Thursday 31 December 2015

New Year's resolutions reflections


I like my symbolism
I am writing this post from Switzerland. Yes, Switzerland Switzerland. It's a work trip but to me it's still an opportunity to see the world. This post is pretty self-explanatory - last year on this date I posted my new year's resolutions for 2015 (here) then halfway through the year, I wrote an update post seeing how I got on with said resolutions (here).

This year has been kind to me - especially the second half ... which may have something to do with the reason why I have absolutely nothing left to contribute to my update post halfway through the year. I have a good reason though: I got better. In a nutshell, if you don't read my blog regularly, from June 2013-July/August 2015 I was housebound with a pretty tough skin condition. I knew it was only going to be temporary but it was still a wonderful surprise when I got better in August this year. Since then I have pretty much tried to make up for lost time and in the subsequent months, my life has changed drastically. I now live in London and have a job that suits my situation so perfectly that I can't believe my luck. For the last month I have been working long hours seven days a week but in the new year, because of my job, I have real time to dedicate to writing ... which brings me swiftly on to my one-word resolution for next year: CAREER. I want to make a living from things I am passionate about which primarily means my writing. This year I have worked so hard but before then, I never put it first which led to me doing jobs I never wanted to do on small wages. I am going to work harder than I ever have in my life and really achieve some wonderful things next year. I am excited and SO SO ready for the challenges that will present themselves. The only way I will fail this year is if I give up. *Cue Josh Groban's version of You Raise Me Up*

I am going to see in the new year breathing in clean Swiss air and gearing myself up for a year full of promise. *She's getting more corny and the situation is critical: cue Westlife's version of You Raise Me Up STAT*

Until next time.

Friday 18 December 2015

What's the opposite of productive?

Are the covers finished yet? No (lol).

Have you tweeted more like you said you would? No.

Have you read or written anything recently? No.

Have you done any book marketing like you said you would? No.

Are you excited for Christmas? HELL YES!


As you can maybe tell from my answers above, it's not been the most productive of times but I feel I should mention that I have been working at 2 different jobs and there has literally been no time for anything else. Today, I only have the one job to do, hence the blog post. Now that I am well, I have made sure I am busy constantly - I think I am trying to make up for lost time. In the new year I will only have the one job and now that I have settled in, there is nothing holding me back. I have decided next year is all about my career so I will actually be making my writing, and everything that goes along with it, a priority.

This will be my last post before Christmas so to anyone who has read my blog, I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Until next time.

Monday 7 December 2015

Do you remember when I said…

…I had finished working on all my covers for good?

I LIED.


Yes, I have realised, after some soul searching, that the saga of my covers is not done and dusted like I originally thought. In the next few months I am looking to really start promoting and marketing my WEIGHTING TO LIVE series but I don't think the covers for CHANGES: A SHORT STORY and SIXTEEN MONTHS are good enough. They are ok but need some serious work before I am satisfied they are well and truly finished.


^^^ These are the covers as they stand at the moment. I will be looking to keep elements from both but when I look at them, the word that hits me first is 'Hmmmm...' followed directly by a slow sigh.

After the covers are done, whenever that magical day may be, I will be diving head-first into marketing: an area I have discussed before as not one of my favourite things. I know I have to promote my books if I ever stand a chance of making it but I still find the thought of it icky. I will keep you updated on how I get on as I am sure there will be a lot of challenges and pitfalls along the way - and of course, there will be post #50 all about my updated covers (I'm so sorry).

In other news, after living on my own properly for the first time, I have realised I am obsessed with budgeting and Sainsbury's basics all purpose cloths. I am happier than I think I have ever been in my life and am living as much as possible. It's thrilling, after being housebound for two years, to be able to walk around for hours at a time and still feel well. I don't think the simple pleasure of doing that will ever leave me - I hope not anyway.

I shall be back when I have finished my covers for good.

TRANSLATION: YOU WILL NEVER HEAR FROM ME AGAIN.

Until next time.

Wednesday 2 December 2015

A well overdue life update

Life has been absolutely M-A-D for the past few weeks .... but in a wonderful way. I still can't get over the fact that this time last year I was housebound and had only written a first draft of WEIGHTING TO LIVE. So much has changed since then and I feel like my old self again - pre-illness and everything - but hopefully I am a better person for what I have been through.

I feel like I am finally settling in - it's been hard trying to balance everything but now I am getting into a routine, I can really get on. The job and place I am living in in London couldn't be more perfect and means I can dedicate a lot of my time from next week to writing and promoting my books. I will be back next week with plans for the foreseeable future - it's all looking rather awesome.

As I feel like this post has been immensely dull, I shall throw in the name Judith McNaught to cheer it up a bit.

Better?

Until next time.

Sunday 15 November 2015

Happy Blog Birthday to me!

Today my little blog turns 1 years old! I hope you have enjoyed it. I can't believe I have actually kept it going for a whole year.
I tried...

This time last year:
- I was housebound.
- I had only just completed a first draft of WEIGHTING TO LIVE.
- I had no idea when I would get better.

Today:
- I am preparing to move to London tomorrow!!
- I have self-published not only WEIGHTING TO LIVE, but CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTION, SIXTEEN MONTHS & CIRCLE, a short story.
- For now, I am better and couldn't be happier.

In the last year I have changed in so many ways for the better and have worked harder than I ever have in my life. It's been hard at times but so worth it to get to this point and I am very excited about what the next year will bring.

I also wanted to quickly mention a couple of other things:

  • My heart is breaking for the people of Paris. It's just tragic and senseless and makes me realise even more how precious life is and to make every minute count. 
  • My posts have been a little strange recently but once I am settled, they will be back to normal and all about the writing ... and Judith McNaught.
  • I have deleted my Lily Divine Instagram account as I am looking to concentrate more on Twitter etc. 

And lastly, a quick book recommendation: Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (do I even need to mention it's really J. K. Rowling?). It's the third book in the Cormoran Strike series and my favourite one so far! I am very excited for book 4 and if you haven't already started this series, I highly recommend it.

Until next time (I'M ONE YEAR OLD!).

Friday 6 November 2015

We're going through changes

I mentioned in my last blog post that I received an email that changed everything. Well I might as well tell you now that the email was an offer TO MOVE BACK TO LONDON! I made that sound like it was some random email that I should probably transfer to my junk mail STAT but it is to do with the 5 a.m. wake-up call I wrote about on my day 1 NaNoWriMo blog post here.

I obviously accepted and move the week after next. I couldn't be more excited but I am still in denial that I won't be living with my mum any more *breaks down*

For the foreseeable future I will be working on trying to make the books I have already self-published more visible and hopefully get more sales. That is going to take a lot of work but seeing as I am going to be living on my own, I would say finding enough money to eat is a pretty big incentive...

I will be blogging about how I get on in this (unrealistic) endeavour and fingers crossed this story has a happy ending. Sigh.

Until next time.

Wednesday 4 November 2015

NaNoWriMo is NaNO!

After yesterday's indulgent post, I got an email that changed everything. I will not go into it yet but I will say that I won't be able to continue with NaNoWriMo this year. It's for a wonderful reason though, I assure you.

Honestly, there is part of me that feels relieved in a way - I wouldn't be writing with my heart in it and would be rushing to get it done asap which inevitably would show in what I produced. I am SO passionate about my story and just want to give it the best chance I can. I adore NaNoWriMo and will definitely be doing it in the future, I just think with what is going on in my life, it would be madness to try and do it. I am also dealing with a bad cold as well so it feels like everything is telling me to just stop.

I am going to take it easy for the next couple of days to try and get back to full health then I am going to have a what can only be described as a CRAZY month. I mean, with all that being said, plans could change. Whatever happens though, November is going to be a VERY interesting month and a story in itself.

Until next time.

Tuesday 3 November 2015

The NaNo low-down: DAY 3


WORD COUNT FOR THE DAY: 350

I am really struggling today. My body feels like hell and my head is a mixture of frustration and panic. I want to write desperately but the stuff that's coming out isn't great because I just don't feel up to it. I said yesterday that I was going to write only when I felt better but I completely ignored this rule and just ploughed on regardless. By 11 a.m. I started crying tears of futility. I am trying not to let it get through to me but it is. I know in a couple of days I will look back on how I am reacting and realise how ridiculous I am behaving. I know I am being completely irrational.

So from this moment I have put myself on a self-imposed writing BAN and will only be back when I feel better.

Sorry this was indulgently bleak. I promise to be back soon a little brighter and ready to write.

Until next time.

Monday 2 November 2015

The NaNo low-down: DAY 2

WORD COUNT FOR THE DAY: 2,012

The picture on the right I hope conveys my feelings of frustration I am experiencing at the moment. This morning I woke up very early with the intention of having a really productive day and aiming for an outrageously high daily word count. My broken body was having none of it. After breakfast I started to feel dizzy. I ignored the feeling as much as possible and started writing, but with my head feeling as foggy as the weather in the UK today. By lunch I felt lousy. I again ignored it but felt like I was swimming through a very thick jelly that also clouded my brain. I think I might be getting a rather bad cold but I hope not because I am DESPERATE to write. Somehow by about 2 p.m. I had managed to get out over 2,000 words before the lure of bed became too great. I've just woken up and have decided to take it easy for the rest of the day then start again only when I am ready. I feel it will be counter-productive to start until I am better as it'll only show in my writing.

Life has been a little intense recently both mentally and physically and I think my overwhelmed body just needs a rest.

Until next time (remind me, what's my name again?).

Sunday 1 November 2015

The NaNo low-down: DAY 1

WORD COUNT FOR THE DAY: 1,569.
My brain at present.



Day one of NaNoWriMo turned out to be a little crazier than expected ... I had a last-minute interview in London which meant I had to get up at 5 a.m. and spend the whole morning travelling around. I came home at about 11.30 a.m. and gazed at the bed lustfully but after an early lunch, I half-groggily typed out some words. I have to say for how tired I was, the words weren't too bad. Even though I didn't come close to the word count I wanted, with what my day was like, I think I did ok. Tomorrow I can really get stuck into it which I can't wait to do (and hopefully in a less zombie-like fashion).

Also, something truly lovely happened today. From one of the giveaways I hosted over on Goodreads to win a copy of my book WEIGHTING TO LIVE, I GOT MY FIRST PROPER REVIEW AND IT WAS AN AMAZING ONE! I found it quite fabulous that on the book's 1st birthday (I wrote it last year for NaNoWriMo) it got such a FABULOUS present! It's also strange the review was today as the book is in diary-style format and the date it starts with is ... wait for it ... 1st November. Oooooooo.

I have to say November couldn't have started any better for me and I cannot wait to see what this month holds - and I'm not just talking about the writing.

Until next time (is it time for bed yet?).

Saturday 31 October 2015

On the eve of NaNoWriMo...

...I am writing this little post...

Picture representing my emotions at present.
I have never been so scared and excited in equal measure about something I want very much. Excited because I am passionate about the idea and the world I have created, but scared that it will all go wrong, which could (SO) easily happen.

I have BIG goals for NaNoWriMo this year and am looking to finish around the same time I did last year (on the 15th November) or maybe even earlier. I am totally prepared and the dreaded 8 page long document I needed to work out is COMPLETELY sorted and has even grown an entire page - it is now filled with lines and plot changes and little ideas to add in that I hope will give the book real life.

I will probably be writing weekly updates of my progress but this could change to daily - we'll see how I get on.

Also HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I find it immensely appropriate that NaNoWriMo falls the day after this holiday.

I am off to pray to the writing gods to ask that they are kind to me this November...

Until next time.

Sunday 25 October 2015

Er, wow


Tweetgasm
I had a very happy Sunday last week over on Twitter. After I asked her to Retweet that my book was free, an author I love (see my review for one of her books *here*), sweetly not only sent me these TWO gems on Twitter >>>>, but also downloaded my book! It's made me want to buy her books in bulk and sit there hugging them close to my chest! Even though I still haven't heard from anyone who has downloaded my book, someone must have liked it enough to go on and buy the second book in the series, CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTION! I am noticing more sales generally - I mean my 'more sales' are hilariously small and could probably only buy me a small packet of blueberries but for someone who closely monitors her sales, there has been a noticeable shift. A few weeks ago I started playing around with keywords on Amazon KDP (something you fill in when you are publishing a book with them) and I am wondering if by doing that, I have made it more visible somewhere. I will keep tinkering with things to see if it continues to make a difference to sales ... but after November because, of course, NaNoWriMo is nearly upon us. This week was very busy for me but in a lovely way. I read through my manuscript again in preparation for November then made some more notes. The document is now well over 5,000 words and 8 pages long and MUST be sorted out by next Sunday...yay. It's been looked at a little and when I get into it, it's fine but I think the sheer size of it is daunting. BUT today is the day to get really stuck into it and I vow to have it sorted ASAP ... after I have looked at some pygmy goats on YouTube.

Until next time (I'M STILL WELL BTW!!)

Sunday 18 October 2015

I feel so dirty

The time has come to take the bull by the horns (a phrase I don't agree with literally - leave the poor bull alone) and start trying to sell my books for real (EW!). I can't describe how much I don't want to do this but anyone who has sold a fair few books on kindle have gone about it in a less bohemian ('bohemian' meaning to do absolutely nothing) way than I have. I don't have a proper marketing plan and am going to wing it but know that whatever I am doing to promote my books, I'm feeling slightly nauseous about. I used to sing and people said 'It's all about networking, darling', and the same applies for this too. I just want to write but I need to be realistic and without putting in the work to promote them, my books will remain unsold.

It's been a little busy my end recently and I have taken on a lot of different things that are time-consuming but fulfilling and, to me, incredibly important to do with the illness I have had over the last two and a bit years. From next week I will be really getting down to working on the manuscript that I am going to be rewriting for NaNoWriMo this year and slowly ideas and different thoughts about the book are whirling around my mind to the point that I am so excited for November. That being said, it could all turn out to be a disaster so we'll see how it goes. I am reading it again tomorrow to inevitably make a million more notes.

SO, back to filthy book selling: WEIGHTING TO LIVE is free for the next five days on Amazon and I would absolutely love to get some more feedback. So far I have had a few people on twitter say they really enjoyed it and have had no negative feedback YET ('yet' I do acknowledge is very important to add in). I have also had one suspicious-looking 5 star rating on Goodreads that I fear has more to do with the person wanting a free book than liking the damn thing - plus another woman who won my giveaway recently and has now marked her status to 'currently reading' my book *clutches worry beads tightly for support*

Its got to be said that all the drama above is wonderful drama and I feel very happy with what I am doing.

Until next time (if I haven't made myself sick with disgust over all the book promoting).

Wednesday 7 October 2015

Coming out ... so to speak

It's official, I have graduated from Jane Seymour TV movies to full-on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

I regret nothing.

I have just come back from a weekend away in London seeing my friends - I am still well and seem to be even better than I was before. It's hard to tell whether the healthy diet is helping but I think it might be! What I am going through is still relatively new so there is little information out there and it's difficult at times guessing what will happen from day to day. But I suppose all of us only have today in the first place and nothing is a guarantee ... I will stop along that corny vein before I get out of control (like all my posts from the last two months tbh).

The most underwhelming photo of
Golders Hill Park ever taken.
At the weekend, I also started telling my friends that I have been writing as the only person who knew up until then was my mother and my best friend who only found out two weeks ago! Most of my friends that I told seemed to be completely unsurprised by this, which was nice. It would have been awkward if they looked troubled by the news and said something along the lines of 'Well that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. What were you thinking?!?!' I spent Saturday night with my friends doing karaoke then the following day, walking around London; including a trip to Golders Hill Park which was perfect as the weather was warm and sunny with the trees all turning to gold.

Penguin Clothbound Classics.
TOTAL. BOOK. LUST.

I then went to Waterstones and lusted after some classics <<<<

In preparation for NaNoWriMo this November, I have been slowly getting back into work mode and writing a plethora of to do lists and organising my life before I reread the original manuscript probably early next week. The more I think about the task in front of me, the more excited I become. I will let you know how I am getting on next week sometime and if there is not much to report on that front, I will tell you all about Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.



Until next time.

Wednesday 30 September 2015

Odds 'n Ends

This post has no structure (a lot like my first drafts tbh), it's just an update really in a valiant effort not to go too long without writing on my blog.
Yep, they are my fingers

Yesterday I turned 28. It was a fabulous day - me and my mum spent the morning collectively loitering around the countryside (which you know I am fond of) and then spent the rest of the day relaxing. I didn't do anything crazy - I didn't see any friends, have a huge party or anything like that but it was one of the loveliest birthdays I've had in a very long time and one I will remember always. I suppose my last two were marred by illness so to spend the whole day feeling well is a present in itself. I really don't think it has sunk in yet that I am well though - I am making the most of it but in some kind of dreamlike haze. Obviously if I flare again, that will be when it dawns on me and I'll spend my time ill staring wistfully out the window wishing I was having a good ol' loiter. Sigh.

Gluten free pasta of DREAMS
I am STILL eating well. Even though I haven't cut out gluten or dairy, I have been trying to limit the intake of both as much as possible - cue brown rice pasta, a.k.a. my new obsession (that and Jane Seymour TV movies - what?). I had wanted to try this stuff for ages and when I had the chance to pick some up from Waitrose, I was so glad I did. Granted, it has a slight fishy smell while cooking but when it is done, it tastes just like any other regular pasta ... if I am being perfectly honest, it's among the best pasta I've ever had. Mixed with pesto it fills me with utter joy (photographic evidence to the left, to the left). As I don't live anywhere near a place that sells it, I am excited when I return to London this weekend, to stock up! If you are looking to make some healthier changes in your diet without missing out on flavour etc, give brown rice pasta a go - it costs £1.89 for 500g (5 portions).

Until next time.

Monday 14 September 2015

I'm feeling generous

I am still doing well and having a whale of a time. Yesterday, a dear bunch of my close friends came to see me and it was just wonderful. I was a girl - not a girl with a condition. I am so grateful I went through this crazy hard process because it has truly changed me. This blog certainly wouldn't exist without it - or anything I have written. Normal posts will resume soon but I am having much too much fun loitering about the countryside to do anything remotely constructive. I am rereading A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught at the moment though so things aren't completely different...

Now onto the point of this post: I'M DOING ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!

If you weren't already convinced you needed to enter this giveaway, feast your eyes on this stud:



GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I am going to be giving away on Goodreads another signed copy of my book WEIGHTING TO LIVE. Unfortunately this time it is only open to people who live in GB.

To enter the Goodreads giveaway, click here(or click the widget on the top right hand side of this page).

Giveaway ends on Tuesday 13th October 2015. 


Links to buy the paperbacks
WEIGHTING TO LIVEhere (UK) and here (US)
CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTIONhere (UK) and here (US)
***Also available at all worldwide Amazons too***

If you enter, best of luck *runs out the door into the countryside to loiter some more*

Until next time.

Friday 28 August 2015

If you see a suspicious-looking girl loitering around the countryside...

...it's probably me.

I have been doing very well. I look like my old self and feel better than I have ever done as I've learnt so much through this crazy 2+ years. I am still not doing much (ABSOLUTELY NOTHING) with regards to writing and reading but I think it's more important that I live while I can - take every day as it comes. I apologise that this blog (and my twitter tbh) is me basically saying repeatedly 'I feel well! I'm so happy' but it's how I feel. Your health is the most precious thing you hold and to have it, is everything. Life can be bogged down with so many unnecessary dramas and before this, I never took the time to realise just how important it really is.

– END OF MONOLOGUE –

Yesterday I saw my best friend after nearly 26 months. It was fabulous and strange and lovely. All week in the UK the rain had pretty much taken centre stage but yesterday, the entire day was sunny and warm. We talked and laughed and now he has gone, I am so confused it actually happened. I thought I would also add a little photo of a couple of presents he gave me - one being, quite possibly, the most beautiful book I have ever seen and a DVD of a documentary I have wanted to watch FOR. EVER. A larger group of my friends are coming to visit me in a couple of weeks and I cannot wait. Feeling lucky basically.

You can buy the book GRACE on Amazon (here).

I am still sticking to eating healthily and exercising and I really do feel great. I now get excited about spinach.

That's all for today as I'm now off to have a long walk before a dinner that involves, you guessed it, spinach. SCORE! Oh what a fun blog post this has been...

Until next time.

Monday 24 August 2015

A little update NOT involving crumpets

This post is pointless really but I hate not writing something here regularly. For me, this blog has become a journal of sorts and this time in my life is so strange that I want to keep a record of it somehow.

For the last week I haven't done any writing or even thought about writing. I haven't even read anything - I tried to, but gave up. Instead, I have been busy enjoying feeling well. I am not sure how long I will stay like this and any sign that I might get unwell again makes me feel panicky to say the least. The sun has been shining, and where I live, that means walking through countryside, hearing grasshoppers chirp and the birds singing in the sky. It's been amazing, truly. I have lived in my town for about three years and didn't really take in the incredible beauty that was all around me. Funny how being ill makes you appreciate ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.

Food wise, since the dreaded crumpets saga weekend here, I have been eating VERY well. For an entire week, I haven't eaten any processed food and sugar and I feel great. I am curious if the food will help me continue to stay well but who knows! Oddly, I haven't even craved bad food. Really. I think maybe because my priority has switched from weight loss etc to getting better that I have had more success and ironically, for the first time not bothering about what number it says on the scales, I have gone and lost weight. I am not counting calories by the way, I am eating what my body needs and exercising - I have a long walk Monday to Saturday and then do some toning exercises every other day.

To anyone going through something hard, remember it will get better and at the end of it, you will feel stronger and happier than you ever did before.

I know this post was a little serious and deep, especially for a Monday morning, but I'm feeling reflective - hence the picture of some random crops. Don't worry, I feel a desire to read Judith McNaught building up inside me and I assure you I will be back to that malarkey shortly.

Until next time.

Sunday 16 August 2015

A random update involving crumpets


Filthy crumpet photo taken from
my Instagram account.
Something I couldn't say last week is that my fear of eating crumpets has finally come to an end. If you follow me on Twitter, you will already be ready to throw something at your screens if you hear the C word from me ever again (I am talking about crumpets, naturally). Yes, after a long fear of crumpets I ate some yesterday and they were FABULOUS. I started my crumpet Twitter saga on Monday; the day the obsession really kicked in but waited patiently until the weekend as I have been trying to eat really healthily Monday to Friday to try and get well again. It seems to be working. I am basically back to normal - but touching wood so hard my hand hurts just in case I flare again. With the illness I have, there is no 'Do this and you will get better' so it's hard to tell what is making my recovery speed up ... but it can't do me any harm to eat well in the process. I am basically healthy as it is but I do love my sugar and naughty treats and keeping them for the weekend makes them more of a treat, like they should be, instead of before where they were a part of my day.

Something surprising though to come out of the whole crumpet saga/obsession was that I don't think I can eat them again. While eating them I was filled with ungodly joy but afterwards, I just felt terrible. It's strange but the healthier you get, the more you feel the effects of eating really bad food. I will never be one of those people who just eats vegetables that masquerade as a three-course meal BUT, I think from now on I am going to really take what I eat seriously. Still enjoy meals out, AND ALL THE CHOCOLATE, but just be a bit more respectful of my body.

Onto the writing bit: in the earlier part of the week, I did what I said in my previous post (here) and read through my book again making a list of everything that needed to go or change. Shock horror, reading it through the second time around made me realise it wasn't as bad as I initially thought. Still lunacy in places, still needs to be completely rewritten, but just not as scary. By the end of the read-through I had a 5 page, 3,170 word (single spaced) document filled with ideas and changes that needed to be made. Another wonderful thing to come out of rereading my book is that I am now so thrilled about the journey ahead of me. It's going to be a long journey, BUT I AM NOT GIVING UP! My list has ideas and changes that I hope will really give the book life and over the next couple of months before NaNoWriMo, I will work on all the problems and ideas so that when I rewrite it in November, I can just enjoy every single moment of the process. The list itself has been organised into separate categories to make my life easier. They are:

To think about and sort out
- Plot issues that need to be sorted so they make logical sense.
- Ideas that need to be given more thought.
- Parts that need developing - whether it be a character or plot point.

Changes to make
- Things I have already sorted out that need to be replaced - e.g. a plot line or conversation.

To add in
- New parts of the plot or dialogue that that need to be inserted into the book somewhere.

Miscellaneous
- Things I need to do.
- Random things I need to remember that make a good book.

Wow, what a random, random post this was. Brace yourself for many more in the coming months.

Until next time.

Sunday 9 August 2015

The verdict

Different blog post.
Different sunset.
So I read the damn book that I talked about (in a lot of detail) here.

This post is split between mine and my mum's opinion of it as we have now both finished.

My mum is the only person who knows I want to be a writer and not only do I live with her, but she is the one person I can rely on to give me her honest opinion, whether it be my fashion choices or what she thinks of my work. She has been there from the beginning of it all, offering me her time and help.

I am not going to divulge any information about the book itself but I will say that it has 71,319 words (SPOILER).


MY OPINION:

One word to describe the book? BLURGH!

The good 

  • It read like a very promising first draft. Structurally, it is pretty sound and most of the plot won't be touched.
  • It has potential, definitely, and a lot of it. 
  • I really liked most of the characters and felt they were well-rounded.

The bad 

  • It read more like a seventy thousand word outline than an actual novel. 
  • It was an exposition nightmare.
  • Two characters need to just stop what they are doing and sort it out pronto and another character needs to be less of a stereotype and the plot surrounding him needs to be subtler.

THE UGLY
  • Within minutes of reading it, due to the worlds most iffy third person voice, I realised that the whole blasted thing would have to be COMPLETELY REWRITTEN in the first person.
  • Because of the aforementioned iffy third person voice, my protagonist thought or talked out loud to herself an unnatural amount.
  • I have never seen so many people change the subject in a single novel. It's a wonder anyone got a word in edgeways.
  • If the Stephen King quote 'I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops', is true, then I am burning in an eternal fire. 

Anything else to mention?
It has really shown me what a difference a year makes and that the more you write (and read), the better you get. Not only has my writing improved since I wrote this last year but my vocabulary and the breadth of words I now use is quite amazing. I still have so much to learn though.

While reading it, I felt quite daunted and, to be honest, a little despondent as I think I realised just how much work it needed but after really thinking about it, on Friday afternoon, I started to feel excited about the challenge of making it the best it can be. I am passionate about my characters and the journey they go through in the book.

Overall, I think I would be mad not to at least try to do something with this. It needs time, a lot of thought and planning plus the willpower to not throw my laptop out of the window in the process.

Marks out of ten? 5


MUM'S OPINION:

One word to describe my book? Exciting.

Mum completely agreed with me that the voice needs to change to the first person as she also thought it read more like a plot than a novel ... but on the whole, she was definitely more positive about it than I was. She loved the story, the action and said that the characters were likable and real.

Marks out of ten? 


Where do I go from here?

After a couple of days spent digesting everything, this is my tentative plan for the book:

On Monday, I am going to read it again and mark down every single plot issue and problem that needs to be sorted and worked on plus write a breakdown of each chapter and everything that happens to make it easier for me in the future. After that, I am going to spend the next couple of months working on what I am sure will be a very long list of plot issues and problems THEN in November, do NaNoWriMo again and rewrite the whole blooming book in a month. GAH!

Help me?

Until next time.

Wednesday 5 August 2015

I'm really scared

I write this on the eve of embarking on something I am PETRIFIED of doing; reading through the first book I ever wrote well over a year ago.
Sunset symbolism

'What is this madness?' I hear you say. Well, I suppose I should start at the very beginning ... a very good place to start. Brace yourself, it's long (and pretty honest). BAM:

Back in October/November 2012, I had an idea for a story that got me majorly excited. I wrote a page worth of details, was bursting with joy over it then just ... decided it didn't exist any more. Before the idea came to me, I had been toying with the notion of writing, thinking, 'Oh how lovely would it be to write', but always in a wistful, STAYS WELL CLEAR OF ALL WRITING APPARATUS, kinda way.

That idea and page of notes I had made stayed untouched, where it burned a hole in my brain but felt more comfortable than the fear of trying to do something with it and failing abysmally. Knowing there was a chance it could be something, instead of having a go then affirming that I was a failure, was safe to me. A place I had been hanging out in for a large chunk of my life.

The seasons passed and the following May I had a day at work that I hated more than words can say - so much so that I remember crying in a corridor thinking 'What the hell am I doing with my life?!' A few weeks later, I decided to pull up that much-feared word document of notes for the idea and just write. I wrote three chapters thinking they were terrible but writing them anyway because the experience at work was acting as motivation to just do it. After finishing the three chapters, I was too scared to read them myself so in a dramatic indulgent state, I asked my mum to read them for me.

Her reaction: A slightly confused pause after reading them, then an unsure, 'You wrote this?'

Me: Nods head, expecting the worst,

Mum: 'It's good.' She looked surprised.

Intrigued by her reaction, I then read it myself ... I was also surprised. It was not, as I feared, the worst thing I had ever read plus, I adored writing it, even through the waves of depression thinking I was really bad. Spurred on, I felt ready to continue writing to see what would happen ... and then I became ill. I have already talked about this in previous posts but if you didn't know, for the past two years I have been housebound. I am getting better but it's taking it's sweet time. There you go. For the first two months of being ill, I was pretty much a zombie and couldn't even remember my name but in mid-August, even though I still felt terrible, randomly I reread the three chapters I had written and on a whim, picked up where I left off. Before I knew it, a couple of weeks had gone by and I had finished my first draft that came in (I think) just shy of 50,000 words.

My first thought after finishing the first draft? I AM THE WORST WRITER IN THE WORLD.

After that ludicrous epiphany, I then decided, because I was the worst writer in the whole world, to ignore what I had written and not look at it for a while. A few months passed, where I was too scared to look at it but also blooming curious what it was like (I hadn't actually read the blasted thing before declaring I was the worst thing that ever happened to literature FYI). In the end, my mum sat me down and together, we read out the whole thing and something startling happened ... we liked it and I couldn't believe it was mine. I mean, there were some hilarious disasters, the grammar in places was lunacy but there were parts, beneath the dirt, that I was really proud of. Considering up until this point I had only written in school, it was news to me that there was a chance, with a lot of work (oh yes) and dedication, I could write a book.

In the following months I went through excitement, denial, fear, paranoia, euphoria and many other disconcerting emotions thinking I was terrible, thinking I shouldn't bother, thinking I was OK, and so on. There were periods where I couldn't write because I was too ill but other times when I could and by the following August (2014) I had what I thought was a finished book (LOL). Deep down in my gut I knew it wasn't 100% ready but I panicked and decided to do the lamest attempt at contacting agents to possibly represent me. In the next month or so I got a few rejections (one agent even sent me the email twice, fun) but all the while, I felt uncomfortable knowing that my book was out there and not as good as it could be SO very quickly, I contacted all the agents I had already submitted to and withdrew my manuscript for consideration. By the time I had done all that it was mid-September and I felt relieved. All those agents could have gone on to reject it, maybe one might have seen something in it but regardless, I know I made the right choice. I decided to take some proper time away from that story and move onto something else before I delved back into it again. The 'something else' became WEIGHTING TO LIVE ... then the subsequent book of short stories ... the sequel novella ... and a random short story.

– If you are still reading this, I applaud your stamina. I am exhausted just typing it. – 

Now they are all done and out of the way, FINALLY the time has come to return to this first story of mine and see what state it is in. When I think about it sometimes, I imagine it to be abysmal then other times, I remember a bit I like and feel happy. This story and the characters have been haunting me for a year. I have been desperate to return to it, but also worried what I will find when I do. In the last year since I properly started writing, I have noticed how much my style has improved and am curious whether I will see a difference.

I last looked at the story on 6th August 2014 and I am going to be reading it all the way through from tomorrow, with my mum reading it at the weekend. I will be blogging our reactions as I thought it might be interesting to see how our opinions differ and, I hope, merge.

Asleep yet?

Until next time (if I decide there is a next time. It might be that bad. Help me!)

Monday 3 August 2015

WEIGHTING TO LIVE AND CHANGES ARE NOW PAPERBACKS + GIVEAWAY!

***Details for the giveaway at the end of this post***


What a crazy three weeks it's been! To cut a long story short, I decided I wanted to make my book WEIGHTING TO LIVE into a paperback using the Amazon company CreateSpace. After formatting etc, CreateSpace sent me a proof of what my book would look like and I was overjoyed with the quality and end result - my little novel turned into a book front of my eyes ... AN ACTUAL BOOK! Somehow, being able to hold a copy makes it all suddenly feel so very real. Because of the time it takes to have your books sent from CreateSpace, I decided to buy the finished copies via Amazon UK and that is where the hilarity started: my books arrived looking completely different from the proof I originally received via CreateSpace. First, the cover itself was not only wonky as if it had been drinking too much alcoholic ink, it also had a purple colour scheme (when it should have been grey) and the inside pages were such a lurid peachy colour that it made me feel like my eyes were melting. I contacted Amazon customer services with this matter which I thought would be pretty simple to rectify but instead it turned into a situation that has made me, at times, question my sanity.

An abridged version of a typical Amazon scenario I have experienced over the last few weeks:

ME: 'Hello, I have been waiting 2 business days for a response from the fulfillment centre as to why these issues happened with my book and I haven't heard back from you so was wondering what was going on.'

AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICES: 'Oh I am sorry about that, I will send your query to the fulfillment centre and we will get back to you within 2 business days.'

***2 business days later***
NO ANSWER FROM AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICES - repeats earlier dialogue TEN TIMES.


Luckily in the end I was forwarded onto CreateSpace - where I should have been forwarded to in the first place - and they were brilliant and this morning I received perfect copies of WEIGHTING TO LIVE - THE END. CASE CLOSED!

In these last few ridiculous weeks, like a madwoman, I also decided to make CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTION into to a paperback and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out, so ... CUE ALL THE PICTURES OF MY BOOKS AT EVERY ANGLE IMAGINABLE:

Baby 1
Baby 2

My babies together in the grass
Babies turned over to get an even tan in the sun
Artistic splayed books
DAZZLING SPINES!!!!


Sorry/not sorry for the mass of photos.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I am going to be giving away on Goodreads one signed copy of my book WEIGHTING TO LIVE and it is open internationally.

To enter the Goodreads giveaway, click here (or click the widget on the top right hand side of this page).

Giveaway ends on Sunday 6th September 2015. 


Links to buy the paperbacks
WEIGHTING TO LIVE: here (UK) and here (US)
CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTION: here (UK) and here (US)
***Also available at all worldwide Amazons too***

If you enter my giveaway, good luck!

I'm off to look at, stroke and cuddle my books then tuck them in for the night because they have had a very long day.

Until next time.

Thursday 23 July 2015

Just a book review about Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

My blog is slowly turning into a shrine for Judith McNaught and psychological thrillers so to rectify this, here is a serious review about a little-known book called Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee.

To be perfectly frank, the thought of reading this book didn't fill me will joy. Don't get me wrong, I ADORED To Kill a Mockingbird but the idea of an iffy sequel randomly appearing after one million years, AND just after Harper Lee's sister/carer had died, worried me, but with a reluctant heart, I picked up Go Set a Watchman yesterday and I am so glad I did. Three words that describe this book in my opinion would be wonderful, heartbreaking and disappointing.

Go Set a Watchman follows twenty-six-year-old Scout (now known by her real name Jean Louise) on her annual visit home to Maycomb. I read To Kill a Mockingbird well over a year ago (for the first time ever. I know, shame on me) and had forgotten quite a lot until I started reading Watchman and all the memories came flooding back. I remembered how much I loved the subtle current of humour and charm that thankfully runs through Go Set a Watchman too and relished the wonderful flashbacks to Scout as an adolescent that take up practically the first half of the book.

The book does not have much of a plot, it's more of a character exploration and whether I found a person's actions right or wrong, they were all rich and beautifully crafted, coming alive on the page. I found Aunt Alexandra and her brother Jack to be the real gems of the piece. Here is one of my favourite quotes from Go Set a Watchman that shows off Harper Lee's subtle sense of humour and the character perfectly:


'When Alexandra went to finishing school, self-doubt could not be found in any textbook, so she knew not it's meaning...'

p.28 Go Set a Watchman


Now onto our protagonist. I found grown-up Scout/Jean Louise to be an absolute joy - still the same witty, boyish, headstrong girl we know and love from Mockingbird. She will never bend to anyone's will with a wonderful eloquent stubbornness that I adored. She sticks to her guns for what she believes is right. There are not enough Scouts in the world.

When we find out about Atticus, the reader feels betrayed like Scout and we can share in her anger and disillusionment at a man in her eyes (and ours) who could do no wrong, until now. The one downside for me, like most people, was Atticus. I just can't get my head around it. For everything that Atticus represented, and the powerful lines about humanity in To Kill a MockingbirdGo Set a Watchman shouldn't have been published to preserve this character's legacy.

To anyone thinking of reading it but are put off by what you have heard in the media and other reviews, just read it. It's a beautifully written, powerful book and incredible that it was only a first draft (obviously tarted up a fair bit, but still). It has Harper Lee 'written' all over it and I just wish she had published more novels in her lifetime.

You can buy Go Set a Watchman on Amazon (here).

Now to restore the balance of my blog, I am off to reread a Judith McNaught ... and you think I'm joking.

Until next time.

Sunday 12 July 2015

Get Started in Writing Young Adult Fiction by Juliet Mushens

There is a fabulous agent with a penchant for leopard print and vintage-inspired dresses called Juliet Mushens. If that is not fabulous enough, she has just released a book on how to write YA fiction.

*Book contemplates life on a park bench*
If I could choose my own agent (this is of course as fictional as the YA novel I haven't written yet), I would want to be represented by Juliet as not only is she successful at what she does, more importantly (to me at least), she comes across as an approachable, likable woman. I have been following her for a while now on twitter and she's great - you can too by clicking here.

Her debut book Get Started in Writing Young Adult Fiction takes you from how to begin your novel right through to submitting it to agents and an overview of the publishing process. The book is crammed with writing exercises and ideas to help you get into gear and makes the daunting task of writing a book a little less scary. I especially loved the quotes and trivia from well-loved creatives scattered along the way.

I am about to start working again on a novel I wrote last year and even though it is not YA per se, it is close enough for this book to benefit me and it definitely answered a lot of questions I had and gave me a lot to think about when I get to editing. More than anything, what this book did was get me excited about writing and applying some of the tips and tricks Juliet has suggested to make my existing novel something maybe one day she would consider representing herself.

All writers, regardless of genre or type, would find something helpful in this book and you can buy it here.

ALSO, my book WEIGHTING TO LIVE is FREE today on Amazon (UK Link here. US Link here). A subtle plug on a Sunday for you.

Until next time.

Thursday 9 July 2015

Moving On

After months of madness, I can safely say I have FINISHED editing the four books I had prematurely self-published with Amazon KDP: WEIGHTING TO LIVE, CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTION, SIXTEEN MONTHS and CIRCLE.

Finished covers for my four books
Since they were originally self-published, a couple of the books have changed rather a lot so I thought I would quickly tell you how:

WEIGHTING TO LIVE
Before - approx 52,000 words
Now - 47,457 words
*Out of all of them, WEIGHTING TO LIVE has changed the most. Not only has the structure changed (e.g. times have been replaced by three stars) but as you can tell by a deficit of over four and a half thousand words, I've cut a lot that needed to GO GO GO! Now it is done, I am SO happy with it. 

CHANGES
Before - 14,697 words
Now - 14,766 words
*Out of all my books, this has had the least 'changes' from the original version I self-published. From start to finish, I had the easiest (and best) time with this book.

SIXTEEN MONTHS
Before - 12,042 words
Now - 11,852 words
*Parts were altered and changed (the times like WEIGHTING TO LIVE were replaced by three stars) and after WEIGHTING TO LIVE, this needed the most editing.

CIRCLE 
Stayed at roughly 5,000 words
*Like CHANGES, I didn't have too much to do and edits were minimal.

***

I will be blogging again about one final thing to do with my WEIGHTING TO LIVE series then I am moving ON ... OMG!

P.S. In celebration of my books being completely finished, WEIGHTING TO LIVE IS FREE TODAY! To download your TOTALLY FREE COPY click here (UK) or here (US) *Also available at all Amazons around the world!

P.P.S. Read VICIOUS by V.E. Schwab - you won't regret it. Dark, macabre, entertaining with twisted but brilliant characters and totally unlike anything you will have ever read before.

P.P.P.S Like my new background?

P.P.P.P.S Sorry for all the P.S.'s

Until next time.

Friday 3 July 2015

My Life In Random

Here is a mishmash of bookish things for you today in no particular order coming from one girl's heat-stricken brain.

Recently, my life has been made up of finishing off working on ALL the books I've already self-published (more on that very soon) and reading. You might or might not know if you have read my blog before that I ADORE finding great books under the 'psychological thriller' bracket but having said that, I've found it hard to find great ones (I talk about it here and recommend a rather good one too).

Between working on my own books, I have been ravenously devouring any book I can get my hands on SO, when I got a generic email from Amazon offering me a free eBook if I joined their newsletter, I JUMPED at the chance. Not only was it free, it was a psychological thriller (YAY) and even better, it was for one of Rachel Abbott's book, Sleep Tight. I have wanted to read her books for ages seeing as she is one of the most successful self-published authors out there - she has sold I think about 1.5 million copies to date.

*Images with kind permission from the author*
My first Rachel Abbott book was not a disappointment and I found Sleep Tight to be clever, tense and ever so gripping with lots of twists and turns right until the very end. After finishing it, I was eager to read more of her work and saw that she was selling her latest book, Stranger Child for only 99p on Amazon (deal just on the Kindle version). Give me a cheap book offer and I'm all over it like a rash and again, the book was a great little read - I maybe didn't enjoy it as much as the first but I still would highly recommend it. If I had one criticism of both of her books it would be that I found the detective and his sidekick (who appear in all her books) to be pretty one-dimensional but really, with these kind of stories, it doesn't matter in the slightest. Joining the self-publishing world only recently myself, it's nice to be in such talented company (and ever so inspirational too). I will definitely be reading her other two books at some point but for now, to be blunt, I can't afford it. I should also quickly mention that you must read Sleep Tight before Stranger Child as even though they are standalone books, a small part of the plot from Sleep Tight is resolved in Stranger Child. You can buy Sleep Tight here & Stranger Child here.

Cover LUST
I mean, LOOK AT IT!
I WANT TO TOUCH YOU AGAIN!
I MISS YOU!
Now onto something baffling. I am going to talk a bit about E. L. James' latest book Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey As Told by Christian (the clue is in the title). When I found out this was going to be released, I reserved it at my local library and incredibly the day after publication, it was available to pick up (oh how I LOVE libraries). My reason for reading it was purely down to curiosity. I am not going to go into how I felt about the book itself but I will say how smitten I am with the cover. When I first saw pictures of it, I wasn't that bothered but seeing it in the flesh is something else entirely.

When I got it, I spent an unhealthy amount of time not only looking at it, but stroking it as if it was some kind of pet. It is now back at the library but I am having major cover withdrawals. I now really want to buy it. Has anyone ever bought a book SOLELY for the cover? What a ridiculously stupid dilemma to be in. The book is what it is and fans of the series will get what they want ... but I have to say that if a man repeatedly called me baby, he would be marched into that blasted red room of pain until the word was never mentioned ever, EVER again.

Until next time (baby - ew).

Tuesday 30 June 2015

My Half Year Resolutions Check Up

*Picture of clouds to represent a
deep, reflective blog post*
On the eve of the 1st July and exactly half way through the year, I thought it would be interesting to see how I am doing with the resolutions I wrote six months ago for 2015 (here).


MY ORIGINAL RESOLUTIONS WERE:
  1. Keep this blog updated even if my mother is the only one reading it (Hi Mum!).
  2. Work hard at whatever I am doing.
  3. Finish editing my NaNoWriMo 2014 novel then self-publish.
  4. After finishing the above novel, work again on the first novel I wrote over a year ago and self-publish it also.
  5. Learn everything there is to know about self-publishing

HOW I HAVE DONE?
  1. Keep this blog updated even if my mother is the only one reading it (Hi Mum!) Why, yes, I think I have! I have published 27 blog posts (not including this one) so far this year.
  2. Work hard at whatever I am doing. I have worked harder on my writing, this blog and all the random administration stuff that goes along with it than I have ever worked on anything in my life so I think that I can safely say YES, I have.
  3. Finish editing my NaNoWriMo 2014 novel then self-publish. YES! Buy it here and here.
  4. After finishing the above novel, work again on the first novel I wrote over a year ago and self-publish it also. I shall be working on it very soon (blog post all about that before I start.)
  5. Learn everything there is to know about self-publishing. I'm getting there...

ANYTHING YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THAT YOU HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR?
I have written and self-published a small book of short stories called CHANGES: A SHORT STORY COLLECTION (buy here) focusing on characters from my first novel WEIGHTING TO LIVE and a follow-up novelette (the obsession for that word is still a thing) called SIXTEEN MONTHS (buy here).


WHAT I HAVE LEARNT SO FAR:
  1. Don't be in such a damn rush. For example, publishing my books - I definitely self-published all of them too quickly without really checking over and over them enough for errors. I need to remember when I think it's finished, I am only half way there (if that).
  2. That there is nothing like the feeling of hard work and loving what you are doing plus knowing that the work you are putting in is going towards what you really want to do.
  3. That I definitely want to be a writer.
  4. That what you put in, you get out.

ANYTHING TO ADD TO MY RESOLUTIONS?
  1. Don't panic and slow down. The quote 'Life's a marathon, not a sprint' sums it up perfectly. Rushing inevitably risks your work in the long run and I am finding by rushing, you waste time in the end, ironically. 
  2. Find balance. I am trying to get well again and working long hours each day isn't healthy. I am all or nothing and need to keep a steady pace and add a bit of structure to my life if I want to do this long term.

Well there you go! Goodbye to the first half of the year and HELLO to the next 'chapter' (ouch).

Until next time.

Wednesday 17 June 2015

Into the Darkest Corner

When someone tells me that something is a psychological thriller, I am on it quicker than you can say the word TENSE. I love films, books, TV shows etc that brand themselves in this genre but after so many years, I am always desperately disappointed. I go into them full of hope I will be blown away by the twists and turns and normally, I can't put them down ... until the last 100 pages when everything drags and the disappointment sets in. This inevitable disappointment never phases me though and I am back for my next psychological thriller fix like a fickle child. (I am not going to mention the other books/films TV shows that have disappointed me as even though I am not a fully-fledged writer yet (I hope yet at least) I don't feel comfortable having a go at other writers). So when I heard about the psychological thriller Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, I was excited for the chance to maybe not be disappointed ... AND I WASN'T!


The blurb:

When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can't believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true.

But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee's dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbed by his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turning to her friends for support, she's stunned to find they don't believe her. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is trying to build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma of the past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life.

Until the day the phone rings . . . 


Mine and my mother's film mantra is 'When in doubt, watch Sleeping With the Enemy ... again' and this plot reminded me heavily of that so by this point, I was chomping at the bit to get my hands on the book.

The main character of Into the Darkest Corner, Cathy, suffers from severe anxiety and I thought the author did a brilliant job of the thought process that goes behind Cathy's decisions and the way she copes with her, at times, debilitating condition. The book has no chapters but dated segments that alternate between two periods in Cathy's life - four years apart. It is incredible how she changes in that time and it was written in a very subtle way. I spent the entire book in a perpetual state of unease - in a good way. It was very tense, leaving you almost with the feeling you were being watched while you read it. Instead of slowing down, the tension built towards the end and I am sure this tweet I wrote ninety pages before the end, highlights how I was feeling at the time:


I was desperate to know what was going to happen right until the last page.

I will say there were parts I wasn't as keen on such as Cathy's friends. They made me feel sad for my generation, in a 'To have fun we must get as wasted as much as possible', kinda way. Cathy's life before with her friends just seemed desperately empty to me. The other thing I didn't like much was how graphic it was in places but I think regardless of how hard it was to read, it was important to the plot. Neither of these issues took away from it being a brilliant book.

And one last fabulous thing I must mention was that the author wrote the first draft of the book while participating in NaNoWriMo which I did for the first time last year and loved! Anyone reading this, I 100% urge you to try it yourself.

Anyway, I must dash, I'm off to lock my front door again and NEVER DATE MEN EVER AGAIN.

Until next time.

Friday 12 June 2015

Déjà vu

I have a new superficial book to add to my collection.

Have I read the book approximately 5,000 times? YES

Did I already own a copy of the book? YES

Did I need another copy of the book? NATURALLY

I am talking about Someone to Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught. If you have ever read my blog before, you will definitely already know that I adore her books. For an entire post dedicated to all things McNaught, click here.

My 2 copies of
Someone to Watch Over Me
(old smelly one behind)

As I already owned this book, I shall try to explain why I felt justified in my purchase:

Firstly, I bought my original copy last year from a seller on Amazon and when the book arrived, not only was it scuffed and bent but it had an extremely strong smell of disinfectant on it (FYI - it was listed as 'new'). After hanging the blasted book out a window for two weeks, the smell FINALLY left but every time I have touched it since, I have felt iffy about it.




Secondly, this version matches my copies of Perfect and Paradise 'perfectly'. After seeing my photographic evidence of this >>>>>>>>>> I am sure you'll agree it was money well spent.


– CASE CLOSED –


Flashin' you a lovely bit o' spine

I am still undecided what to do with the old copy - possibly clean my house with it, I don't know. To celebrate my new totally reasonable book purchase, I will reread it for the 5001st time.

Until next time.

Monday 8 June 2015

Healthy food 'n flowers

I'm sorry I haven't posted on here in over a week but three seasons of BBC's Robin Hood don't watch themselves...

I promise I haven't just watched Robin Hood (er..), I have also been tinkering with the four books I self-published on Amazon as I am STILL finding things to change. How is it that after months, I can't seem to find all the quotation marks I've missed - the trials of not having a professional editor, I suppose.

Photo taken from my
instagram account
If you haven't read my blog before, I've been ill for the last couple of years and recently, I have been trying to go out to get some Vitamin D as it is apparently great for helping what I am going through. While walking each day, I have discovered a new obsession: taking photos of all the flowers for instagram. This applies to all nature really and I have been really enjoying posting the pictures I take.

Now onto the yummy stuff. I have been following the health food blog Deliciously Ella for a while now. The blog was founded by a woman called Ella Woodward who battled a rare illness, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, and through natural eating alone, she was able to heal completely over 18 months.  


Because of borderline laziness, I haven't tried any of her recipes yet but the blog (and her instagram) inspire me to make healthier choices each day and I have approximately one million recipes of hers saved onto a Pinterest board ready to try when I feel a bit better. I have no idea what her food tastes like - it could all be like eating a glorified lettuce leaf - but from what I hear and the ingredients she uses, it sounds absolutely wonderful.

As I was already a fan of hers, I decided to borrow her first cookbook (Deliciously Ella) from the library.

*Photos taken from the book* Beetroot Chocolate Cake (left)
and Berry Scones with Coconut Cream (right)

After a good read of it earlier on today (and salivating over half the recipes), I will say it's a beautiful, well laid out book full of recipes that sound absolutely delicious. I have a major sweet tooth and cannot wait to try her Key Lime Pie, the Beetroot Chocolate Cake (pictured above) and the Sweet Potato Brownies. Plus, the idea of eating healthy scones (also pictured above) fills me with joy!

You can buy the book (here).

I'm off to gaze lustfully at food I can't be bothered to make.

Until next time.