Happy Endings In Fiction - Would Opening a Shop be Yours?

Why do so many chic lit novels rely on a shop opening for their happy ending? It always makes me wonder if the author has ever worked in a shop.

            

The other day I had to put a book down because the main character, the owner of a brand new cafe, had just taken her first twenty pounds and wanted to splash out on a celebratory dinner. 

Twenty pounds! I scoffed. Twenty pounds wouldn't even cover the dinner let alone her rent, rates, overheads, stock...

I was brought up in an independent shop. It was hard work and it always felt like we were on the brink of a crisis. Sometimes we'd have a whole week where all we sold was a discounted picture frame and a light bulb. We'd start to think of desperate measures to get the cash flow going. We'd redo the window display, use shoe polish to write a big SALE sign. We didn't have anywhere near the resources chain shop have.    

            

In fiction, opening a shop is much simpler. A business savvy (and gorgeous) bloke will always pop up out of the blue and be moved by the heroine's superior product (chocolate truffles more chocolaty than all the chocolate in Belgium) and want to invest, or at least, help her make a proper business plan. 

But so what if shop-opening-inspired-happy-endings aren't realistic? It's fiction and I love a bit of escapism as much as anyone. Whatsmore my brother seems to be fulfilling his dream by opening a skate shop. Just because it's not my idea of a happy ending, doesn't mean it's not yours. 

But before you open a shop... consider these pros and cons!

PROS AND CONS OF OPENING A SHOP:

THE CONS

1. 

Your Income isn't Guaranteed

2. You Have to Open on Saturdays

3. Customers Know about the Internet

THE PROS 

1. You are the Boss

2. You Can Wear What You Want

3. You can write a blog about working in your shop and then get it published... 

Buy Shop Girl Diaries 

I do still get nostalgic about Saturday afternoons in my shop when the local Salsa addict and my cousin would come around, and we'd drink rum and dance salsa, stopping occasionally to sell and pack up a lamp. Working with my Mum was also hilarious. I couldn't have written Shop Girl Diaries if I hadn't started seeing the funny side of shop life... so, although opening a shop wouldn't be my happy ending, I'm glad I got to be a Shop Girl for a while.  

What about you? Would opening your own shop be your happy ending? 

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Shop Girl Diaries Launches on Kindle

I'm very happy to announce Shop Girl Diaries is finally available on kindle. This is the book that began as a blog that also became a short film starring the hilarious Katy Wix (Miranda, Not Going Out).

It's set in a world made up of shoppers, suitors and chandeliers. There's also a window cleaner that really gets on my nerves, a vomiting dog and a ridiculous amount of doughnuts. It's about lamps, love and a burning desire to become a writer. It also has some Salsa dancing thrown in for good measure.

On Set:Teaching Annette Badland
and Katy Wix how to pin crystal!

The independent lighting shop is the co-star of the story, as mother and daughter try to close down but just can’t seem to manage it due to a loyal following of colourful and bizarre customers.

For a taster, watch the film below, which was recently shown at The London Short Film Festival. If you've ever worked in retail, (or with the general public!) I think you'll love it... And if not, well, at least it was only £2.58! 

  Download Shop Girl Diaries from amazon.co.uk Download Shop Girl Diaries from amazon.com
I hope you enjoy it! 

Shopgirl Blog at The London Short Film Festival

It seems incredible that we filmed Shopgirl Blog all the way back in June 2009. I sound so young and excited in my post Take 1, Camera, Action!  It has been a long process and despite positive feedback, I had stopped expecting anything to come out of it. It was a real surprise when the director, Chloe Thomas, told me it had been selected for The London Short Film Festival. Now I can't wait to see it on the big screen!

Shopgirl Blog is in the #FunnyShit category, which includes 16 other short films.

It will be shown on Friday 10th January, at 9pm

at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, The Mall
London
SW1Y 5AH

Book your tickets soon! I really hope you can make it!

On set at Mum's lighting shop -
Annette Badland as 'Mum', The Real Mum, Me, and Katy Wix as 'Shopgirl'

MY MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Is this Goodbye Shop Girl Diaries?

It's that time of year when your children fly the nest, isn't it?

 

I was a receptionist for the day and someone cancelled their appointment because they'd forgotten their son was leaving for university.

 

Are you feeling emotional? Your little baby is all grown up. You might be reflecting on all that effort you put in. All that soggy Weetabix you mopped up. All those games you played, all those stories you read over and over until you could recite them in your sleep; all those nights of interrupted sleep. And there were times when you thought a bottle of wine would help, momentarily forgetting that the only thing worse than a hangover is a hangover with children.

 

If you think I don't know what I'm talking about, you're right. I don't have kids.

 

But I did write a book, which means I've put up with tantrums (my own), mopped up impatient tears (my own) and had sleepless nights over its development. And yet it was the best thing I've ever done. Like your child. What a perfect child, even if it's not half as cute as it was the day you first set eyes on it, unlike my book which hasn't aged a bit.

 

While you'll be saying goodbye to your baby, I'll shortly be saying goodbye to my book. As I'm not with Salt Publishing anymore, it will soon be out of print. I can't pretend it doesn't fill me with horror. For so long, Shop Girl Diaries has defined me, has been my greatest achievement.

 

On the other hand it's probably time to let go. After all I've got so many jiffy bags. I'm drowning in them. If I taped them all together I could make a patchwork quilt for a King Size Bed. But that wouldn't be fair. Jiffy bags are designed for carrying books across the world. I have less than 10 copies of Shop Girl Diaries in my possession. Buy one and you'll be giving a jiffy bag a home. And that would make me very happy indeed.

 

It's sad to say goodbye to your baby but don't worry, they'll be back for food and clean clothes soon enough. In fact, let's be honest, they'll probably be back living with you before you know it, since rent is high and they'll be lucky to find a job in this climate. In fact, there's no reason for those tears, is there? You may as well put their sheets back on their beds now.

 

Meanwhile if there are any authors out there with out of print books, who have advice on dealing with the grief... or want to share their experience, I'd love to hear from you...

 

Buy a Signed Copy of Shop Girl Diaries

UK delivery £10.99 GBP Europe delivery £11.99 GBP Outside Europe £12.99 GBP

And why not join my Facebook Page to laugh at the slow progress I'm making with my next novel!

 

 

 

 

Death of a Sales Mouse

We found him under the floorboards, without a head.

At the time we were decorating the rooms above our shop. Alfie was laying new floor and I was painting walls.

He might have been there since the 30’s when there were still trams running through Tower Bridge Road.

He wouldn’t say. He was a vain mouse and he didn’t want to admit his age.

He looked at me, with his tail, and sighed.

“Don’t look at me like I’m the odd one. You’re entire world has lost its head.”

“What do you mean?” I said.

“Money,” he said. “You’ve lost it all. The banks are empty and they want it back.”

Alfie didn’t have time for a talking mouse skeleton and put him back under the floorboards.

But perhaps the mouse knew something.

Yesterday the prime minister came close to telling us we should all pay off our credit card debts.

At the last moment he was warned that such absurd advice was a threat to the country’s economy and he must reword his speech at once.

The economy depends on growth and to grow we must spend money, even if we don’t have it.

It doesn’t want us to fear debt.

The economy would like us to hunger for possessions so that we’ll use our credit cards and pay five times the value of the item in interest.

The advice Cameron was supposed to give was: Be greedy, go out and buy like you’ve never bought before.

If you worry, if you can’t sleep at night because of nightmares full of machete wielding credit cards, then you should be happy that at least you’re helping the economy.

“Beware! It is a trap.” From beneath the floorboards I heard the Sales Mouse whisper. “Who is benefitting from this system? If you don’t ask questions you could lose your head!”

“What?” I cried, as my paintbrush dribbled duck egg blue onto my jeans. “Tell me the answer!”

But he did not reply. He was quite dead.

It was up to me to seek it out.

Shop Girl Diaries - The Audio Book

You're on the train, squashed in between an armpit and a rucksack.

A pony tail tickles your nose.

It belongs to a woman in front of you, who's talking (too loudly) about a wild night out.

You want to tell her it's too early to be talking about these things, but she's wearing new trainers and you're afraid.

More people squeeze in.

Even the smug people with kindles can't raise their arms to read.

You close your eyes and breath deeply.

You're so glad you decided to buy it on I-tunes.

Leaning a little on the rucksack behind you, you dig into your pocket and press play on your mobile.

The lively voice speaks into your ear... telling you a story that makes you forget where you are and where you're going.

The Audio Book has arrived.

Enjoy and please give it a good rating!

Shop Girl in Mslexia Magazine

Shop Girl is Launched

The Big day had come:
The Launch of 'Shop Girl Diaries'.
My nerves were momentarily eased by the successful match of my new tights with the dress.
It's those little details that really niggle.
As the Chines proverb goes, 'it's not the mountain that wears you out but the grain of sand in your shoe.'
Wait...Sand?
My shoes were full of grit.
But I was not alone.
The launch team were all there looking gorgeous though it was pelting with rain.
At this point I must thank Brian and Liz, ex-lighting geniuses, who swapped selling chandeliers for a marsh in Wales where they count migrating birds.
Thanks to their donation there was wine for everyone.
But there wasn't only wine.
Oh no.
Michael, from The Woolpack, who'd previously planned to donate winter Pimms was unperturbed by the museum's rule of no coloured drinks.
He set to work with his alchemy kit and came up with hot, white, winter punch.
What a treat - except I didn't have any because I was too afraid of getting drunk.
There wasn't much chance of that though because I was so busy signing people's books!
I see a blank page and I have to fill it.
So instead of just signing I wrote an essay in each one.
I was thrilled to have so many people there as excited by Shop Girl as I am.
Thanks to Alison and Di from the Fashion and Textiles Museum everything ran seamlessly.
Over 100 people came to the launch and the buzz was incredible.
61 books sold!
I thought I'd be so nervous when the time came to speak.
But I looked around me and saw these people were my family, friends, readers and fellow enthusiasts.
So I opened my mouth and trusted the right thing would come out.
I don't know what I said, I'm still waiting for the video, but I know I meant every word.
I'd almost opted not to read from my book but I'm glad I did. People laughed in the right places and some tell me they've been laughing since reading on trains and planes.
It was a wonderful night and I only wish I could do it all over again to talk to all those I didn't get chance to speak to.
Thank you all for coming and making it such a special evening.

Shop Girl Special Delivery

8 o’clock Monday morning.
I’m sleepy and have no intention of moving until the last minute (which is 9.19, if I don’t wash my hair).
Mum comes into my room. I reluctantly turn and open my eyes.
She’s holding a long brown box.
Suddenly I’m wide awake.
Because I know exactly what’s inside it.
“Oh my God,” I say, jumping up and taking it from her.
“This is it.”
“This is crazy.”
She looks on as I fight to open the box which has clearly been sealed with super glue.
I tug and pull and bite until finally I manage to rip it open.
And there I am, staring back at myself from the book cover of my first published book.
Can I write that again?
My first published book!
Not an image posted on my blog, but the real 3D version.
It’s so smart and smooth and...
“Square,” Mum says, “good shape.”
It’s beautiful and I feel so happy and so proud of it.
“Almost too good to sell,” I say, holding it close.
Across the country Postmen are loading up their red bags with little brown boxes. People could be reading me now in a cafe on their lunch break, or maybe with their legs up on the sofa with a cup of tea.
What an exciting and scary thought!
I hope you’re enjoying it if you’re one of them.
If not, then check out my video for proof that it exists.
I apologise in advance for these 2 minutes of dodgy recording!

Shop Girl: Take 1, Camera, Action!

“How much do you want this?” my brother had asked me, back in September.
“More than anything.”
And he’d rolled up his sleeves and launched into a speech on how to promote my blog.
I took his advice and one quiet day from behind the counter, I started leaving my link on internet sites, including SE1, a local forum.
Chloe Thomas, a TV director and producer, mailed me a few days later.
My blog had got her thinking.
She asked me if I fancied a cup of tea.
I did.
We had two beers and Chloe set out her vision and asked me to turn the blog into a screenplay.
And so began the Shop Girl Blog film project.
I’d never written a script before.
The date earned gold stars by giving me a master class. He gave me the screenplay of The Usual Suspects to follow as we watched it on the telly. He explained what should be included and what could be left out. He also gave me a script-writing template. If he hadn’t done that I’d still be back-spacing or trying to centre the dialogue for the first few lines.
Draft 1 followed.
Then 2, 3, 4, 5, 6....
7, 8, 9, 10
11, 12
And lucky 13.
Chloe roped in all her contacts and Cassandra King organised the casting.
I’d never been to a casting. It was a bit like being in the shop; lots of random people coming in and talking to you without buying anything.
But I was touched so many people turned up to the audition.
After the first day of casting I went to see the date feeling emotional.
It didn’t help that I hadn’t eaten lunch.
“Some of them came from such a long way,” I sobbed.
“That’s what actors do darr-ling."
“They ju-uh, ju-uh, ju-uh...”
“Are you okay?”
“They ju-uh came to read Shop Girl.”
“That’s a good thing darr-ling.”
On the second day of casting I made sure I’d eaten before.
This time I left the studio happy and excited. We’d found our cast.
Meetings followed; the shop was blitzed.
On Friday, we opened up at 6.30 am, which was quite something for our shop.
Four hours earlier Petra, who’d undertaken to be the entire Art Department, had been ironing costumes while Mum and I had cleared up.
And so it began.
The camera crew arrived with all their equipment.
The date arrived to do sound with the boom operator.
“Have you said hello to yourself yet?” he asked.
I looked over at Shop Girl and suddenly felt shy.
It wasn’t weird having someone play me as everyone thought it might be. It was only weird when I had to show her how to pin crystal.
“I could get into this,” she said, “come on Emily, I can help, give me stuff to do.”
Her pinning wasn’t bad but she wasn’t fussy about what she pinned to what. That said, a bit more training and I’d happily leave her in the shop while I go on holiday.
I never realised how intense filming is, how many takes are taken and angles covered. I sympathised with Natalie, in charge of continuity, since we were moving lights all the time to accommodate the camera and boom.
In spite of the notice that had been on the door for days, a few regulars did turn up. Veronica came in hoping to sell some more second hand jewellery.
“Sorry, we’re closed for filming,” I told her.
She looked irritated, “Well how long are you going to be? I’ve got this bracelet here...”
“Two days.”
Later she caught Mum and pushed a denim jacket into her hands.
“You can pay me next week if you like it,” she said.
Connie called in too.
“What are they filming for?”
“I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean you’re not sure?”
“Some advert, I think.”
It’d been ambitious to film the script in two days but the crew and cast managed to pull it off, stepping over the anticipated filming time by only 1 hour.
For those two intense days of filming it felt like my shop was its own universe and everything in it mattered.
It was an amazing feeling to be part of the crew and I can’t wait to share it with all you Shop Girl readers.
Thanks from the heart to all those who made it happen and for all those that are reading:

And now for the credits:

Executive Producers – Damon Beesley and Iain Morris
Head of Production and Catering – Leo Martin
Director / Producer – Chloe Thomas
Producer – John Kennedy
Writer – Emily Benet
Editor – Mick Johnson
Production Designer – Piera Lizzeri
1st Assistant Director – Christine Luby
2nd Assistant Director – Rhianna Andrews
Driver/ Runner – Colin Phillips
Director of Photography – Justin Evans
1st Camera Assistant – Dan West
2nd Camera Assistant – Tom Williams
Sound Recordist (day 1) – Juan Diego Sánchez
Boom Operator – Laura Fairbanks
Sound Recordist (day 2) – Richard Munns
Boom Operator – Raul Dias
Casting Director – Cassandra King
Script Supervisor – Natalie Scicluna
Costume Designer – Piera Lizzeri
Costume Assistant – Claire Wardoper
Make-up & Hair Designer - Emma Maris
Make-up & Hair Designer – Jennifer Nash

And thanks to all the actors –

Shop Girl – Katy Wix
Mum – Annette Badland
Ali – Davood Ghadami
Rose – Leila Hoffman
Mr Roberts – Rhod Culbertson
Danny – Blake Harrison
Guardian Seller - Kourush Mavaei
Belle – Lou Conran
Raf – Paul Sharma
Lucus – Jeff Leach
Postman - Dave Shelley

And a massive thanks to my wonderful family for all their love and support -

Mum – Jill Benet
Papa – Antonio Benet
My Brother – Oriol Benet
My Auntie – Keri Hacker