Showbiz Week

Show biz week for me and my two black jackets – first some free loading at The Orange Prize for female fiction. I was a judge last year which justified my guiltless speed at making the beeline for waiters to fill up my Glass from VERY LARGE bottles of REAL champagne

I arrived with Paul Burston and Dianne Connell – both very talented writers. Dianne and I spilled champagne over Paul at different points of the party – giving him time to dry in between. Dianne smashed a glass and two women moved away. Horrified.

 The winner’s novel by Madeline Miller was a ‘fusion of myth and a love story’ – which excites me – similar to last year’s winner The Tiger's Wife which I like to think is down to me personally. Although so far I haven’t been thanked.

 After several refills I found that joining in other people's conversations was not necessarily the way to go. Well one conversation in particular – trouble is when squiffy, one's brain works faster than one's lips –so one is left stumbling over a sentence when one's brain has already left the room - and the party. You’d think I’d have learned that by now- but what makes life so exciting is that some lessons cannot be learned in a life time

GROUCHO QUIZ NIGHT
As documented - I own two black jackets - both are very similar in the sense they are both black but I wore the other one to the Grouch Quiz hosted by Stephen Fry. He rightly warned against the use of mobile phones – any table found transgressing was to be disqualified and very possibly black listed. For ever.

Victoria Wood answered most questions and what’s more they were correct. I answered the least. I was the eye candy I told them.

 Next week I go to Hay on Wye. http://helenlederer.co.uk/Helen/Hay.html The HOWTHELIGHTGETSIN FESITVAL is very groovy apparently Web: www.iai.tv howthelightgetsin.org Twitter: @HTLGIFestival

 I’m on Thursday 7 June 2.30 at the Globe Venue (MAYBE IM IN A BIG TEEPEE?) I will be on a panel discussing the role of the author and he similitude of the internet. It may not be the similitude but these are the types of words I may employ at different times – it being festival of philosophy and ideas.

 Then on Saturday 9 June at 9 AM!!! so top spot timing wise as you can see - I will be having a chat with lovely poet and publisher, Kathryn Gray
http://www.parthianbooks.com/ twitter.com/parthianbooks …. All about ME ME ME Helen Lederer talks to Kathryn Gray, Saturday 9 June 2012, 9am • Venue: Llwyfan Cymru - Wales Stage 'The comedian, author of Coping with Helen Lederer and Single Minding discusses her new Quick Reads story - A Comedy of Ambition, Dreams, Treachery and Daytime Television' Event Website: http://www.hayfestival.com/

Here's Me, Talking about The Orange Prize

Click here to watch the video

am sounding alarmingly worthy and full of pauses  here -which must be due to a)an extradopnary amount of alcohol  or b) showing off

Orange judging an intense experience increasing my vocabulary and spread of buttocks flesh as I sat in my reading chair to consume 55 books. Worth every second. Tricky to see the novelists who didn’t make the long list or the short list at the 'do'  and who probably hate me personally-but we all fought for our books of choice so we did.