Novelist Julie Myerson on sharing her children’s secrets: ‘I’ve got in so much trouble’

She was accused of ‘betraying motherhood’ when she was revealed as the author of the Guardian’s Living With Teenagers column. Will her novel about a child with addiction issues reopen old wounds?Few writers have published and been damned with quite the ferocity Julie Myerson was back in 2009 for her memoir The Lost Child. The book, which included descriptions of her 17-year-old son Jake’s cannabis addiction and her painful decision to lock him out of the family home, was debated everywhere from Mumsnet to newspaper opinion pages – “a betrayal of motherhood itself” – and even the House of Commons. Extended family members were doorstepped and Jake was approached by a tabloid to sell his story at a time when he was extremely vulnerable.“A little bit of me broke,” the novelist says, looking back. She was no longer able to drive, and certainly wasn’t able to do live radio or TV (she had been a regular commentator on the BBC’s Newsnight Review). “It was terrible. My anxiety reached peaks that were just unmanageable. It was so shameful for me. I felt I had brought terrible things on my family through my work.” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-05-21 08:00:14 UTC ]
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Dawn Porter to write for Hodder Children's Books

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Thu, 01/09/2011 - 14:45 Hodder Children's Books has bought two teen titles from journalist and presenter Dawn Porter. Publisher Emily Thomas did the deal directly with Porter for a "sizeable" sum. The books are described as "epic stories of an... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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WHS launches share buyback scheme

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 31/08/2011 - 08:15 W H Smith has announced it is embarking on a share buyback scheme worth £50m for the next financial year. It did not disclose reasons for the initiative but it is a similar scheme to one it ran in the 2011 financial year, when... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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One in six children doesn't read a book a month

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Mon, 22/08/2011 - 15:18 One in six children do not read a single book per month, according to a new survey by the National Literacy Trust. The research suggested the United Kingdom is polarised between those who do not read and the one in 10 children... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's Laureate attacks Future Libraries report

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Fri, 12/08/2011 - 08:40 The recently appointed children's laureate Julia Donaldson has condemned the "Future Libraries" report as a "cost-cutting exercise" containing among its recommendations some likely to lead to a deterioration of the service.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July retail growth "modest", amid poor book market

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 09/08/2011 - 09:43 July retail sales saw a modest improvement, according to figures from the British Retail consortium, though book sales fell to their lowest level for seven years with food continuing to outperform non-food items. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 10 Dumbest Things I’ve Heard This Year

When you deal with a lot of people, along with the brilliant stuff comes very dumb stuff as well. Inexperienced voices should be forgiven but when the big and powerful make appalling statements you have to ask yourself how they ever got their jobs.Here are some of the ones that have left me most... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July books spending hits seven year low

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Thu, 04/08/2011 - 15:50 Spending on physical books in July slumped to its lowest level in seven years as ebooks continue to encroach onto traditional bookseller territory. According to Nielsen BookScan data, £111.5m was spent on printed books in the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The 10 Dumbest Things I've Heard All Year

Creative consultant JC Suares shares some of the biggest headscratchers he's heard from editors, publishers and designers. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2011-08-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rasmussen new Macmillan Children's Books m.d.

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-08-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperPress uncovers Empire of Secrets

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Summer Reading scheme "critical" for children's literacy

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Mon, 18/07/2011 - 15:00 The Reading Agency director Miranda McKearney has called for the annual Summer Reading Challenge, which launches its 2011 run today (18th July), to be on every head teacher's school improvement plan. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's publishing "haemorrhaging talent"

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The secrets of Y-Service to Aurum Press

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Andre launches new children's literacy scheme

Written By: Benedicte Page Publication Date: Tue, 14/06/2011 - 08:27 Pop singer turned TV star Peter Andre is joining the ranks of the champions of children's literacy by fronting the launch of a new London scheme. Andre joins London's mayor Boris Johnson at the Botwell Green library and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New children's series launched just for Kindle

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 14/06/2011 - 08:50 Intellectual property agency 1454 has developed a new interactive children's adventure series that will be published exclusively on the Kindle worldwide. It is thought to be the first time a children's series has been produced... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kindle-only children's series launched

Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Tue, 14/06/2011 - 09:00 Intellectual property agency 1454 has developed a new interactive children's adventure series that will be published exclusively on the Kindle worldwide. It is thought to be the first time a children's series has been produced... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's illustrators concerned over UK market

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Fri, 10/06/2011 - 08:14 An up-and-coming children's illustrator has warned that new British talent is being forced to go abroad in search of work as the UK picture book market becomes increasingly conservative. Frann Preston-Gannon, who was recently... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Tue, 07/06/2011 - 15:44 Thanks in part to a "better than half price" deal at Waterstone's, John Grisham tops the Official UK Top 50 for the first time in five and a half years. The Confession (Arrow), the Arkansas-born legal thriller writer's 23rd... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Donaldson new children's laureate

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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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