Sarah Webb Newsletter
March/April 2007
Grey, grey, grey. Can’t take
much more of this. Need sun . . . aagh! I’ve
just read Marian Keyes’ diary – she was
in Thailand recently, lucky thing and having
adventures with snakes – IN THE SUN. But, my
friends, I have to tell you I may be off to sunny
Palma in April, following my globetrotting,
sailing boyfriend on his Olympic trail. Palma!
I’m dizzy just thinking about it.
As you may remember from my last
diary (December) Ben (the boyf) is doing an
Olympic campaign, which means he is a/ going to
the gym all the time b/ sailing all the time c/
looking pretty damn fine, not that I actually see
him all that much what with all the a and b.
Sports widows of the world unite!
If you haven’t seen the bold
Marian on You Tube cajoling the Strictly Come
Dancing blokes to do some Irish dancing check
this out – it’s hilarious – pure
Mrs Doyle territory. When I learn how to do a You
Tube link I’ll let you know! Is it just me,
or are all these new sites totally bewildering? I
was thinking I should have a Bebo site until my
son, Sam (12 going on 13) told me I’m too
old. That put me in my place. I’m only in my
thirties!
I’m afraid no photos this
time. Ben is away and I’m so useless with
the camera – I haven’t a clue how to
put them onto the computer. I’ll learn, I
promise. We have no printed photos of the baby
either, and he’s one in April. I hate
digital cameras, they make me feel like a right
eejit!
New Book Looms
 The new book
(When the Boys are Away) is out tomorrow
(officially – I believe it’s in the
shops but I’m too scared to check in case it
isn’t and I get horribly disappointed) and
I’m all a-quiver already. VERY nervous. I
always get like this just before a book comes
out. Will anyone want to read it? Will it get
brutal reviews? Or worse will it get no reviews
at all? Should I get my highlights touched up? At
least I know one answer – yes to my
highlights!
And it’s a good excuse to
get something new to wear. I’ve been looking
in my wardrobe and it’s full of strange
multi coloured chiffoney shirts that I’ve
never worn, woolly cardigans in all colours of
the rainbow (I have a thing about them. I am a
granny at heart. No offence to any grannies out
there of course!), black trousers that I wear for
work in the bookshops – have I ever told you
about my other job? Maybe not.
Here goes - I also moonlight as a
children’s book consultant which keeps me
busy. It’s hard work, but I adore
children’s books and it keeps my book
knowledge fresh. Plus, due to this and also my
role as a children’s reviewer for the Indo I
get to go to dinner with fab children’s
authors and illustrators like Oliver Jeffers
(swoon) who looks like something out of a boy
band, honestly and Jackie Wilson. I even went out
to dinner with Jo Rowling herself once. It was a
most interesting evening and we had a great chat
about being single mothers as bizarrely there
were four of us at the same table!
But back to the clothes dilemma.
My very kind friend, Nicky, a very toned pilates
teacher who has a bulging wardrobe of fab
dresses, lent me 2 slinky black ones and a black
and silver skirt, very unusual, by a Spanish
designer. But woe is me, I don’t fit any of
them. As I used to fit into Nicky’s clothes,
only a year ago (before child no 3), it’s
most depressing. But my size 10 days are gone I
think. I’ll have to embrace my size 12 to 14
with aplomb. Another excuse to go shopping.
Which I did – to Dundrum
– which would have been very scary if it
wasn’t for my lovely sister, Kate who held
my hand and directed me into House of Fraser
where I found a silver grey silk dress (Ted
Baker) with a little matching bolero top, perfect
for the Irish Book Awards Dinner on the 15th
March. March is a great month for ‘dos’
and speaking of which:
That moves us smoothly on to my website’s
latest feature – ta da -
The Launch Lizard
Blog
An occasional report on book launches, lunches
and dinners
Because I do love a good book do!
This is the text of the first blog – so
apologies if you’ve already read it.
I’ve rated the wine, the men and the dresses
– all very nb I’m sure you’ll
agree. I hope you enjoy it!
January
2007
January
16th
Clare
Dowling’s ‘No Strings Attached’
I started off the year’s round of
launches by actually launching a book –
Clare Dowling’s ‘No Strings
Attached’. I was quoted in the Irish Times
(Catherine Foley in the ‘society
pages’) saying it was book about a
‘gifted lover’. Which all sounds rather
interesting. But it’s actually about a
‘jilted lover’! And a damn fine read it
is too.
Who was there – oh, lots of wonderfully
interesting and glam people. Like Brian
Gallagher, script writer for Fair City. Some Fair
City actors, sorry, I’m not very good on
names but one was Shelly (jeepers, I hope it was
Shelly anyway) the bitch, very pretty, dark hair.
Many, many supportive writers including -
Denise Deegan, Martina Devlin, Mary Bond.
And lots of Clare’s family and friends.
On to Café Insane for drinkies afterwards. Of
course, moi had to run home to the baba –
hey, ho!
Favourite dress: Clare’s of
course, a delightfully colourful clingy jersey
dress in shades of red which really suited her
– my God she’s got a great figure!
Wine: a bit plonky but not too bad
Talent (and yes, I mean boys –
this is for all you single gals out there –
not that I actually ever met anyone at a launch
or a book do – well, actually I lie, I did .
. . many years ago I hasten to add! But he was a
guard and gate crashing, but you never can
tell!): Anyway, I digress, the talent was pretty
average (sorry Clare!)
30th
January
My
Dad’s book
Yes,
my Dad launched a book about his firm – he
wrote some of it
100 Years of Quantity
Surveying in Ireland – a fine tome it is
too!
My sister Emma and I arrived a wee bit late,
but in time to hear Dad speak. We were given out
to for putting our wine glasses on top of a
display, but we were only trying to be polite and
turn off our mobile phones!
Lots of quantity surveyors and architect types
there, family and friends.
Favourite dress: Quantity surveyors
aren’t exactly known for their sartorial
elegance. But there were one or two nice dark
grey suits. Mum looked fab in a midnight blue
Chinese jacket she had made on her travels to
somewhere hot – China I think – but
they do travel a lot, my folks! Mainly with
dad’s work jollies, sorry, conferences.
Wine: not bad, in fact quite nice
Food: Very tasty ‘It’s a
Bagel’ nibbles with sweet potato and parma
ham. Except for the dodgy lumps of meat with some
sort of wasabi type goo on them though. (Is that
how you spell wasabi? The hot stuff anyway)
Talent: Surprisingly good – lots
of architects in dark shirts and those square
German glasses; lots of tall, earnest young men
– photographers and the like – turned
out we used to play with one of them when we were
babies. Cute too! Better not name him or my mum
will give out to me, but you if you’re
reading, you know who you are.
Couple of other tres cute men, bit bald for my
taste but that doesn’t bother my sister. Not
that she’s interested, it was only research
you understand.
January
31st
The
Launch of the Irish Book Awards
Tres,
tres glam!
I must tell you about the glitzy launch I was
at yesterday - for the Irish Book Awards.
I'm a judge in the Children's Section with the
lovely Robert Dunbar and John Tracy.
And I met all kinds of interesting people at
the launch - some old friends and some new faces.
Old friends - John Boyne - Boy in Striped PJs
John - lovely guy; Sinead Moriarty - nominated
for her maternity book and best of luck to her,
do vote for her or Marian or Maeve – go
girls!
Cecelia Ahern was there and looking lovely; as
was Anna McParlin who also looked stunning; Paul
Howard, 'Ross O'Carroll-Kelly - who I hadn't
realised is a really good looking bloke!
Who else - Ryan Tubridy, the charming Susan
Walsh from Dubray Bookshops, the lovely Bob
Johnson from Hughes and Hughes, and lots of other
book trade bods. Oh and Bert Wright, my old Eason
and now Hughes uber literary organiser person.
Fab man.
Dermot Bolger gave a short speech on books and
the like.
Myself, Bob and John Boyne were the last to
leave - the shame.
Favourite dress: many, many nice
frocks. Sinead Moriarty wins I think for her
shiny black high heeled boots, teamed with a very
chic tweed dress. She’s so elegant and no
baby puke in sight, even with two babas! Sigh!
OK that’s 3 in January, and that’s a
quiet month! I have a habit, my friends. I am
officially the Book Launch Lizard.
February
It’s been quiet enough for launches. I
have a dinner tonight with a children’s
author called Sharon Dogar, in the Mermaid, nice
place. Will report later . . .
But March will be much busier with – MY
OWN LAUNCH!!! Among other dos – more anon.
The Babas
All well, nothing new to report really. Jago
is crawling, Amy is barking (literally). Half
term was a bit of a trial, with lots of screaming
matches between baby and toddler, but my ears
have just about stopped ringing. Jago is so
shrill.
And finally, to Megan, who tells me
she’s another sports widow, your windsurfing
hubby sounds divine. Any chance of a photo for
the website? Brighten up our days!
All the best for spring and roll
on the summer,
Sarah
XXX
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