Ever wondered what really happens at celebrity parties on London's showbiz circuit? During my time as a showbiz reporter on The Sun, I found out. the good news for you is that I share it in my debut novel Scandalous. It's fiction but, well, an awful lot is based on my experiences. Before my liver packed in, I gave up the life of a full-time party girl and now I'm more three-quarters night owl. I'm freelance but still have a weekly opinion column which I love in the Scottish Sun, I'm a regular pundit on the likes of Lorraine on ITV1 and Sky News as well and love presenting on radio having hosted talk shows. And of course, there's my wee baby (nope, not gone down that route though one day it would be lovely) Scandalous. My mum went silent on the other end of the phone when I told her I had a book deal with Penguin before saying: 'Darling I'm so proud. It's just, that's not really what people from Dundee do - write books.' I'm a proud redhead, live in London and Scotland and I blame my mix of Irish and Scottish genes for my inability to leave a party before last orders. Or have a diet coke at a free bar - or any bar come to think of it. I hope you enjoy my story of two sisters on very different sides of the fame game - one a redheaded showbiz reporter (I know, a stretch of the imagination) and her sister Lucy who s dating Britain's most eligible bachelor. As for bits of the book based on my experiences, I couldn't possibly say as I'm far too discreet. Ok, I'm not. At all. The part where Max wets her pants in front of Tom Cruise? It happened to me. The opening scene in which Max climbs a 12ft canvas wall to get into the VIP section of a premiere? That was me at the premiere of Master and Commander. Shaving of legs during a date which resulted in him nearly fainting? Not me actually, my best friend. All the bits you'd say 'that can't have happened' most probably did. I've interviewed the likes of Sean Connery, Angelina Jolie and Kylie Minogue and if you meet me in a pub, buy me a drink and I'll tell you the stories all night. If you do enjoy Scandalous please, please get in touch through my website www.martelmaxwell.com which has my email on the home page and let me know what you think. For me, getting your feedback is the best part of having my book published. I'm always happy to sign a copy if you send a SAE too- maybe buy one for a friend, sister, daughter or mum as a stocking-filler for Christmas and I can personalize it. Likewise, I'll always try to get back to you if you are after advice on writing or working in the media. Lots of love, Martel x
