The Wisdom of Whores Launch Party

My friend Elizabeth likens her experience of the AIDS world to riding her motorbike in India in the good old days when she worked there as a journalist.

Getting from A to B was straightforward enough. Except for the sacred cows. You spent all your time veering and dodging and braking to avoid the sacred cows.

And that's what her book The Wisdom of Whores is all about. The blurb on the book launch invitation declared:

An insider lifts the lid on the multi-billion pound AIDS industry - funny, fearless and ultimately shocking

Funny, fearless and ultimately shocking - that pretty much describes Elizabeth (in the fondest way possible of course)!

Unfortunately, having for days been looking forward to the free alcohol, er, book launch at the Wellcome Collection branch of Blackwells, I was not very well on the day.

Here I am looking decidedly blah amongst all Elizabeth's well wishers:

The Wellcome exhibition focusing on Death didn't make me feel any better. This is what greets you as you enter:

And this:

Elizabeth however was as awesomely vivacious as ever, showing no signs of any previous pre-launch nerves. Here's the author:

Her agent:



And her publisher:



All looking very happy indeed.

And here are the books! Aaaah. The tills were ringing as Elizabeth's friends obligingly bought their fourth copies.

if you look closely at the picture, you will note the "£2 OFF" stickers on every cover. The sticker on my copy chopped the byline off so that it read "By Elizabeth Pis -"

Sadly my blahness made it impossible to stay for the carousing (which I'd been looking forward to for WEEEEEKS!) after the launch, I had to crawl back into my sickbed.

So now you've done it, Elizabeth!

What's next?

No pressure.