Read The Shoe Princess's Guide to the Galaxy Online
Authors: Emma Bowd
Subject: Partners in Crime ... again?!
...Just got the OK from MD on my budget proposal for a new work colleague – starting next year. Can I tempt you to the gates of shoetopia?
J xx
TrashQueenz e-lert
Rumble in the Jungle. Love–hate Brunch with Britain hosts sign up for the new series of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. We wonder how many pairs of Manolos Tamsin’s smuggling in with her?
All welcome to our very first Trash Queenz get-together: An end-of-year party at the Queen’s Park Café, London, NW6 – our unofficial headquarters. Children and dogs welcome. Word on the ground is that you may even spot a shoe princess or two.
Well, I never ...
www.ShoePrincess.com
The Shoe Princess’s Guide to the Galaxy
Continuing with our end-of-year theme, where each of our (many) subgroups of SPs are sharing their collective wisdom with the world (ha!), I’d like to hand you over to the eternally sleep-deprived Funky Mammas for their version.
Here goes ...
•
Sleep when the baby sleeps; slow down; and don’t apologise for it.
•
Accept help, if it’s offered; seek it, if it’s not.
•
Talk, talk, talk to your partner; and listen. Don’t drift.
•
Routine works. It just does.
•
The days (and nights) are very long. But the years are short. Treasure them.
•
Learn to trust your instincts – they’re normally right.
•
Keep physically active and strong. You owe it to yourself.
•
One weekday each week, dress as if you’re going to work (for housemums) or a smart conference (working mums) – you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel and how differently people treat you.
•
Never wear tracksuits or pyjamas outside the front door. Ever.
•
Laugh lots; and always expect the unexpected.
•
You never really know what goes on behind the closed doors of other people’s relationships – never be too quick to judge.
•
Don’t be afraid to sidestep or change careers after having babies – if you ultimately do what you love, and love what you do, there’s no end to where the yellow brick road will lead you.
•
Top ’n’ tail: if budgets (and time) are tight, invest in the best cleanser, tinted moisturiser, mascara, lip gloss, haircut/colour and shoes you can afford for a smart, polished look.
•
Nothing ages you more than old-style jeans – update them, if you can, every two years.
•
Surround yourself with good people. Always.
•
Only wear shoes that make you smile.
•
Wearing high heels, like any elite sport, needs training. If you’re out of form, don’t expect any glory. Downgrade to a style that you feel confident and comfortable in. (Long live the wedge-heel!)
•
Throw out all ill-fitting and cheap shoes. They were a mistake then; and they’re a mistake now.
•
Always seek ways to give; and think of your human-footprint.
•
There IS a goddess in ALL of us.
And finally ...
International Dorothy Day
The Shoe Princess formally decrees that
All loyal subjects in her shoedom shall wear sparkly red shoes
this New Year’s Eve.
In exchange for donating money to any charity working hard for mums,
dads, babies, children, grandparents, carers and their families.
(For ideas see links on SP home page –
there are loads out there doing a fabulous job.)
Until next year,
Au revoir, my gorgeous subjects!
SP xx
Acknowledgements
Oceans of thanks to everyone at Bloomsbury, from the top to the bottom and back again. Especially to Alexandra Pringle for letting my foot in the door. As a first-time novelist, I’m truly staggered by the efforts of so many people in getting a book to print. I shall
never
look at a book in the same way again.
My deep gratitude to the eagle-eyed editors Helen Garnons-Williams, Erica Jarnes and Jenny Parrott for your expertise, enthusiasm and support. Also, to the many readers who have given feedback – all have helped shape what it is today. To my first- and last-drafters, Annabel Morgan (London) and Katrina O’Leary (Melbourne), I’m so very grateful for your generous help and genuine interest. Likewise to the gorgeous Venetia Sarll for your lovely shoe illustrations.
Enormous thanks to Clare Conville for seeing a sassy stiletto in a rather scruffy moccasin, and linking me up with the darling divine Marian McCarthy – editor extraordinaire. To Marian, my humble thanks for your unflinching support of me and this novel from day one to the very end. For your coaching in the craft of writing, attention to detail, and exacting standards I will forever be indebted. For your level-headedness in the face of adversity and especially your hand of friendship in a new town I am truly grateful.
My sincere appreciation to my parents (a constant source of inspiration), family (that’s the whole lot of you – in-laws, outlaws etc) and friends, for your unwavering encouragement during what has been a long and seemingly never-ending project.
And last but not least, my heartfelt thanks to my oh-so-patient husband, Kevin. I would not have been able to do this without you by my side – every step of the way! And to our beloved children, Darcey and Max, I strongly suspect that I would not have been able to write this with such passion without you. Thank you for making me a mum and giving me the best job in the world, in so many ways.
A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR
Emma Bowd was born in 1968 in Australia. She is the
author of
A Passion for Shoes
and
A Passion for Handbags
,
both of which have been international bestsellers and
translated into several languages. She is regularly called
upon to talk about shoes, and has had a guest spot on BBC
Radio 4’s
Women’s Hour. The Shoe Princess’s Guide to
the Galaxy
is her first novel.
Emma worked in London for ten years prior to moving to
Melbourne, where she now lives with her husband and
two young children. She does not believe that you
can
ever
have too many pairs of shoes.
A NOTE ON THE TYPE
The text of this book is set in Bembo. This type was first
used in 1495 by the Venetian printer Aldus Manutius
for Cardinal Bembo’s
De Aetna
, and was cut for Manutius
by Francesco Griffo. It was one of the types used by
Claude Garamond (1480–1561) as a model for his
Romain de L’Université, and so it was the forerunner
of what became standard European type for the following
two centuries. Its modern form follows the original
types and was designed for Monotype in 1929.
Table of Contents