I’ve been revisiting a few old posts recently. In part because I seem to have little energy or concentration to write anything new, in part because I am proud of some of these older pieces and hope that by looking at them again they will find a wider audience, and, perhaps most of all, in […]
Tag Archives: personal
This is an old post, revisited in the time of Corona because I think so many of its lessons are now even more valid. In part this is because I am once again facing grief – my beloved aunt (there she is below, with my lovely cousins and me looking like a mardy brat behind […]
Like many people, I’m trying to find things to be positive about right now, even in these anxious days. So it was nice to be reminded that it’s my book birthday this week – that it’s a whole 8 years since the first Dark Dates book ventured into the world. At the time, I already […]
This is an updated version of a post I wrote a while back – but it seems as essential as ever (if not more so). I have been thinking a lot about kindness this week. This has been prompted by two things – public and personal. Seeing the outpouring of donations to the survivors of […]
My life feels like a series of coming full circle at the moment – but, happily, in really nice ways. Moving home, reconnecting with old friends and my family, and now, with my work. Yes, I am super excited – and nervous – to announce that my first books are now available on Kindle for […]
God, the world seems a harsh and depressing place so often these days. Even if what most of us directly face are generally first world problems, the unremittingly grim nature of the news can make it feel like we’re on a fast train to hell and there’s no getting off. I’ve been trying to counter […]
I am alone in a hotel room, bleeding, and I’m pretty sure I’ve just made the worst mistake of my life. OK, that’s a bit melodramatic, but I’m a writer. I love a killer opening line. But the truth is, this time last year, there were plenty of moments that felt just like that. Because […]
I rediscovered this old piece the other day: I wrote it for the Strictly Writing Blog and although, thankfully, my life has moved on a lot since then I think it still stands up so thought I would share it here, also. I hope it helps someone. What happens to your writing when your life […]
When it comes to networking, there are those who seem born to it, working any room like a pro and coming away from any meeting with a ton of contacts and useful leads. As anyone who follows this blog will know, I am not one of those people. This was rammed home to me when […]
I am reading Brené Brown at the moment – rereading, to be honest – and it has got me thinking a lot about her key topics of shame, fear and the ‘hustle of worthiness’. How they apply to freelance and creative lives in general, and to my own experiences, as a working-class woman with a […]
Dark Dates 