I’ve never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions. In part this is due to my fondness for seeing autumn, with its ‘back to school new notebook’ vibe (and the fact that my birthday is in September) as a much more natural fresh start, in part because in a normal year my work schedule tends […]
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I hadn’t expected my mum to die. I remember that, as I look at the shoes – a pair of cheap, shiny black ballet pumps that I had to go out and buy, because I didn’t have any shoes with me that were suitable for a funeral. Shoes I haven’t seen in 8 years, because […]
Christmas 2020 was never going to be normal, was it? But I suspect I am not alone in feeling a little sad that we’re approaching the end of the year and all that ‘it’ll be over by summer!’ optimism now feels like a far-away fever dream. Many people are facing a stressful, complicated Christmas – […]
This year lots of people are trying to support indie sellers by shopping small, so I thought I’d share some of my favourite retailers – all of whom I have either shopped from myself, or had things sent to me from via friends. It’s therefore obviously not remotely comprehensive! (If you’d like a more detailed […]
Exciting news! My long-time friend and occasional collaborator, the fabulous Zoe Cunningham, has made my piece Bystanders into an audio drama! I’m both excited by this and in awe of it, as someone who can barely figure out how to work the mic on my Zoom calls. You can listen to it here. You can also read the short story […]
I wrote an earlier post on why your lockdown hobby, be it cooking or crafts, can actually be a useful thing for your writing, and as my cross-stitch obsession deepens, it’s teaching more and more ways that is true. So since we’re heading into local lockdown again here, I thought I’d use some of the […]
I suspect turning 50 is a weird milestone for many people, even if it doesn’t happen in the middle of a pandemic. But as my half-century is now only a few weeks away, I’ve naturally been thinking about what it means for me – as a freelancer in an industry that’s in freefall, as a […]
When you are trying to carve a career as a writer, it can feel like you are competing with everyone – especially since a lot of writing opportunities are literally competitions so, um, you sort of are – but in truth, other writers can be the best friends you can have. Because one of the […]
What cross-stitch taught me about writing As anyone who follows me on social media knows, after months of mocking other people for getting their cook / craft on in lockdown (SO MUCH SOURDOUGH), with crushing predictability I finally gave into the urge myself. I have developed an interest in cross-stitch that can be kindly described […]
Yes, I have way too much time on my hands right now.
