The lovely Rick Stein came in to see us last week to film this short video clip about his new book and BBC 2 series Rick Stein’s Far Eastern Odyssey.

Rick travels all over the Far East covering the cuisine of Cambodia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bali and Thailand and the book is packed with 150 brand new recipes guaranteed to spice up your cooking!

Clare - Senior Marketing Executive

Birth and Beyond by Yehudi Gordon. Sensitive and wise, Yehudi Gordon prepares all mums-to-be with advice on having the birth you want and giving your baby the best possible start in life.

Look inside this book

Chosen by Julia - editor

I think it’s been around 6 or 7 weeks since we started the balcony garden project, and despite hailstorms and heatwaves, it is going really very well.  The tomatoes are growing, the courgettes look amazing, we have french beans coming in, I think the potatoes might be ready, the lettuce and rocket has been going down a treat in my lunches every day… who knew we all had such green fingers!  It also makes the balcony a much nicer place to be.  The only problem is once you’re out there, it is tempting to stay out there all day!

Katie - Digital Marketing Executive

This Friday (9pm, Sky Real Lives, channel 243) marks the start of the new Sky Real Lives series, Angels featuring our own angel expert, Glennyce Eckersley. Hosted by Gloria Hunniford, the series sees members of the public talk about their own angelic experiences. Glennyce then shares her own expertise about angels, alongside a psychic medium and a sceptic.

Glennyce’s wonderful new book, An Angel To Guide Me will be trailed at the end of the series and is featured on http://skyoneonline.co.uk/angels/

Fresh from promoting the show, Glennyce gives us an insight into her experiences of angels.

Please tell us a bit about the series Angels on Sky Real Lives and your role in the show.

The show offers a wonderful insight into the lives of everyday people who are caught up in extraordinary events. They see, hear and are touched by angels in dramatic circumstances. Stories from my books are reconstructed in the show, angel card readings are offered to the audience and debates with believers and sceptics included. It’s a lovely, lively programme.

Could you tell us how you first came to be involved with Angelic Experiences?

As a member of staff at a theological college in the early 1990s, I became aware of many books, articles and films which featured angels. I was intrigued and wondered if angels might be making their presence felt in the UK too. I began my research and found that hundreds of people had indeed encountered angels but had not spoken of their experiences before. Nine books later, stories are still reaching me in ever increasing numbers.

Do you have your own Guardian Angel? If so, can you tell us a bit about them and give us an example of an occasion when they have helped you?

I’m not sure I have a specific guardian angel but I’m a firm believer in synchronicity. And I’m sure these wonderful coincidences are engineered by a higher source. There are so many times when I’ve needed help and a special person has arrived in my life. For instance, when I was young and on my way to live abroad, a chance meeting on a plane resulted in my being rescued from a seriously difficult situation. This special person rescued me when I knew no one else in the country. Where was I, you might ask - Los Angeles of course, ‘the city of angels’!

Does everyone have an Angel?

There are angels enough for everyone and they are sure to help and guide us all; we only have to ask. Many people believe that a loved one who has passed on is their special angel, but one thing is certain: an angel will always find you when you ask for help.

How will people know when an Angel has guided them?

There are so many signs that people often miss because they’re so subtle. For instance, a person might find a white feather, smell a wonderful fragrance, see a special cloud formation, or perhaps even hear a piece of music on the radio that has a special meaning for them. These will all indicate an angel has been close and guided that person. It is all in the timing and, once we recognise that, angel signs will appear in our lives more frequently.

What would you say to sceptics, who don’t believe what you’re saying is true?

I would understand completely; if you’ve never had any kind of spiritual experience it’s is difficult to believe they can happen. However, you don’t have to believe in them for them to be true. I would simply ask such people to try to keep an open mind.

What was your favourite moment from behind the scenes?

One morning a senior member of the production team, who was a confirmed sceptic, was walking to the train and thinking about the whole subject of angels. He wondered if there could possibly be any truth in the idea. Looking down, he saw a huge white feather at his feet. Taken aback, he then was in a quandary as to whether he should tell us all or not. Then, when he turned the corner, there was another feather! He knew this was his answer and so he had to tell us. Now he’s a happy convert to the angels.

Tune in to Angels on Sky Real Lives, channel 243 on Friday 24th July, 9pm

Rumi’s Daughter by Muriel Maufroy. A beautiful novel that works on many levels - the story of a girl in the household of one of the world’s great poets, and a glimpse of life’s inner mysteries.

Chosen by Sue - Commissioning Editor

Last weekend some of the Ebury publicity and marketing teams headed over to Latitude festival in Henham Park in Suffolk.  As well as having a brilliant time seeing bands, listening to great comedy and chilling out around the camping stove, we helped put on some fantastic events in the literature tent, which was practically owned by Ebury authors! Some photos and a round up of the events below: (more…)

The Handbag and Wellies Yoga Club is the story of how I moved from a tiny London flat to a Norfolk farmhouse; I was in love and hoping to fill my time making jam and babies.

The book is about the search for the things that really matter to us all – love, friendship and the quest for a family of one’s own – exploring the choices that we make along the way, and what happens when life doesn’t go according to plan.

There are now only two weeks to go before the launch. I am feeling excited – at long last the book will be out there – and I am feeling nervous – what will be the response? We’re beginning to get some feedback from the media; Sarah Bennie, Caroline Craig and Katie Johnson have been a crack team on this project – if there was an Oscar for Best Publicity it would go to them. Katie has got me blogging, Twittering and Facebooking and I’ve done interviews with, amongst others, Psychologies, 4FM and the BBC, and I have written for Yoga and Health magazine.

The Daily Mail picked up on the ‘fertility over forty’ angle of the book. The article attracted over 100 comments – clearly this issue, trying to get pregnant later in life, is an emotive subject and I am hoping that when the book is published it will generate further debate. One of my main reasons for writing the book was to tell younger women not to be seduced by stories of stars giving birth at 45 or by IVF myths – the truth is that many older mums are using donated eggs and not letting on. The chances of getting pregnant at forty using IVF are 10%, decreasing to 4% at 44. So, for the generation of career girls behind me I would say don’t wait - you may look great but you can’t put Oil of Olay Regenerist cream on your ovaries!

Never mind. I am over it now and have accepted where I am at – my husband is fantastic and I am glad that I waited to find him rather than getting married for the sake of it at thirty. OK, so things may not have turned out quite as planned – they never do - but I am happier now than I have ever been and in writing the book I wanted to inspire still single women to keep the faith – I am living proof that there are happy endings over forty!

Besides looking forward to seeing the book in the shops (I’ve just found out that WHSmith Travel is going to be stocking it) I cant wait for the launch events – one at Jarrolds in Norwich on 13th August (please come along) and one in Beccles on the 19th. I am also working on a London date – watch my blog for further details.

I am hoping for much Pinot Grigio and hilarity, especially if Father Antony Sutch comes – the only man who has ever made me want to go to church. He married David and I last year; he was so funny, making jokes about his girth and not being ‘a natural yogi’, that a recently married Muslim woman said she would like to do her wedding all over again – with Father Antony presiding!

Lucy Edge, author of The Handbag and Wellies Yoga Club

Visit Lucy’s website

Read the Label! by Richard Emerson. Demystifies food labels, reveals the hidden secrets of supermarkets and tells you everything you need to know about what really goes into the food on your plate.

Chosen by Julia - Editor

Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. A powerful yet simple guide to living in the moment and finding inner calm wherever we are, by one of the world’s spiritual leaders.

Look inside the book

Chosen by Sue - Commissioning Editor

We know that people who use Time Out travel guides love them - they really do. And what better way to preach to the unconverted then trudging up to Manchester on a lovely sunny Friday and asking people to swap any unworthy guide for a brand new Time Out guide. We’d done a bit of pre-publicity of course…

We dressed up a few students in Time Out livery to hand out flyers

And the Manchester Evening News backed us all the way…

We hoped a good crowd would turn up but didn’t dream that 500 people would take us up on the offer. Amazing what good will and warm feeling free stuff generates – what a result!

Luthfa - Time Out Brand Manager