Penny Smith – författare

A darkly comic novel about the fall and rise of a TV presenter. Written by an insider, it’s a page-turning account of life on the sofa and in front of the cameras.When Katie Fisher, morning TV presenter, returns from holiday it's to discover that she's literally yesterday's news. Publicly sacked from her job as anchor of Hello Britain! and replaced by a pert young thing, she does what any self-respecting thirty something would in these circumstances – she makes a dash for her parents and hits the bottle.But Katie, sooner or later, has to face the world, the photographers, and the backstage intrigue of morning television: the cut-throat, lecherous producers, the ambitious but vacant Keera, and Mike, her co-host, a trustworthy friend or just another one of the many back-stabbers? Humour is Katie's only weapon and, as things hit rock-bottom, it could provide a perfect solution to life after the sofa.Knowing, insightful and darkly comic, Penny Smith's novel is the insider's view of TV.

A darkly comic novel about the fall and rise of a TV presenter. Written by an insider, it’s a page-turning account of life on the sofa and in front of the cameras.When Katie Fisher, morning TV presenter, returns from holiday it's to discover that she's literally yesterday's news. Publicly sacked from her job as anchor of Hello Britain! and replaced by a pert young thing, she does what any self-respecting thirty something would in these circumstances – she makes a dash for her parents and hits the bottle.But Katie, sooner or later, has to face the world, the photographers, and the backstage intrigue of morning television: the cut-throat, lecherous producers, the ambitious but vacant Keera, and Mike, her co-host, a trustworthy friend or just another one of the many back-stabbers? Humour is Katie's only weapon and, as things hit rock-bottom, it could provide a perfect solution to life after the sofa.Knowing, insightful and darkly comic, Penny Smith's novel is the insider's view of TV.

The brilliant second novel from GMTV’s Penny Smith. A sequel to `Coming Up Next’, Katie Fisher’s back in front of the cameras, but not exactly on the sofa.Katie Fisher, one-time presenter of breakfast TV show Hello Britain!, nearly has her life in perfect order. She's recovered from her humiliating dismissal, improved her relationship with the drinks cabinet and, most importantly, found a gorgeous new TV producer boyfriend. But her dream job as a chat show host has come to an end and there doesn't seem to be much work around - she's starting to get worried.Then she's offered a place on Celebrity X-treme - the latest celebrity-humiliating reality show. But is a reality TV program really a good idea? Will it save her career or be the final blow? And just how tempting are two weeks in a freezing cabin in Norway, with a group of people no one's quite heard of? Very tempting - when the pay check is that big.So Katie takes the risk - along with a page 3 model, an out-of-work soap actor, an old, failed comedian and some woman who had an affair with a politician. She's soon out of her depth, as scheming producers do everything in their power to get the show they want - it's going to take all Katie's good humour and bad puns to bounce back from this one.

The riotously funny new novel from Penny Smith.Miranda Blake is divorced. At 45, things are starting to head south. She’s toying with the idea of Botox. Toying with the idea of facial surgery. And toying with getting a job or possibly a toy boy. The only block to all those things is her stiff, uppity daughter, 23-year-old Lucy. Pompous, is what Miranda calls her. (Sane, is how Lucy sees it.)Her friends are trying to set her up with a collection of bankers and company directors… Similar types to her ex-husband, Nigel (Nigel – just saying his name makes her wince) and every new date ends in disaster. So, one summer's day, Miranda decides to go and help clean out a local canal. She falls for Alex, a dreadlocked eco-warrior. But Lucy does not approve, and sets about sabotaging the relationship. She succeeds…Miranda, heartbroken, goes on holiday to Spain. But there, things only go from bad to worse – she falls in with a bad crowd, and is soon way out of her depth. What is it they know about Alex and his family? How is the wealthy recluse, and island owner, David Miller involved in their dodgy business activities?Aboard a glamorous yacht, hosting an award ceremony with former breakfast TV star Katie Fisher, Miranda might be in more trouble than she ever could have imagined. Will Alex get there in time to save her?

A riotously funny novel from Penny Smith.Miranda Blake is divorced. At 45, things are starting to head south. She’s toying with the idea of Botox. Toying with the idea of facial surgery. And toying with getting a job or possibly a toy boy. The only block to all those things is her stiff, uppity daughter, 23-year-old Lucy. Pompous, is what Miranda calls her. (Sane, is how Lucy sees it.)Her friends are trying to set her up with a collection of bankers and company directors… Similar types to her ex-husband, Nigel (Nigel – just saying his name makes her wince) and every new date ends in disaster. So, one summer's day, Miranda decides to go and help clean out a local canal. She falls for Alex, a dreadlocked eco-warrior. But Lucy does not approve, and sets about sabotaging the relationship. She succeeds…Miranda, heartbroken, goes on holiday to Spain. But there, things only go from bad to worse – she falls in with a bad crowd, and is soon way out of her depth. What is it they know about Alex and his family? How is the wealthy recluse, and island owner, David Miller involved in their dodgy business activities?Aboard a glamorous yacht, hosting an award ceremony with former breakfast TV star Katie Fisher, Miranda might be in more trouble than she ever could have imagined. Will Alex get there in time to save her?

The riotously funny, and startlingly true, new novel from Penny Smith.The riotously funny new novel from Penny Smith.Miranda Blake is divorced. At 45, things are starting to head south. She''s toying with the idea of Botox. Toying with the idea of facial surgery. Toying with getting a job. Toying with getting a toy boy. The only block to all those things is her stiff, uppity daughter, 23 year old Lucy, who takes after her father. Pompous, is how Miranda describes it. (Sane, is how Lucy sees it.) Her son, Sam, is taking an extended gap year. He''s 21 and been backpacking since he left school at 18 with a clutch of A levels. Her friends are trying to set her up with a collection of bankers and company directors… similar types to her ex-husband, Nigel.Nigel – just saying his name makes her wince. How on earth could she have ever married Nigel, let alone have sex with him? It must have been the pheromones, or the hormones – possibly just the fact that she could not be bothered to get a job and her parents were having a go at her.Every new date ends in disaster now. So, one summer''s day, Miranda decides to go and help clean out a local canal, where she falls for Alex, a dreadlocked eco-warrior, and things start to get complicated…

First published in 1999, this edited collection of essays explores various perspectives on making rights work in South Africa, Canada, the USA and the UK, along with pieces on gender, political, LGBT and British legal rights. The volume was inspired by recent strides forward at the time, including the South African Constitution adopted on the 8th of May 1996, and sought to provide a snapshot of rights debates at the time.

First published in 1999, this edited collection of essays explores various perspectives on making rights work in South Africa, Canada, the USA and the UK, along with pieces on gender, political, LGBT and British legal rights. The volume was inspired by recent strides forward at the time, including the South African Constitution adopted on the 8th of May 1996, and sought to provide a snapshot of rights debates at the time.