Festivals for Free - Standon Calling

I'm exhausted but happy after an awesome weekend at Standon Calling Festival. I got to go for free in return for volunteering, doing 3 stints totalling 16(ish) hours selling programmes. 

Being local did mean that I wimped out and slept at home Friday - just before a storm hit!) instead of in the tent, but only cos I needed respite from the 33 C heat (and it was nice to use a proper toilet. I won't go into details!). Then Sunday I nipped back to change shorts for leggings to prevent frostbite and rust!

We didn't see Paloma Faith on Friday night after a busy and very hot 4 hour shift knackered us out  but we apparently didn't miss much - she allegedly mimed all but three songs. Which kind of defeats the objective of going to see someone perform live...

George Ezra was brilliant on Saturday

Standing there in the crowd of all ages, I felt that calm, happy peace that good music can bring. Yes it may sound hippyish, but there's a lot to be said for feeling happy (no drugs involved!).

night - local boy (Hertford) done good!

Sunday was fabulous if wet. Yeah, thanks everyone who had been praying for rain - we curse you! After striking camp and taking everything home, Hev had the forethought to bring back the chairs. And changed into entirely inappropriate clothing - shorts & flip flops. Senior moment... (Sorry Hev!)

Music-wise, Marmozets blew everyone away (saw them support Muse in Brighton on the Psycho Tour); The Horrors were cool as ****, then the ultimate in cool, Bryan Ferry finished off the weekend with more hits than I thought I knew, such as Slave to Love, Avalon, Lets Stick Together and the heart breaking Jealous Guy.

Thank God I booked today off work to recover!

Despite it's best efforts, Sunday's rain failed to remove my glitter.

Bryan Ferry. He may be in his 70s, but I still would.

Book Review: Dating an Alien Pop Star by Kendra L Saunders

The Blurb

To blend in among humans and win their favor, a couple of new-in-town extraterrestrials disguise themselves as English pop stars — and kidnap geeky Daisy to help them pull it off.

Twenty-nine-year-old Daisy Kirkwood has only just escaped her small-town life and run away to New York City, the land of last-minute secret gigs at famous musical venues, when she's kidnapped by aliens. Unfortunately, no one ever writes about how to handle alien abduction in those fancy NYC guidebooks.

Griffin and Dev are supermassively sexy aliens from a politically and environmentally troubled planet who arrive on Earth with very little knowledge about human ways other than what they learned from a wayward E! News signal. Their mission is to pretend to be the most influential people on the planet—English pop stars, of course!—and gain the help of a powerful secret society. Upon arriving, they abduct Daisy Kirkwood, a nerdy young woman who loves music but could seriously use a bit of help in the love-life department. Though Griffin and Daisy initially squabble, neither can deny the intergalactic sparks whenever they're too close to each other. Together, they must face murderous aliens, cultural misunderstandings, bad backup musicians, and the dark side of fame and the media, all set against a tight deadline… 

Part High Fidelity, part Bridget Jones' Diary, part Doctor Who, Dating an Alien Pop Star is a sexy romantic comedy.

My Review

If you want some light relief in the form of a funny, insane story involving sexy rock stars, then this is the book for you!

I do like a rock star, it has to be said, so when I found out who and what inspired the author to write this novel, I just had to read it.

I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. The two aliens who abduct the very human Daisy are utterly adorable. The very talented and Griffin is infuriatingly irresistible, as is fellow visitor, devoted Devon, who is lumbered with the responsibility of looking out for his wayward friend. 

The minor characters are not particularly fleshed out, but there is so much going on that it doesn't matter. The pace is fast and as crazy as Griffin's questionable dress sense, but it's anchored by the believable Daisy. She is the voice of reason, the antidote to the madness around her. Whisked away on a roller coaster ride of adventure, she manages to hold onto her sanity, even when she realises she is falling for this weird little alien prince. I loved her. And I loved Griffin. And Devon! 

It's a great observation on our celebrity-obsessed society.

Okay, so it's unlikely to win the Booker prize or thrill the literary luvvies, but I really enjoyed reading this book! It's a thoroughly entertaining read and I'll be reading the sequel, Engaged to an Alien Pop Star, very soon.

You can buy Dating an Alien Pop Star here, and follow the author @Kendrybird on Twitter. She's lovely.

Book Review & GIVEAWAY! A Song for Tomorrow by Alice Peterson

The Blurb
Tom fell in love with Alice the moment he saw her. He realises that being with her will not be easy, but she is a force of nature, a burst of sunlight in his otherwise ordinary world. 

Some people might look at Alice and think she has everything, but Alice knows she is not like other women. Her life is complicated, unpredictable, difficult. Alice does not like pity. All she wants to do, has ever wanted to do, is sing.

Alice has been told not to follow her dreams. So has Tom. But when fate has already dealt a tough hand, it’s time to stop listening to everyone else and only follow their hearts.

My Review

Thank you so, so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for an advanced reading copy of this inspirational, amazing book.

A Song for Tomorrow is an incredible story based on an incredible young woman, Alice Martineau, who wants to be a singer. 

She is beautiful, kind, has a fabulous voice, but there's just one thing in her way. She has cystic fibrosis. But Alice is an unstoppable force...

The story is told from three POVs; mostly Alice, but the occasional chapter from Tom, who falls in love with her at first sight in the opening of the book, and also Alice's mother, Mary, via her diary entries. I found these diary entries heart-rending; as a parent we can feel so helpless in protecting our children, so proud of them, and so very frightened for them.

Alice won't let herself be defined by her disease; she hates it when anyone calls her brave or pities her, but she bites her tongue and is patient with them, even when one vacuous girl envies her for being 'so skinny'. She is haunted by the words of school tormentor Daisy, 'She'll be dead soon!' and teacher Miss Ward 'You will never be a singer', and this drives her on to fulfil her dream.

Alice is supported by her wonderful family, doctor and friends, including the fabulous anti-support group. She convinces music mogul Peter Harris to help her, but will her determination to ignore her condition get in the way of her dream?

Seriously, you have to read this inspirational book. I'm desperate to get my girls to read it; to show them there is so much to live for. Life is precious, it's a gift. Don't throw it away.

You can buy A Song For Tomorrow from Amazon or Waterstones or other retailers....

OR

I'm giving away one beautiful brand spanking new copy of this amazing book! To be in with a chance of winning, follow @alicepeterson1 and me @Vikbat on Twitter AND follow and leave a comment (a nice one!) on this blog (it'll be worth it, I promise!). Entries close at midnight on Friday 17th February 2017.

About the Author 

'I have published two non-fiction books, and eight novels, including the bestselling title, Monday to Friday Man. My latest novel, A Song for Tomorrow, published by Simon & Schuster, will be released in paperback 9th February 2017.

My writing is funny, romantic, powerful and emotional. At the heart of each novel is a love story but I always will include hard-hitting and thought-provoking themes within my storylines – such as addiction and disability. My protagonists often have to overcome adversity, based on my own experience of a professional tennis career cut short at the age of 18 when I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I have never played tennis again, a sadness that will always be with me, but I have very much filled that void with writing. I am drawn to true stories and aim to write with deep compassion, empathy and humour about issues that resonate with my growing readership and that I believe have the potential of reaching and touching millions more.

I live in West London with my handsome Lucas Terrier, Mr Darcy.'