Award-winning, bestselling novelist Louis de Bernieres has always shunned social media. But the time came when his American publisher insisted that Louis have a presence on digital platforms and, under duress, he relented. 

He started posting on Facebook and proved as mischievous, entertaining and insightful as ever, delighting followers who were never quite sure what was coming next.  

For nine years, from 2015 to 2024, Louis shared his thoughts on writerly procrastination, politics and parenting, music and motorcycles, a preponderance of cats, experimental cooking, his tumultuous love life - and some name-dropping to boot. 

His followers loved his candour, humour and quirky take on life and asked him to turn the blog into a printed book. And this is the result.

It's published by Salt who are based in Cromer, and Louis says he thought the book would likely only appeal to a local, Norfolk audience. But even before publication it's drawn plenty of attention and lots of bookings for events and festivals the length of the country, not just in East Anglia.

Though this book details Louis’ considerable domestic activity, there are also glimpses into the life of a hugely successful writer. He takes us behind the scenes at literary festivals, to dinner with his novelist friends (spot your favourites), and there’s even tea with the Queen, whom he’s told was a fan of his work. Celebrating family and friendship, with scrapes and mishaps, there's something here for everyone. But we're not to expect any more social media posts - he's been banned from Facebook!