happy Monday! It's been dusk-dark all day here, the perfect day for settling down to my edits.

Today, fellow Canadian Luanne has posted a review of 24 Hours London and a few quick questions and answers with me on her blog. Hop on over to read what she has to say!

Snow's A-Comin'!

I know this blog has veered slightly off writing and more towards the random, and I did have a post lined up today all about writing. But there are just too many good stories out there full of gloom and doom about the impending apocryphal snowstorm.

Bet you didn't know snow could cause such distress and titivation! Well, you wouldn't be in the UK then. Since around the week before Christmas, the whole country has been caught in the grip of an icy weather system straight from Siberia. Some parts of the country have even got down to - gasp - minus 15 Celsius. OK, yes, so there have been respectable amounts of snow (i.e., over 15 cm) in Scotland and Northern regions. But in great swathes of the country, whole transit systems have been brought to a standstill by as little as 10 cm of the white stuff.

And tomorrow comes the mother of all: up to 40 cm are predicted in the South, including London. Even by my cynical Canadian standards, that's quite a bit. Southeastern Rail has already reduced their London timetable - and that's before the flakes have even started falling!

So why can't the UK cope? There's not enough grit (salt), people don't know how to drive on slippery roads, and they don't have winter tires. Snow is a rarity these days in London, as are the freezing temperatures, and we've all forgot (myself included) how to deal with it.

Newspapers are awash with the headlines, so I've rounded up a few for your enjoyment! A little bit of schadenfreude never hurts, does it?

Woman and Turkey Still Stranded 17 Days On
Long Night in Store: Snow Strands Shoppers
Leeds University Students Snowed in for Two Days at Pub
UK Snow Map
No Escape as Snow Heads South-East Dum-Dum-DUMMM!

And finally, my personal favourite... Naked Sledging!

Guidebook Writers' London

When I worked part-time in a spa and was nearly dying of boredom at 7 a.m. in the morning, online news websites were my saviours. The Guardian, The Independent and The Times were my main staples and I'd read everything I could, all the while dreaming of having my own book featured there.

And today, my spa-induced vision became a reality! My book is featured in The Times travel section as part of their Guidebook Writers' London article. Not only that, but I'll actually get to invade their offices in Wapping and take part in a live Question and Answer on Thursday for an Insiders' London feature.

Yay!

Back to Canada

No, I'm not going back to Canada. But I'm there virtually, anyway. Today I'm answering questions on Classroom Canada and Canadians in the UK. What is there to do in London at 2 a.m.? How on earth did I go from teaching to recruitment to writing? Have a read to find out!

Canberra Calling

It's been awhile since I've seen my name in newspaper print. I trained as a journalist and spent a few scintillating years working as an editor of a medical journal before bailing out and going into the wonderful world of public relations.

So I was eager to see a copy of an article I wrote for the Canberra Times (if, like me, your geography is questionable, Canberra is the capital of Australia). The article came out last Sunday and I finally got a PDF last night. Thanks to Mary and Peter Nelson, friends of my parents living in Canberra, I'll have a hard copy as soon as the post obliges.

In the meantime, here's the link!

24 Hours London - The Oscar Speech

Well, it's launch day and there's a plethora of activities going on -- including my 24 Hours Twitter Marathon (and yes, I have been up since 5 a.m. so please ignore any typos, etc).

Being a travel book and all, I didn't get to do an acknowledgments page. But there are, of course, loads of people I want to thank. So... here they are!

The Man: for encouraging me to try to do my writing thang, seeing through my feeble excuses, poking me in the butt and, in general, motivating me to actually start doing what I want!

Friends and Family: for not telling me I was a complete loon when I dropped my corporate job to start writing.

Blog, Twitter and WAG friends (India, Elle, Nancy, Tim, Deniz, and loads of others I'm sure I'll remember at 3 a.m. tonight): for understanding writer angst and isolation, for helping me to procrastinate, for lifting my spirits and providing a great sense of community. And for writing reviews on short notice!

Prospera Publishing (my publishers): for being so great to work with!

And finally...

Mike Harling and Toni Hargis: for endorsing and promoting the book, and being really really helpful! If they ever decide to retire from writing, they definitely have a career in book promotion!

Coming up later tonight... '24 Hours in Your Neck of the Woods' Round-Up Post and Winner!

One More Week!

Woohoo! One more week 'til my book launch (and then I'll shut up about it... sort of!).

Still one more week, too, for you to enter my '24 Hours in Your Neck of the Woods' contest for the chance to win a copy of the book and a very lovely, highly fashionable white T-shirt.

Click here for more details.

Tweet, Tweet!

Twitter is a wonder. Highly addictive, it's not only a great way to tell the world about the cheese sandwich you just ate, it's also an ideal way to network with people across the world.

Since January, I've met some lovely writers through Twitter. Tweeting yesterday, one suggested the idea of a 24-hour Twitter marathon to promote my book. I like a challenge. So, I'm going to do just that!

On November 4, beginning at 5 a.m., I'll tweet London tips from my 24 Hour account, once or twice an hour, every hour until the following morning. Lots of coffee and a fair bit of nervous energy should help me through it! I'll also stream the tweets through my blogs - and retweet it from my personal Twitter account - so those who don't feel like becoming Twitter addicts can follow along.

Make sure to check in on November 4th anyway, when I'll be posting the links of all who participated in my giveaway contest (see sidebar) and announcing the winner!

24 Hours in Your Neck of the Woods

A big THANK YOU (again!) to Michael Harling, author of Postcards from Across the Pond: Dispatches from an Accidental Expat, for the hilarious post today (24 Hours Horsham) on his blog in tribute to my book. And for the great idea of writing up a 24 hours in the place where you live!

I know a good idea when I see it (er, I think). So, I'd like to invite you to write up 24 hours in the place where you live. Don't worry about filling in every hour (Lord knows we do need to sleep!) but hit the highlights of what you like to do in your locale. Post it on your blog, then send the link to marshawrites@gmail.com -- or you can post it in the comments section below. If you don't have a blog but you still want to take part, you can send it to me an email.

Then, on my book launch day (two weeks from today, November 4), I'll post all the links of everyone's 24 hour day and a run-down of what everyone's written. If you like, you can post the results on your blog, too -- that way we can share the link love.

And... one lucky person will win a '24 Hours London' T-shirt, direct from the UK (alright, Holland, where it was actually produced. But it'll come through the post from the UK!), along with a copy of the book!

I'm looking forward to learning about where you live!

Contest closes at 5 p.m. GMT Wednesday, 4th November.

I'm Number Three! I'm Number Three!

Before I get too excited about being -- ahem -- number three, I suppose I should place it in its rightful context. First of all, it's on Amazon, known for its rises and falls in rankings at the drop of a hat. Secondly, it's in a very specific category: future releases for London guide books. Still, I'm excited. Until I drop back down to 3 million in sales rankings, that is!





(and yes, I'm back from Cairo! Great trip; more to follow...)

My Life is Now Complete

I may have been known to utter, once or two, several sort of snide remarks about our new London mayor. Maybe some comments about his hair, or something.

But I retract all of that in glorious technicolour. Because today, Boris Johnson, our esteemed Mayor of London, gave me a blurb endorsing my book (24 Hours: London, in case you didn't know).

I sent his office off a review copy about three months ago now. When I didn't hear back, I just chalked it up to being caught up the the slow-moving cogs of bureaucracy -- or even thrown away in a rubbish bin in City Hall somewhere.

But two weeks ago, I got an email from a very helpful press officer who said he'd just been passed my letter, the Mayor would be happy to comment, and could I please send another review copy? It being Friday night, I danced around a bit, texted my publisher, then had a big glass of wine. Of course I knew this didn't mean we'd: a - get a comment in the next month or two; or b - get a comment we could actually use (I feared it might be too generic to even have any punch).

Two weeks passed. The press officer reassured me he was on the case, but I was starting to fear the worse. Who knew what dangers and delays lurked in City Hall?

Then, half an hour ago, I got the email. With the blurb!


London Mayor Boris Johnson says:

This is a nifty guide for Londoners and tourists alike. There are some brilliant tips whether you have just a day to spare, or much longer to enjoy what the capital has to offer. London has some of the most famous landmarks and attractions on earth, so use this book to discover some of our city's less well-known delights.

My faith has been restored! My life is complete!

OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. But I am pretty damned happy right about now. Yes, my cynical self knows that of course the Mayor of London is keen to promote his city, and himself. But hey, if he does so by endorsing my book, hopefully boosting sales (and maybe credibility, depending on political persuasions), who am I to complain?

What? Tuesday?

When you don't need to leave the house to go to your job, the days tend to blur together -- especially when you work on the weekends, too! I can't believe it's already Tuesday. The weekend passed in a blur of Paris research for the next in the '24 Hours' series, X-Factor (yes, I am a sucker for the show) and sun. September is such a great month in London; the sun actually makes a prolonged experience and everything is crisp (except for the air on the Tube).

My days lately have been divided up into three parts - the first part of the morning for my fiction, then Paris research, then book promotion for 24 Hours: London. I think I've got over my initial cringe factor fear. I had to, anyway! And I have to say that people have been very helpful and the response has been positive (thanks Scott, Toni, Mike and Tim!). Although I think I'm a pretty good writer (pride cometh before a fall, I know), it's always hard when you put yourself out there to be judged, even if it is a non-fiction piece. And who knows, maybe next week I'll get a nasty review or something, but for now I'm happy people like the book!

So what's coming up? Well, the book is launched October 30th, so now I'm busy trying to garner reviews and quotes etc. I've posted out some promotional postcards to 50 independent bookshops across London (God love VistaPrint!) and I'm printing up some more. It's full steam ahead! You may even see me outside a Tube or train station doing a spot of book busking (I'm exaggerating but hey, might be a good idea).

And... I guess that's where the week went!

24 Hours: London - The Promotion Begins!

As I may have yammered on about a few thousand times or so, I have a book coming out! 24 Hours: London will be available UK-wide on October 30, 2009, and in Australia and New Zealand just in time for Christmas!

So is this just what the world needs, another guide book on London? Well... yes! This is a different take on London -- an around-the-clock guide to what's on, when. Awake at five? How about some outdoor fishing in the heart of the city. Want to climb a castle? You can do that, too. Or if you can't sleep, head on over to East London for a 24-hour beigel shop.

Intrigued? (Please say yes!) Well, every day until the book launches on October 30, I'll be posting a top tip on a dedicated blog to the wonderful city of London (and of course my book)! Click here to go there! You can follow the tips on Twitter, too. And please head over to the 24 Hour City Guides Fan page on Facebook (because right now I have only one fan - me!).

And don't worry, I'll keep you updated!