Dear Carmen,

I chose English literature as my subject, and my topic is a bit complicated: How has the portrayal of London changed in English Literature from the 19th till the 21st century, especially in the eye of Charles Dickens: Oliver Twist, Virginia Woolf: Mrs Dalloway and Carmen Reid: The Personal Shopper?

I am honoured!

Many of you lovely people have been dropping me a line to say how much you’re enjoying catching up with Annie again in How Not To Shop. Here are just a couple of messages.

Carmen…….just finished reading “Did the Earth Move?”, I have read all your others as well…..I must say, they are brilliant. The characters seem to weave their way into my psyche all day long until I can pick up the book again and see what is actually happening. I hate for them to end, like losing a friend. Write faster! I will be going through withdrawal! Mary R.S.

I have just come back from a week’s holiday in Scotland and although the weather was wet and windy I loved it. mainly because i spent the week reading first “the personal shopper” and then I rushed to Aberdeen to buy “late night shopping” i finished them both and am now a HUGE fan and can’t wait to read more. Thank you for making my holiday so fantastic i literally couldn’t put the books down. Thank you Heather x

(Heather, trust me, I felt your rain pain. I always tell people to holiday in Scotland in May, June or September. That’s when we get our good weather. July/ August is monsoon season on the west coast!)

Just three days before, my desk was underneath! I moved the desk to let the decorators in. They took down all the layers of paint and woodchip on the ceiling and several hours later: CRASH!! Obviously the woodchip had been holding the very water stained plaster together.

Right now, my house is like a bad relationship. I keep working away at it, hoping it will get better, but it just keeps on letting me down… I think we’re now at the couple counselling stage, just a few more rotten joists and it will be irretrievable breakdown, I tell you.

Nevertheless… a huge thanks to every single, wonderful reader who rushed out and bought Late Night Shopping to find out what Annie Valentine gets up to next.

The book has spent week after week in the bestseller charts and I really am incredibly grateful. Thank you!

And good news for all those very nice people who emailed to say: ‘There will be more from Annie won’t there?!’

Yes, there will! The next instalment of Annie’s adventures is due out in summer 2009. If that seems too long to wait, then I’d suggest taking a peek at ‘Did The Earth Move?’ my second book (if you haven’t already), because I can’t help feeling that the heroine, Eve, is a bit of a prototype Annie and I think you’d probably like her a lot.

Here is a photo of the gorgeous, gorgeous cover. Not only do you get to find out what Annie is up to next… (highly interesting and entertaining, believe me) but you get a choice of freebies (Annie would definitely approve!).

If you buy your Late Night Shopping in Sainsbury’s, you get a lovely pink Bombay Duck luggage label attached. If you buy your copy anywhere else (other supermarkets, bookshops etc.) you have the chance to win a truly fabulous spa holiday to Tuscany!! It’s tricky isn’t it?? Pink luggage label in your hand… or chance at the dream destination. Decisions, decisions… or why not just buy two copies? Go on! Then you’d make me and my publishers so very, very happy!

I really hope you enjoy the new read. (And in July comes a book by me for your little sisters or older daughters. I’ll keep you posted)