Am re-reading Be Water, My Friend: The True Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee (his daughter) and pausing to reflect after each chapter. A rich blend of philosophy, mindfulness, and self-actualisation - perfect for anyone seeking inspiration and practical techniques. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
#amreading
Rainy days. Perfect for lazing about with a good book. Today, it’s another one of Lisa Jewell’s gripping psychological thrillers - ‘The Family Remains’. At only 99p on #kindle, there’s no excuse not to! Even Clarence agrees. 😸
amzn.eu/d/inXKeYe
First book of the year finished: The Guest by BA Paris - a gripping psychological thriller with twists I didn’t see coming! Highly recommended (Tipsy, the cat, agrees).
A great start to 2025. Happy New Year!
#books
Mania by Lionel Shriver. Brilliantly clever!
#amreading
Reading update: Books I've enjoyed recently include Yellowface, Our Wives Under the Sea, and Butter.
However, my favourite (and that of 'Clarence Growler') was The Family Upstairs, yet another first-class psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell. Recommended!
#ReadingCommunity #AmReading #BookLovers
Exciting - good luck!
Writing update: Final (4th!) edit of my 2nd novel before querying agents. Lost 8k words, reordered scenes, tightened baggy bits and changed the working title from nondescript 'Estelle' to the metaphorical 'A Tangled Web'. Progress!
#AmEditing #WritingCommunity #WritersLife
Only slightly, I think!
A fantastic evening with 2024 Booker Prize winner, Samantha Harvey and Gaby Wood at Waterstones Piccadilly last night. Really great interview - interesting, honest and thoughtful. I'm looking forward to reading my copy of Orbital now!
#writingcommunity
About to start writing chapter 42, laptop and lap cat (her name is Tipsy) at the ready.
Oh, and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there!
#writingcommunity #amwriting #authorcommunity
Thank you! I’m having so much fun with it. ☺️
90,000 words into my first draft of ‘Estelle’ and, though I say so myself, I think it exceeds this benchmark definition! ☺️
#amwriting #authorcommunity #writingcommunity
Yep! 🤣
Authors, what are the last words you wrote? No cheating.
"In a strange way, if it wasn't for the stinging shots of internal pain, I could kid myself that last night was just a bad dream. That it didn't happen to me. It felt easier to accept that way.
Except it did."
#writingcommunity #authors
Just finished this gem of a book on memoir writing by Cathy Rentzenbrink, packed full of great advice. Not only does it guide you through crafting a memoir, but it's a goldmine for managing your own writing and editing process. Highly recommended! 👌🏼
#amwriting #WritingCommunity
Good morning! The sun’s coming up which must mean it’s time to start writing again. ☺️
Had an amazing day’s writing today with a (though I say so myself) pretty decent 700 words this morning, and a further 900 this evening.
Broken only with a long lunchtime cycle where I made a new friend. Isn’t she lovely? ☺️
400 words before breakfast, and tension over finger sandwiches in a jasmine-scented garden. How’s everyone else’s morning looking?
#authorlife #writingcommunity
I remember going to a panel for 'NYT Bestsellers Tell All' at a con, and I asked, "What's the number one action you took that lifted you from midlist to bestseller?" And everyone went silent. There was no answer except, "I just kept writing and lucked out." That left a big imprint on me.
I wrote over a thousand words before even starting the day job this morning! ☺️
Flirtations, revelations and vexations were all squeezed into a small French country kitchen.
#amwriting #author
They really are all so deserving. I’m glued to the livestream to see how it plays out.
Hmm…ok then! I’ll have a guess (based on listening to their readings alone) and say Paul Murray with The Bee Sting. That’s the one that really jumped out at me. We’ll find out in half an hour!
Started the day with this podcast interview with literary agent, Clare Conville. Informative, interesting and insightful, she came across as very thoughtful and honest. Highly recommended to fellow writers!
#literarypodcast #amwriting #alwaystakenotes #writingcommunity
apple.co/3utZgLr
Haha! Busted! 🤣
What a fantastic night! Got to listen to this year's Booker Prize winner give a captivating reading. Won't know who the actual winner is until Sunday, but any one of these six shortlisted authors would be equally deserving! (My money's on Paul!)
#BookerPrize2023 #AuthorReadings #writingcommunity