A perfect Sunday with...Alex Hay
Committing breakfast sacrilege, avoiding Drag Race spoilers and catching up with Honest Authors.
Every week, a top writer, artist, actor or creator reveals how they’d fill their perfect Sunday, sharing their favourite comfort reads, movies, food… anything that would make their weekend great.
Today, to celebrate the paperback of The Housekeeper's it's author Alex Hay.
Alex’s perfect Sunday… brunch
It's got to be a classic full English, doesn't it? Although I am the fussy soul that asks for no eggs and no beans (this is sacrilege to some people, forgive me!). Comforting, hearty, stodgy, delicious. Extra bacon, please.
Alex’s perfect Sunday… read
I have an annual tradition, which is to pick a sunny Sunday in July or August, pour a big glass of white wine, a rather lovely bowl of snacks, and take a big, chunky, glossy Nora Roberts hardcover out into the garden. NR never lets me down. Her books are sweeping, funny, cleverly-layered. A perfect Sunday choice.
Alex's perfect Sunday… comic
I want and need to read The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, so I'm going to put this on my list.
Alex’s perfect Sunday… movie
I think it's hard to beat the immaculate construction and comic timing in The First Wives Club.
Alex’s perfect Sunday... TV binge
If I haven't already watched the latest episode of Ru Paul's Drag Race then you best believe I'll be playing catch-up by Sunday night. Social media is a danger zone filled with egregious spoilers otherwise.
Alex’s perfect Sunday… podcast
Great question - I tend to do the chores on Sundays - which means I work through a gazillion podcasts (on x2 speed) while hoovering, mopping, hacking things back etc. I will always put the latest episode of Honest Authors with Gillian McAllister and Holly Seddon at the top of the queue.
Alex's perfect Sunday… album
Hmmmmmmm...I will often go back to some old favourites like George Michael's Faith or Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 on a Sunday afternoon. Or if it's a really gorgeous hot, sunny afternoon, then we'll put some house music on the speakers and let it waft out into the garden...
Alex’s perfect Sunday… treat
There always needs to be a glass of prosecco once the chores are done!
The Housekeepers by Alex Hay is out now from Graydon House.
UPSTAIRS, MADAM IS PLANNING THE PARTY OF THE SEASON.
All eyes are on the grandest house in Mayfair as the countdown to their lavish summer ball begins. Everything must be perfect. But with the chandeliers gleaming and the cellars stocked, loyal housekeeper Mrs King is suddenly dismissed.
DOWNSTAIRS, THE SERVANTS ARE PLOTTING THE HEIST OF THE CENTURY.
As the clock strikes twelve on the night of the ball, Mrs King will return to strip the house of its riches - right under the nose of her former employer.
And she knows just who to recruit to pull off the impossible: a bold alliance of women with nothing left to lose and every reason for revenge.
Alex Hay grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff in the United Kingdom. He studied History at the University of York and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and lives with his husband in London. The Housekeepers is his debut novel and won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022.