It’s finally hit the day my upcoming title for tweens Girls Only is to release, and I’m looking forward to that final bite of the cherry for any author; seeing your book on shelves in actual bookstores. (And then quietly moving each copy from the dark corner at the back of the store that they were originally positioned in, up next to Bryce Courtenay and Dan Brown at the front.) A ritual I will be reminding my mother and close friends to also kindly partake in.
It’s my third book, and a follow up to my last title for girls nine to twelve years called Girl Secrets. Girl Secrets was all about the good and the not so good times of growing up, and finding a way to feel comfortable in your own skin. Girls Only is a more glittery affair, on how to host the ultimate girls night in. Covering invitations, costumes, activities, recipes and take-home treats for the modern-mini-party-planner.
With memories of my own Zoolander style dance-off routines to John Farnham’s ‘Take the Pressure Down’, goo infested haunted house parties, movie marathons set to a Cyndi Lauper soundtrack, and make-overs with mums stayfast lipstick which we cunningly thought also doubled as a blush and eyeshadow (but true to it’s name, is impossible to remove.) I knew I was the right woman for the job…
My top tween party tips…
• Really help out your host, she will love you for it.
• Set yourselves up in a room that won’t keep the rest of your family awake, if you will all stay up gossiping until dawn. (This is almost certain.)
• Try not to load up on three kilos of sugar within five minutes of arriving at the party. Snack on some healthy nibbles too.
• Arrange all of your bedding needs, as well as drinks and snacks, before the party, so you can relax when your guests arrive.
• Regardless of your party theme, always have a DVD or two on hand. Even if you won’t catch a word of it due to all of the chatter…
Until we next blog…
The Random Blog 