The Lady Magazine

26 February 2016

Dear Readers, camera press ♦ WIN: Two pairs of tickets to Last Night of the Spring Proms at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 2 April – plus complimentary programme and drinks and one of five £50 National Garden Gift Vouchers. ♦ MAKE: Smoked trout with kedgeree pilaf. Anjum Anand shares healthy-start breakfast recipes. Have you ever thought of writing a book? Perhaps you have family stories to tell that could form the backbone of a tense blockbuster? It’s a cliché, but it’s true: it is never too late to start. After all, some of our finest authors were late bloomers. The writer of The Camomile Lawn, Mary Wesley, for instance, didn’t publish her first adult novel until she was 71, and then there was no stopping her. Jeffrey Archer, of course, is a master of the craft and has sold over 275 million copies, which is why I am utterly delighted that he has penned a piece for us revealing the secrets of how to write a bestseller. In readiness, I spent the last week reading his gripping Clifton Chronicles series while on a minibreak to the south coast. From the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill to an old-fashioned ‘holiday camp’ at Bognor, it was an English treat, and I ate lots of things that I fear our stunning cover star, Diana Moran, would advise against. Still, you need carbohydrates when the wind blows off the Channel. Or you need to hop over the water instead and choose one of the much sunnier spots offered by our enticing European Breaks special… Until next time, best wishes, Sam Taylor