NEW RELEASE
The Social Diary - Ros Reines (2015)
Former music writer Savannah has been brought in as the social diarist for the Sydney News newspaper and editor Tim wants there to be no more fawning over socialites. He wants her to skewer the champagne-swilling set with sarcasm and highlight their scandals and foibles. It's the 1980s - a time which heralded the rise of entrepreneurs and Tim asks Savannah to infiltrate the social circle of property developer Alex Evans because he thinks something shady is going on. (Not sure why you wouldn't get your investigative or financial reporter on to the case but anyhoo...!) Savannah jumps feet-first into the role, making a splash after a charity queen kicks everyone out of her dinner party. But her success comes at a price - not only is she treated with disdain by the "serious" reporters, it seems many people are out to get her and she's not sure who to trust, including one very mysterious man. This is an entertaining read filled with colourful personalities - as you would expect from a gossip columnist. There is a sequel set in the present day in the works which might explain why it felt like the book ended a bit abruptly.
Australian gossip columnist Ros Reines no doubt mines her own experiences reporting on the social scene for her latest novel The Social Diary. The summary says: "When Savannah Stephens returns to her hometown Sydney after a stint as a music journalist in London, she is thrown into the burgeoning world of society parties and the excesses of the eighties social scene. Savannah's first job back on home soil is as the editor of the newly created Social Diary. Her days are spent battling old-fashioned newspaper colleagues, who frown upon the so-called 'women's pages' and tut when her stories make front-page splashes. By night she is awash in a sea of expensive champagne at the biggest and best parties the city has to offer. It is there that she collides with the unbelievable characters and larger-than-life personalities who are fast becoming legendary for their jaw-dropping antics. Will Savannah manage to prove her critics wrong or will she be distracted by a very handsome yet mysterious man?" The Social Diary is out in January 2015.