Dan Brown's 20 worst Sentences

The Lost Symbol, the latest novel by The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown, has gone on sale and Tom Chivers has a funny article in the Telegraph pointing out Dan Brown's 20 worst sentences taken from his 5 books.

There's been a long-running argument on DB's ability to write. He's certainly come in for some harsh criticism. 5 best sellers and 2 blockbuster movies do not a writer make...er, yes they do. Bet DB's crying all the way to the bank.

I've only read Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons and I enjoyed them, taking them as the fun/mystery/thriller they were meant to be. Does that make me a bad reader, then? According to some comments my brain must be mush and I'd be better off reading Dostoevsky or Samuel Beckett. Why presume I haven't already?

Discuss ;0)

The Lady Stops Fiction

Is it true? They've polled their readers and they're not interested in keeping the fiction?

I heard it on the writer grapevine just a few minutes ago. Not that I sold them shed loads, in fact, just the one, way back when. It was a story I'd enjoyed writing and unusually for me, of a People's Friend flavour. Come to think of it, maybe it wasn't, as PF declined it first, but it certainly wasn't suitable for Take A Break and The Lady sprang to mind so that's where I placed it. And would you believe I sent them 3 shorts only last week? No doubt they'll come flying back.

I don't feel as shocked as when Woman stopped their fiction. That was a blow. My first ever sale was to them, Summer Special 2002.

Thought: My gran first introduced me to Woman when I grew out of Jackie magazine, so I've always had a soft spot for it

My biggest thrill was when I had a 6 week run in the weekly. Sue Thomas was fiction editor back then. Happy days.

The Wasp Killer

So this is what an aubergine wasp killer looks like then. Not, as I'd imagined, a mutant vegetable running amok with a fly swatter, but a ceramic contraption to be filled with sugary water, then hung in the garden to keep your barbecuing sting free.

It's probably about as useful as those citronella candles that seem to attract flies rather than make them turn their noses up and go bother someone else. Mind you, I think the next thing we'll be cooking in the garden may well be chestnuts. Feels really autumnal this morning. The leaves have already started to turn and I realised yesterday evening, I'd closed the curtains by the time the signature tune to Corrie came on. Time to switch the candles and plug-ins from 'Freesia' to 'Spicy Apple & Cinnamon' me thinks!

Comp news - but not literary.

Yippee, I got an email today from GMTV advising me I'd won a prize. In a few days I'll be the proud owner of a bistro dining set, a mixed case of Caves Saint-Pierre wines, culinary herbs for wine lovers seed kit including Greek Oregano, Basil Bouquet, English Thyme, Italian Parsley and Summer Savoury seeds, an Aubergine Wasp Catcher and Alistair Sawday's B & B for Garden Lovers guide.

I enter 100's of on-line comps a month not to mention those in puzzle books and the women's mags and the only thing I've ever won is a tube of ceramic hob cleaner (I don't own a ceramic hob) and a DVD of some old TV series (probably still showing on GOLD channel) which I never watched and took straight to the charity shop! So, I'm quite thrilled despite the fact I already have outdoor furniture and summer's all but over anyway. The wine I'll stash away for Christmas - no, really, I will!

If anyone knows what an Aubergine Wasp Killer is don't tell me. I want it to be a surprise ;0)