Smith 's first title - '' Misadventures '' ( Canongate , 2001 ) - covered her life of office work , boyfriends and day-to-day events . The book divided critics and audiences , some believing it to be an elaborate hoax , others praising the deadpan style . '' Misadventures '' never achieved best-seller status , but it did sell 15,000 copies . Further books concentrated on specific aspects of Smith 's life : '' Appleby House '' ( 2003 ) covering a year in which she lived in a rented house and '' My Holidays '' ( 2004 ) detailing her holidays . It is only in the latter book that an event of widespread significance is described as Smith details her experience of the September 11 attacks . She was promoting '' Misadventures '' in New York City at the time . Most recently Smith had been working on a book entitled '' The Men In My Life ''
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Sylvia Smith