Hey chicas - sorry I haven’t been updating, it’s been my birthday (pix to come!) and as per usual I plan on stretching it out for the entire month o’ November - but I HAD to tell you about this book - I ADORE it.
Dear Me; A letter to your Sixteen year old self includes letters from three knights, a handful of Oscar winners, a bevy of Baftas, an intrepid explorer, a few teenage pop stars, an avid horticulturalist, pages and pages of bestselling authors, a dishy doctor, a full credit of film directors, a lovey of top actors, a giggle of comedians and an Archbishop! The letters range from the compassionate to the shocking via hilarity and heartbreak, but they all have one thing in common: they offer a unique insight into the teenager who would grow up to be…. Stephen Fry, Annie Lennox, Paul O’Grady, Jackie Collins, Fay Weldon, Alan Carr, Peter Kay, Debbie Harry, Brenda Blethyn , Jonathan Ross, Liz Smith, Will Young, Alison Moyet, Rosanne Cash, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Yoko Ono, Emma Thompson…
It’s guaranteed to make you laugh, make you cry and is a perfect Christmas gift. Not only that, but £1 from each copy sold goes towards The Elton John Foundation, so you’ll be doing a good deed too.
Here’s a letter to my sixteen year old self - yep, that’s me, with a v.young Declan Donnelly! FYI: I didn’t discover tweezers until I was 18, don’t judge me, ‘k! - Let me know what you think…
Dear Lisa at sixteen,
Firstly, I know right now you are crushing on Gary Barlow and working out ways to make him marry you, but sweet thing, he marries Dawn the dancer and they have really pretty children. On the plus side, all that Ant and Dec stalking following pays off, and you end up working with them for three years - result, non? Oh, on the Take That front, they split up next year, but don’t fret, they get back together in 10 years time and are just as amazing.
You need to chill out. A lot.
Stop stressing about being thinner, being cooler, being popular or whether you’ll actually get a boyfriend - none of it actually matters because you rip up the cool-kid rule book and write your own. Literally.
FYI, you’re probably the thinnest you’ll ever be right now - stop beating yourself up about it, seriously, celebrate your curves and don’t get hung up on your wobbly bits, don’t keep putting off doing thing until you’ve lost 5lbs - you want to do something? Do it now! Oh, and those so-called cool kids at school? Turns out in the real world they’re not so cool, who knew, huh?
I know you don’t dig standing out right now, but it’s set to become your ‘thing’ - if people are going to stare, you really should give them something to stare at, gorgeous girl. And yes, you may come from a single parent family on a council estate, but don’t listen to those people who say ’stop daydreaming’ or ‘you need to get a real job’ because chica, you never have a ‘real’ job. Dream big sparkle-filled dreams, plan amazing adventures, write lists of all the the things you’re going to achieve and then tick each one off as you achieve them, because you will - you’re kick-ass.
Don’t waste time learning the guitar, Lee Cooper will fancy you anyway, don’t spend your pocket money on Rimmel’s Black Cherry lipstick, it doesn’t suit you, and read other books beside Point Romance novels - it’ll really help.
You will always be surrounded by beautiful boys - unfortunately for you, most of them will be gay, but they’re ever so pretty to look at and treat you like the princess that you absolutely are. Despite wanting to kiss one of your best mates throughout your entire time at college, don’t. He’s still your friend at 30 and you won’t want an awkward kiss ruining super-fun cinema and dinner dates. You’ll kiss other boys. A lot of boys. In fact kissing becomes quite the past time. Some boys aren’t that nice, but others are beautiful, funny and great company - you might not believe me, but you’ll actually spend smooch time with a pop star and a Dolce and Gabanna (that’s a swanky fashion label!) model. One boy in particular steals your heart and for eight years you have fun-filled adventures, own a pile of bricks and share endless thoughts and dreams. He does eventually break your heart, but please don’t let that stop you from doing it all over again.
Throughout your early 20s, life might not be the fairy tale you expect it to be, but don’t be disheartened, because you can and will become author, stylist and star of the most awesome story ever…your life. It will be filled with the most amazing and exciting people and adventures and you’ll realise that it doesn’t matter where you come from, it’s where you’re going that counts.
Lisa xx
Check out all the Dear Me goodness at: www.dearmebooks.com
