Part-memoir, part-tribute

Katy Brand is writing a book about her lifelong obsession with Dirty Dancing.

 I Carried A Watermelon – billed as an ‘entertaining and honest’ blend of memoir and homage to the 1987 film –  will be released on October 31.

She said: ‘I Carried A Watermelon is a book that, deep down, I now realise I have always wanted to write, so when the idea came, it came suddenly - a memoir, and homage to my favourite film, covering my own adolescent obsession, and the impact it’s had on millions of fans.  

‘At last I can argue that the several hundred times I have watched it now count as legitimate research. I’m about to have the time of my life…’

According to the blurb from publishers HQ: ‘In examining the many legacies of Dirty Dancing, from pushing women’s stories to the forefront of commercial cinema to its depiction of abortion, Katy will also explore the influences the film had on her own attitudes to sex, love, romance, rights and responsibilities.’

Brand’s agent, Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown, explained: ‘As soon as Katy mentioned that all she wanted to do on her 40th birthday was watch Dirty Dancing twice, I knew we had a winning book.  

‘Katy had the idea on Monday, wrote the proposal on Tuesday, I shared it with [publisher] Lisa Milton on Wednesday, and HQ acquired it on Thursday. As Katy puts it, like the Craig David song.

Milton agreed: ‘When Katy’s proposal arrived in my inbox, I read it immediately, loved it, and shared it with our team. Everyone loves Katy and everyone loves Dirty Dancing. We all knew we had to acquire it. So, we did within 24 hours. Now we’re joining hearts and hands and voices, ready to have lots of fun.’

Brand previously wrote the novel Brenda Monk is Funny, about a female stand-up, was also today announced as one of the judges in the Comedy Women in Print awards.

Order I Carried A Watermelon here

Published: 13 Feb 2019