The Virago Book of The Joy of Shopping

Hey Brits... buy this book!

The Virago Book of The Joy of Shopping by Jill Foulston.

I have to say, I LOVE the company I keep in the first paragraph of the description...

Jane Austen found her sister Cassandra a locket. Joan Didion bought nail enamel and a toaster on impulse. Karyn Bosnak charged $20,000 on credit cards, and Elizabeth Wurtzel got caught shoplifting. George Eliot, for some reason, hated shopping.

As people began to shop more, novelists imagined them doing it. Jane Eyre cringes at Mr Rochester's pre-wedding excess, while Undine Spragg's spending drives her husband to despair. The Girl with a Pearl Earring turns up her nose at some stale meat, Tom Ripley lusts after Venetian leather, and Mrs Dalloway chooses flowers on Bond Street.

The darker side of shopping is here in the letters, diaries and memoirs of those who remember blackmarkets and rations. There are even records from the Old Bailey of audacious and desperate five-finger discounts, and a recent account of brawling at IKEA.

The Virago Book of Shopping revels in the lists, the etiquette and the thrills of finding just the right thing.

This is it. Buy it.

The Virago Book of Shopping is now available in the UK. It will be released in the US in April 2008.

PS - I found out that I was in this book by Googling myself. You'd think the author or publicist would've emailed to let me know so I could write about it on my blog and give them a little publicity, but they didn't.

BCBG Dress/Shirt

I bought this BCBG dress at Bloomingdale's in September and wore it to death this past season. I put it over skinny jeans or leggings and always got a hundred compliments on it. It's one of those things that you can throw on and run out of the house in, or dress up for a night out.

It's on sale at Bluefly right now for $82... so snatch one up if you are so inclined!

BCBG Charcoal Stretch Banded Short Dress @ Bluefly

I was wearing it in this picture taken on my birthday. (It was taken at 4 AM; forgive the smeared makeup.)

Attention Serial Shoppers

Is your life one BIG fashion emergency? Are you stumped on where to find the most sought-after styles, suffering from withdrawal or simply clothes-minded? Then you need a dose of FashionJunkie.com (FJ) — your shopping chaperon cluing you in on what to buy and where to buy it... before it’s passé.

FJ is the brainchild of Dara Fleischer, a self-confessed shopaholic. A few years back I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Fleischer at a book-signing of mine. Click here to see how fabulous she is.

Dara initially created FJ as a fun and frivolous diversion while she pursued a career in fashion and beauty publishing. Within weeks of launching, she quickly realized she was filling a void for the fashion challenged from across the globe, as she was inundated with emails requesting her advice for every conceivable quandary, from where to find discontinued lip-gloss to uplifting lingerie. After a series of high-profile jobs in PR and editorial, Dara inevitably followed her true calling by turning her passion for fashion into a full-time business. FashionJunkie’s mission is simple: to make the world a better-dressed place, one person at a time.

Dara currently shares an apartment in Manhattan along with her 107 pairs of shoes (each stored and labeled in their own plastic bin) and 68 handbags. She could be my idol.

Click here to sign up for FashionJunkie’s free email newsletter, published every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Everyone, Please Meet Fashion Public

Bored with mainstream fashion that's produced for the masses?

So is my beautiful and brilliant friend Jill, the brains behind what will soon be every fashionista's favorite shopping website... fashionpublic.com.

Fashion Public is an online marketplace where customers can purchase boutique apparel and accessories directly from the designers who create them.

They're having a SAMPLE SALE in LONDON this Saturday, May 11th. Click the flier below for details and to RSVP.


PS... Jill was featured in an article in The Observor a couple weeks ago about female entrepreneurs.

THE E-RETAILER, JILL SIMON, ONLINE FASHION RETAILER -- American-born entrepreneur Jill Simon will launch fashionpublic.com, an online marketplace for independent fashion brands, in Britain this autumn... The retailer will target trendy individuals who don't follow the fashion pack.

'It's not Gucci, Pucci or Prada we'll be selling,' she says. 'This is for women who reject mass-market fashion.'

The website will provide designers with a route to market, without the overheads, in exchange for a commission on goods sold. Simon has been working with Sally Heale, an experienced fashion scout who has worked with store s such as Henri Bendel and Saks in the US. So far 150 brands have signed up. Simon says 80% of them have a proven track record, while the remainder will be newcomers breaking through.

BBC Radio Scotland Interview

I was recently interviewed by Damian Barr for his new series for BBC Radio Scotland called "Fortune Tellers." About "Fortune Tellers"... "Damian Barr hears the first of six extraordinary stories from people whose life has been turned around by great financial success or ruin." Click here to listen.

Damian writes for The Times and is the author of the book Get It Together: Surviving Your Quarterlife Crisis. (Click here for the US Version.) Isn't he cute?

VH1's 40 Greatest Internet Superstars - This Friday

Web Junk Presents 40 Greatest Internet Superstars" premieres this Friday, March 23rd at 8 PM! Based on this, I'm #30, so tune in and watch!

Here's a clip of my segment:

And here's a clip of another segment I'm in:

VH1's 40 Greatest Internet Superstars - New Air Date

NEW AIR DATE: March 23rd at 8 PM
TUNE IN!!!!

This is the VH1 thing I was telling you about! Vote for me please! I'm about half-way down the page.
VH1 is counting down the 40 Greatest Internet Superstars and we need your votes to determine the list. From the Chinese Backstreet Boys to the Numa Numa kid, it's a who's who of web fame and infamy. Vote now for your favorite. You can only vote for one person at a time. But you can vote as many times as you like. Don't forget to scroll all the way down.

"Web Junk Presents 40 Greatest Internet Superstars" premieres Friday, March 23rd at 8 PM.

VH1's 50 Greatest Internet Superstars & Me

VH1 is producing a "50 Greatest Internet Superstars" show and I made the cut.

I. AM. PUMPED.

I get to sit down for an interview, so maybe I'll be one of those people they cut to during the progam who comment on things. I hope so. I've always wanted to be one of those people. I'll keep you posted.

The Pursuit of Happyness

The people who optioned the rights to Save Karyn, Escape Artists, are the same producers behind the new Will Smith movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. Will Smith was on Oprah today and OMG! - the movie looks amazing!

For everyone who keeps asking about Save Karyn, it's still in development. I don't know what I'm allowed to say about it, so I'm just going to be vague. I'll keep you posted as to any progress!

Click here to learn more about The Pursuit of Happyness.

My Friend Randy

For all those who read Save Karyn, this is my friend Randy, who I wrote about in the second half of the book. Randy and I were the producer/editing team for a show called "Dog Days" on Animal Planet. He was one of the few people who knew about savekaryn.com from the get-go, and helped "support" me when I was broke by giving me things for free, like beer.

And this is where I talk him up...

"New York City indie director Randy Slavin, the best since Kubrick...

Kidding. He doesn't need me to talk him up--his BRILLIANT work speaks for itself. And now... "Double-O-Stachus."

Here's the quick story... Randy was backstage with his friend Ryan Star (the guy from Rock Star TV show--they've been friends since they were little), and they were bored while waiting for Ryan to go on, so they wrote, directed and shot this in a half hour. Also in it is Cheyenne Kimball (the girl from the MTV show "Cheyenne"), and of course Randy, as Stachus.

To view some of Randy's other work, please visit his YouTube page, Videethis.


UPDATE: Someone asked about my old roommate Scott from the book. He still lives in New York and we are still friends. Pics of him and his insane Jack Russell Terrier Veda can be seen on my MySpace page.

As for Potentially Gay Brad, the last I heard he left NYC and moved to the midwest somewhere. (Maybe Chicago?) He has not tried to contact me or anyone else I know, so the status of his sexuality remains unknown.

Jennifer Aniston on Oprah

A friend just left a taping of Oprah. The guest was Jennifer Aniston. My friend was in a rush to get somewhere so I didn't get all the details. However, she said that Jennifer Aniston...

- is stunningly beautiful.
- denied having breast implants. (Was this a rumor? Shows you how up I am on celeb gossip.)
- confirmed that she and Vince Vaughn are still together.

UPDATE: This post has been linked to from A Socialite's Life, Just Jared, Popsugar, Glitterati, and Staralicious.

A gazillion other blogs/websites have also repeated this apparently titillating info, but they seem to be crediting the info and linking back to Just Jared. (Damn him. Stealing my thunder and hits.)

I have to laugh that I'm a source of celebrity gossip. I called my friend Naomi (who I wrote about in Save Karyn and who was the friend that went to the taping) and was like, "You're being called a celebrity insider." She's now making me call her "Deep Throat." Little does she know that I've been calling her that behind her back for years, but for a completely different reason. (I'm totally kidding; that was for Jamie.)

Oh, and to the people laughing that my friend said JA is beautiful... SHE IS BEAUTIFUL, jealous bitches!

New Dutch Version of Save Karyn

Look how cute the cover is of the new Dutch pocket version of Save Karyn. (Or I should say De De dollarprinses.)

Click here.

I want one! No one tells me about things like this. I have to do Internet searches and find them.

UPDATE: My agent got a box of them from my Dutch publisher the day after I wrote this.

Stuff On My Cat, Animal Haven, UNICEF

So, how can this stupid cat get posted at stuffonmycat.com and not Elvis?

(In all fairness, the cat probably isn't stupid—the owners are for being uncreative, and stuffonmycat.com is for not choosing to post pictures of my fluffer-muffin and Jesus.)

I guess that means I'll have to go another round with Elvis and really dress him up.

In other news, thank you to...

Megan Pratt
Alexia Koukopoulos
Loretta Haberman
Kelly Hindson, and
Sheila Rambeck

for each buying $20 worth of raffle tickets for Animal Haven's raffle at the end of the month. Your tickets and 20 Times notebooks are on their way, ladies!

Also, I never updated everyone on the UNICEF team. Mindy Hupp, who became co-captain by donating $100, will also get a 20 Times notebook, as will Michelle Dougherty. Listen to this, remember in Save Karyn when I sold my Gucci purse on eBay, and the person who bought it paid me for it and then told me to keep it? Well, that's Michelle. She lives in Chicago and not only came to my book signing, but also gave me a check to UNICEF for $650. Yes, $650! Because I mailed it in, the amount didn't post to the team, but nonetheless, the team has ultimately raised $1,915 for UNICEF. Kick. Butt.

Speaking of the Chicago book signing, I forgot to write my update. Gosh, I'm so forgetful. You'd think I smoke pot. I don't. I'll write that Chicago update later. Really.

Join My UNICEF Team... There's an INCENTIVE!

Join my UNICEF Team! I've donated $1,000 to UNICEF and I'm looking for you to match it. That's $5 from 200 people.

The first person to donate $100 gets to be my co-captain.

UPDATE: Mindy Hupp is my Co-Captain!

From my donation alone, the team is #3 right now. Let's give those Clay Aiken fans a run for their money! Show 'em that people who like to shop and charge things have a heart, too!

Here's a link: http://www.unicefusa.org/ert/savekaryn

And here's the INCENTIVE: As many of you know, I've donated the money I received from the initial Save Karyn site to charity. As an ongoing thing, I'm going to challenge YOU to donate the same amount that I've given, hence doubling the amount I was initially given. If this works, together we will have donated about $30,000 to charity. That's something, huh?

Other than the joy you'll receive simply from giving, every time your donations reach $1,000, I will track down one of the "numbers" on my list—one of my exes or a one-night-stand (not that I've that many one-night-stands...hee hee)—like the main character in my new book does, and write about it. Why would I do something like this? Well, I was thinking about doing something like this anyway as a fun promotion for the new book, but then I thought why not make you work for it and why not tie it to a good cause? This is what life is. We're here to help each other, we're here to inspire each other, and we're here to laugh—aren't we?

For those of you who don't know, the main character in my book 20 Times a Lady is freaked out upon realizing that she's had sex with 20 men, so she tracks down all of her exes with the hopes of settling down with the best of the bunch. She doesn't simply call all these guys though, she tracks them down "stalker-style," bumping into them here and there, making it look like a coincidence. Life for example, one of them is in rehab so she checks herself in—get it?

I realize that not everyone cares about my love life, and I also want to make it clear that I am NOT A STALKER, but I do think there's a certain amount of comedy in me doing ANYTHING because I really am a complete moron.

So the challenge is on. I've donated $1,000 to UNICEF. Match it, get personal joy from giving to people who need it, then get more joy/laughter/pity/insert your own word here watching me track down an ex. All we need is 200 people to give $5. C'mon... open those pockets. You did for me once... do it for UNICEF... do it for YOU.

Amanda Holden, My New Favourite Brit

The British actress Amanda Holden is reading 20 Times a Lady right now. I'll be honest, I had no idea who she was until my British publicist told me about an interview she just did for the Daily Express, but she's my new favorite celeb in world. (Nothing personal Amanda; I'm just American.) She said, "At the moment, I'm reading Twenty Times A Lady which is about a woman who is trying to resist the urge to sleep with Man No 20. She is wondering whether it's possible to turn her life around - it's a really entertaining read."

Yay! Thanks Amanda!

It's so neat when someone famous reads your stuff, you know? I once got an email from an "anonymous TV actress in LA" who loved Save Karyn. She said, "It's been years since a book captivated me so. I spent last night reading 246 pages straight, and went back to Barnes & Noble today and bought seven more books to give as Christmas gifts to my girlfriends."

You know who else also sent me a letter saying she loved Save Karyn? Staci Keanan, the actress who played the daughter on My Two Dads. How cool is that???

Yes, I know I'm a total dork for getting excited about this, but YOU WOULD TOO!

Anyway, back to my favorite Brit. I believe I found the text to the full article online. She talks about how everyone should schedule some 'me' time into their day to read. Here it is in case you're interested:

Actor and Mother Who Enjoys Her 'Me' Time
Amanda Holden is one busy lady. Having become a mother for the first time in January this year, she has cleverly managed to balance her working life with her personal life. When she gets some valuable free time however, she likes a good read. So much so that Aero has made her the face of their latest campaign, the Aero Book Club.

"I was approached by Aero because I recently had a baby and they were looking for someone who had a busy lifestyle and who still had time to fit books into their lives," explains Amanda. "It's true that anyone can fit some 'me' time into their day - everyone has 30 minutes when they're not being a wife or a mother to have a quiet read. Anyone - married, single, working women - can find some 'me' time to relax every day."

"I like the girlie idea, and the Aero Book Club is predominantly a female initiative," says Amanda. "I'm always on the phone to my girlfriends asking whether they've read this or that book. The Aero Book Club has a website and a huge variety of books to choose from so that people can browse and select what they're interested in. I've chosen some of my favourites and I review one each month. It's great to be able to sit down and read a book, along with a choccy bar - who doesn't like that?"

Given that the amount of time she has to relax has decreased considerably since the birth of her daughter, Amanda makes the most of her time by reading light-hearted books. "I have been used to reading heavy weights in my time but, because I'm so busy, I've been reading a lot of chick-lit books," she admits. "My book is rather like my baby at the moment as I can pick it up and pop it down whenever I get busy, and then return to it when it's less stressful."

"At the moment, I'm reading Twenty Times A Lady which is about a woman who is trying to resist the urge to sleep with Man No 20," she says. "She is wondering whether it's possible to turn her life around - it's a really entertaining read."

So why is reading so important to the actor? "Reading is really, really relaxing and it's the escapism factor that I love," admits Amanda. "It's so easy to relax and forget the rest of the world when you're reading a good book. I also think that everyone within the book is frozen when I put it down, only to awaken when I pick it up again. It's also lovely to have time away from emails and phones."

Amanda is keen to encourage those of us who don't spend enough time buried in a good book, although statistics highlight we're turning into bookworms. "I think approximately 46 per cent of 25-40-year-olds have read a book within the last year and just under that figure have bought a book," she says. "It works out that a woman spends approximately £100/€144 a year on books, which is quite a lot. It's also about the importance of getting together with friends and sitting and chatting together. That sense of community is very important."

Amanda is also keen to develop a similar sense of unity with her young baby. "I read that you could read stories to babies over six months old," she explains, "but Lexi (Alexa) is only five months old. I told her the story of Cinderella, but it was a bit darker and more like a Grimm fairy tale. But she was looking at me and seemed to be listening at any rate!"

The Wild at Heart and Cutting It actor is a seasoned script reader but admits it's great to have a say in what she can read. "It's great to have a choice," she says. "You can get good and bad scripts, the same way you can get good and bad books. Having a choice is really encouraging."

BTW... how much do you love Brit Speak? A choccy bar? I'm going to say it every day.

To Blurb

I'm a blurber. Or a blurbologist. Jeffrey Yamaguchi, author of 52 Projects: Random Acts of Everyday Creativity, asked me to give his book a quote after I listed his website, 52 Projects, on savekaryn.com. After reading the book, I, of course, said yes because it's FABULOUS. So check it out! Not only does it make a great gift, but it's a great way to get in touch with your inner child. Yippie!

Why MySpace?

Before I answer this question, I just want to say that, right now, at this very moment... I have 69 friends.

Hee hee.

Okay, now why MySpace? I mean, aren't I a little too old for MySpace? Perhaps... but after getting a couple friend requests, I started browsing around and noticed that quite a few writers/authors have MySpace pages. I then thought, Gosh, what a fun way to connect with people who like my books or blog!

My Space also a new Books section, so if haven't already done so... CHECK IT OUT!

And, of course, if you want to be my friend, please visit me here.

20 Times News, Third Book, Paying It Forward

So, the galleys (uncorrected proofs) of the new book have gone out to press and my publicist is setting up interviews, etc. Rachel Kramer Bussel - writer, editor, sex columnist, reading series host, cupcake lover, comedy fan - will be interviewing me for the Village Voice closer to when the book comes out. However, she already read the book and wrote on her blog that she "devoured Karyn Bosnak's hilarious, fun and fast-paced forthcoming novel 20 Times a Lady..." Yay! It's not an official review, but it's still excitng to hear. You can click here for her blog, Lusty Lady. Warning to conservatives: she is a free-spirited sex columnist. (And I commend her for it.)

In other news, in addition to writing the screenplay for 20 Times a Lady for New Line, I'm also writing a teen book for HarperCollins. It was announced yesterday in Publishers Lunch, a publishing industry newsletter:

CHILDREN'S: YOUNG ADULT
Karyn Bosnak's BEAUTY QUEEN, a girl crush novel set against the surreal backdrop of teen beauty pageants, to Amanda Maciel at Harper Children's, by Jennifer Unter at RLR Associates (world).

Anyway, so exciting things are happening for me! Gosh, to think all of this started because I owed $20,000! Just so you all know, as soon as I get paid for the screenplay, I'm donating every red cent that I received to pay off my debt to charity. I've been donating ever since I got my first book deal, but I haven't come close to $20,000 yet. People have the misconception that because I'm a published author I must be rolling in dough, but it's quite the opposite. For the past couple of years I've been making much, much less money than I ever did as a TV producer. However, I'm SO MUCH HAPPIER because I'm doing something I love. From the bottom of my heart I thank each and every person who helped me get to where I am. Whether you gave me a dollar or not, bought my book or not, I appreciate the support that people from around the world have given me. Pay it forward, pay it forward...

I'll keep you informed on the donating front. I'm thinking Katrina, a cancer charity (in memory of my Aunt Carol), and maybe UNICEF. I should give to one global charity because it wasn't just Americans who helped me. (Maybe an animal charity, too, because Elvis was such a big hit.) So anyway, that's what I'm thinking.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

New York magazine went inside Candace Bushnell's shoe closet and this is what it looked like. I love it! I love that the woman who created Carrie Bradshaw has a normal shoe closet. I guess expected it look more like Kimora Lee Simmons' closet. In case you wondering, over to the left is what my shoe closet in Brooklyn looks like. I had some kid who works at the local hardware store cut some wood to make shelves. It's not very fancy, but then again, neither am I.