Sophie Kinsella

Financial journalist Rebecca Bloomwood seeks solace from the boredom and pressures in life with her shopping, a solution that brings her close to financial disaster, until she encounters a story that will change her life.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

There's just one essential purchase I have to make on the way to the press conference - and that's the Financial Times. The FT is by far the best accessory a girl can have. Its major advantages are:

And even better, although no-one can see them, I know that underneath I'm wearing my gorgeous new matching knickers and bra with embroidered yellow rosebuds. They're the best bit of my entire outfit. In fact, I almost wish I could be run over so that the world would see them. 

There's a sign up in the foyer of Brandon Communications saying that the Foreland Exotic Opportunities press conference is happening in the Artemis Suite, and a man in uniform is directing everybody down the corridor. This means it must be quite big. Not television-cameras-CNN-world's press on tenterhooks- big, obviously. But fairly-good-turnout big. A relatively important event in our dull little world.

The journalists are knocking back the champagne as if they've never seen it before; the PR girls are looking supercilious and sipping water.

Philip always has to make a joke about me living in Fulham. Just because he lives in Harpenden.

Then gradually it comes to me that this is the way I always get treated when I ring up press offices. No-one's ever in any hurry to answer my questions, are they? People are always putting me on hold, saying they'll ring me back and not bothering. I've never minded before — I've rather enjoyed hanging on to a phone, listening to 'Greensleeves' (at least it beats working). 

That's the other really weird thing. God knows how — but I know the answers to all the questions. I know about mortgages, and I know about life assurance, and I know about pensions. I know this stuff! A few minutes ago, Kenneth from St Austell asked what the annual contribution limit for an ISA is — and I answered £5,000 without even thinking about it. It's almost as if some part of my mind has carefully been storing every single bit of information I've ever written in Successful Saving, and now, when I need it, it's all there. Ask me anything! Ask me...the rules on capital gains tax for home owners. Go on, ask me.

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