In the Red The Diary of a Recovering Shopaholic

When your debt is more than your share of the mortgage and your partner's threatening to not only leave, but to tell your mother how out of control your spending is, then you know it's time to face reality and take drastic action. So, for one whole year, Alexis Hall sets out to buy nothing except the bare essentials in a bid to reclaim her life from the retail rollercoaster threatening to pitch her into permanent poverty. That might not sound too hard a task, but when you owe over GBP30,000 and you're consumed by consumerism, just making it to lunchtime without buying a pair of sensational shoes suddenly becomes a life-altering act. "In the Red" is Alexis' hilarious diary - full of fashion and frustration - as she battles to transform herself from a spending junkie to a scrupulous saver. You'll soon realize there's a bit of Alexis in all of us!

Alexis Hall is a media relations officer and former broadcast journalist. She lives in Glasgow with her partner, their four-legged, furry child and her large collection of shoes. In the Red is her first book.