Eat Fast Slim by Amanda Hamilton

Even though I often "book blog" I don't often write here about the many diet books I read,  but I've just finished Eat Fast Slim by Amanda Hamilton on my kindle and I was absolutely desperate to tell you about it.

I'm sure you have heard by now all about   fasting diets- I've read several books about it. But I didn't feel the urge to tell you about any of those. This one is different because apart from anything else, it's actually really fun to read and I reckon even  if you have no interest whatsoever in diet or nutrition, you'd enjoy this book- just as a book.

If, however, you are like me and have read loads of stuff and have tons of diet books gathering dust along with all your manuals you have collected from Slimming World and WeightWatchers, then you will absolutely LOVE it.

I think this is the third fasting diet book I have read this month, and if you are thinking of giving fasting a go, then this is the one to go for.


You may be familiar with Amanda already from television. She was very funny on Something for the Weekend with Tim Lovejoy . I also enjoyed the programme Spa of Embarassing Illnesses where she was so patient  and kind with the participants. She's the opposite of  those shouty personal trainer types that you get on the biggest loser and programmes like that. I loathe those beligerent shouty types, don't you? I always wonder what their problem is, choosing a job where you want to shout at people for a living and tell them they are tubs of lard or that if you ever eat carbs you have failed  in life and you may as well end it all now.

But reading Amanda's book, you see she's not like that at all. It's brilliantly funny, her humour shines through and  it's so thorough and  thoughtful. The scientific research is fascinating but presented in an accessible way and it really is a book for all. It has great information for all types of dieters- (I'm a "Monday Dieter" - and I love Amanda recognises we all do it differently) and if you are really into your fitness then it's for you too. Even if you are a body builder.
 It's for men, women everyone. And the recipes are great and there's lots of them.
There's fascinating stuff about hormones and what to eat at various times in your cycle. As well as the 5:2 dieting pattern you may be familiar with where you eat 500 calories for two days a week, there's several different types of fasting plans including a 16:8 fasting plan which may suit you better- it involves skipping one meal. I think this is the one I am going to go for, but there's lots of room for trial and error so I guess I'll just see what suits. It seems so easy to follow. And of all the books I have read about fasting, Amanda is the most qualified and informed. This is the "meatiest" one I have read and like I say it's a book for everyone.  There's a chapter about meditation which I enjoyed and it even references Father Ted's Mrs Doyle!  I mean, how can you not love a book which has Mrs Doyle in it.
If you fancy reading the first chapter  click here. Ah go on, go on , go on , go on, go on, go on.

P.S I also found out Amanda has a weight loss programme that I may sign up for if you fancy having a look at that. I'll let you know how I get on!

An interview with Kat French

Author Kat French tells me all about Undertaking Love  on the eve of it's publication AND she says rude words. Bonus.

The moment love-phobic Marla Jacobs discovers that the shop next to her Little White Wedding Chapel is to become a funeral parlour, she declares all-out war.

Marla’s chapel in the sleepy Shropshire countryside has become a nation-wide sensation, but the arrival of Funeral Director Gabriel Ryan threatens everything Marla has worked for. She can picture the scene: wedding limos fighting for space in the street with hearses; brides bumping into widows; bouquets being swapped for wreaths

Marla’s not going down without a fight. 

What inspired Undertaking Love?

It started out as idea to enter a Mills & Boon writing competition, but quickly grew in terms of word count and characters into something that didn't fit their guidelines. By that stage I loved it too much to stop, so I carried on to see where it took me. After trying for quite a while to make my voice fit the M&B house style, it was great fun to just let go and write something that really felt like me. It was liberating to have the freedom to swear and say cock if I wanted to! 

On Shropshire…

The Shropshire countryside is stunning! We live a stone's throw away and spend a lot of time there, so it was a natural location for me to set the book in. 

Who would you cast as Marla & Gabe?

Gabe is easy for me to cast, I've had a pic of Aidan Turner pinned to my desktop throughout the writing of Undertaking Love. He's perfect for it - that gorgeous irish accent, a beautiful smile, and Gabe's gypsy black curls.

Marla I'm not so set on. Someone beautiful and red headed. Isla Fisher maybe, or Karen Gillan?

Will we hear more from the Beckleberry High St  characters on the future?

I don't have any plans as yet, but never say never!

What else are you up to?

Saucy! 

I write romantic comedy as Kat French and erotic romance as Kitty French, and at the moment  I'm in the finishing stages of self publishing my second erotic novel. 

My first book, Knight & Play  has done really well on amazon and is part of a duo, so this next book, Knight & Stay, is the conclusion of that story. I feel very lucky to have a for in both traditional publishing and self publishing - it's the best of all worlds.

Undertaking Love is available to buy by  clicking here. 

And you can chat to Kat on facebook  here  and on twitter here. 

Upcycled bookcase

Just about finished the spare bedroom/office/ workshop.
I had a really old, cheap, rickety bookcase which I painted with an egg shell gloss. I wallpapered the hardboard on the back with leftover wallpaper and put an end to the ricketyness with lots of screws.
Now it's really sturdy and Betty Boop likes it so much, she is doing the splits!

Undertaking Love by Kat French

I don't know if you saw the post a while back, but I entered a competition with Harpercollins to come up with the title for a new book by author by Kat French.

And I only flippin won it! And if that wasn't exciting enough, I also won a bookshelf full of books! 

Undertaking Love by Kat French

So, you can imagine how excited I am to tell you that Undertaking Love  is being published by HarperCollins this month and you can pre-order it  on Amazon for 99p! 

The moment love-phobic Marla Jacobs discovers that the shop next to her Little White Wedding Chapel is to become a funeral parlour, she declares all-out war.

Marla’s chapel in the sleepy Shropshire countryside has become a nation-wide sensation, but the arrival of Funeral Director Gabriel Ryan threatens everything Marla has worked for. She can picture the scene: wedding limos fighting for space in the street with hearses; brides bumping into widows; bouquets being swapped for wreaths

Marla’s not going down without a fight. She enlists a motley crew of weird and wonderful local supporters, and the battle lines are drawn. But, as soon as Marla meets her nemesis, she realises just how much trouble she’s really in. His gypsy curls and Irish lilt make her stomach fizz – how is she supposed to concentrate on destroying him, when half the time she’s struggling not to rip the shirt off his back?

Funny, romantic, and dangerously sexy, UNDERTAKING LOVE is a delightful debut from an exciting new voice in Women’s fiction.

It's already racing up the charts, and I'm not surprised, I've had a sneak preview and read as much as I am allowed to and it's really is great! And it's not just me who thinks so- The Sun newspaper have  chosen it as their ebook of the week! It's available to pre-order  on Amazon here. What are you waiting for? 

Decorating

Moved into to new place three weeks ago now and think I will decorating for a while- Everywhere needs decorating! The living room is done now so have moved onto the small bedroom.

Euuuwwwwwww!

Gets worse before it's gets better! 

Wallpaper off, carpet up, woodwork painted- ready to wallpaper!

Nearly there- a before and almost after! 

 I'm still looking for inspiration for the hall and other rooms. I love this striped wallpaper from Next which I think will look great in the hall, stairs and landing. Stripe wallpaper is going to be a lot easier to hang and match than an intricate pattern in those tricky high up landing places! 

Promenade Teal Band Stripe Wallpaper from Next £15

Also spotted this seaside deck chair cushion from Next. 

Reversible Deck Chair Print Cushion £12

What do you think? 

Polly The Vintage Caravan

I want to introduce you to Polly The Vintage Caravan.  Isn't she lovely?
Polly is a  French styled shabby-chic 1960's vintage caravan. She has been professionally sprayed in a gorgeous slipper white and French green blue exterior.

'

And look inside! 

There's more lovely pics on Polly's website  here  http://www.pollythevintagecaravan.com/where you can find out how you can book a vintage caravan for for weddings, secret tea parties, girly glamping and hen do's, events and photoshoots. Also for tailor made events include childrens madhatter tea parties, country garden tea parties, business promotion and T.V. productions . You can also  find her on twitter here https://twitter.com/pollyvintage

 

1980s Wallpaper Borders

Remember I told you yesterday how horrific some of the "features" in my new house were?
Well, feast your eyes on this!
Can anyone tell me what the 80s obsession with wallpaper borders was all about?  I mean, Christ on a bike, just look at them! Why, would anyone ever think this was a good idea?
And whoever bought this must have had a job lot because they are bloody everywhere. And I mean  everywhere.

There's borders where I am sure you really shouldn't have them. Like here.

Anaglypta and pastel floral borders. Why? 

And wait til I show you the carpets! :)