‘I wear Jackie Collins' jewellery while having sex – I'm sure she'd love that!”

Author Melanie Blake reveals her saucy side and her pride at penning the year’s most anticipated novel

- SARAH MORTON

Beverley Callard called it “the book you’ll never forget”, while Sally Lindsay declared she couldn’t put it down. Claire King described it as “absolutely filthy” and even Dynasty legend Stephanie Beacham said she couldn’t get enough.

Ruthless Women is a page-turning bonkbuster so gloriously sexy, funny and gripping, it’s sending the showbiz elite wild.

So it’s no surprise its author, Melanie Blake, has been thrust into the spotlight herself. She’s the most talked-about new writer in decades – and after meeting her and reading the book, it’s obvious why.

The highly anticipated novel features a cast of deliciously devilish, highly sexed characters, all fighting to survive the reboot of Falcon Bay, a fictional soap opera in peril of cancellation due to falling ratings. With ageing actresses desperate to cling on to their crowns and ruthless male executives intent on booting them out for younger women, it’s a true battle of the sexes. Throw into the mix a savvy agent desperately trying to keep her warring clients under control, and it’s clear why Melanie’s so familiar with her subject.

“Yes, it’s fiction, but I have truly experienced every single scene in that book first hand,” she laughs.

That’s because Melanie is one of the UK’s top showbiz agents, now representing a slew of TV icons.

“I’ve lived and breathed it,” she tells us. “Tragedy, bankruptcy, attempted suicides, criminal dealings… as an agent you see that drama all the time!”