This week, I missed my grandmother’s touch. I didn’t hug my mum or kiss my dad’s cheek. I didn’t invite my auntie to come in for a cup of tea. I didn’t lean in to touch a friend who is hurting. I didn’t visit grieving family friends. Have we ever needed the solace of touch… Read More On the Loss of Touch
Six months since I was last at my desk in a quiet house. Six months since the pandemic drove the world to close borders and ground planes and shut people in their homes. Six months during which close to a million people globally have died from coronavirus. And now, in England, a tightening of lockdown… Read More The Lost Months
I’m sitting here in our library, with the clothes dryer whirring next to me. This room is no longer the domain of the kids’ toys and our books. It’s a temporary kitchen now, too, during lockdown, while our building work has been paused. We could have moved the books upstairs but this room would have… Read More Isolation and Writing
I have someone special to introduce to you for today’s instalment of In the Armchair. Reena and I have been online friends for a few years. I came to know her mostly through the brilliant short fiction she shares on Twitter. She’s one of those people whose timeline is filled with honesty and beauty. Twitter… Read More In the Armchair: Reena Dobson
We’re completing the third week of lockdown in England due to Covid-19. Historians suggest we jot down our thoughts during this time for future generations. This is a letter to myself. How quickly this new normality descended. How suddenly cities quietened: trains empty, playgrounds taped off, motorways deserted, tourist spots barren, churches shut, flights grounded,… Read More Lockdown
I’m so excited to tell you that the audiobook of my novel All the Tomorrows, narrated by Daki De Alwis, has been released on Audible. Daki has a voice like melted chocolate and I can’t wait to see what you think. There’s a sample on the Audible site. Here’s the blurb for those of you who need a reminder:… Read More Audiobook Release: All the Tomorrows
Susan Kaye Quinn–all-round superstar, speculative fiction writer and scientist–often inspires me with her Facebook posts. She recently shared the writing tools she uses, which prompted me to update an old post of mine. I hope you’ll find some new and useful tools here. Please share in the comments any tools you use to make your writing… Read More My Favourite Writing Tools
Happy new year to you all! I hope the coming decade is kind to you: that you grow wiser and softer, that you enjoy good health, long walks and wonderful books, that joy and comfort never leave your side, that long-buried dreams find the light and you always find your way through storms. If you… Read More My Wishes for You
For the latest instalment of In the Armchair, I’m thrilled to welcome Bianca Bowers, who is here to talk about her novel Cape of Storms. I learn from Bianca all the time. She is fierce, passionate and warm. Her poetry is exquisite and so are her stories. ‘They would debate every subject under the infinite karoo… Read More In the Armchair: Bianca Bowers
Do you remember that classic answer to the interview question: what is your biggest flaw? The answer that still does the rounds and is intended to impress: I’m a perfectionist. Although, perfection is not a goal I chase nowadays. It has taken years to understand that perfection takes a toll. It breaks backs and spirits.… Read More In Pursuit of Perfection
I’m sitting here in my kitchen, with my socked feet on cold tiles. We removed the rug because of our newest arrival. Outside, a lawnmower is running, although the grass is damp from autumn mists. The leaves are turning amber and burnt orange but our pup hasn’t discovered outside yet, apart from in my arms.… Read More A Puppy Brings Mayhem aka Balance in Life
As part of my In the Armchair series, I’d like to welcome Daryl Rothman to the blog. Shakes imaginary pompoms and does a back flip. Daryl and I met during my early days on Twitter when we moved in the same writer circles. It must have been about 2012. He’s one of those wonderful internet… Read More In the Armchair: Daryl Rothman
Look out, another election looms to anoint a leader supreme Deals made in boozy backrooms Slippery beasts swimming upstream Raised with silver spoons Flaws as wide as a trench Every whim pandered to by fools Headed for the front bench Destroyers of democracy in cocaine-crusted mansions Steeped in oodles of hypocrisy Pushing murky transactions A… Read More Death Spiral
It seems silly to be here talking about burnout. In some ways, the term seems such a first world invention. We don’t live in a country ravaged by war or environmental disasters. We have the money to feed, clothe and house our family. We have opportunities to learn and prosper. Burnout is self-inflicted, isn’t it?… Read More What is Burnout and What is Just Life?
Yesterday, my mum confided to me that she’d never felt the need to compete for status. I admire her gentle ways. She does her absolute best in her own lane and doesn’t worry about the rest of the field. I don’t recall ever seeing actively compete in relationships or at work. She rarely craves anything… Read More Human Nature and the Tussle of Competition
For a long time, I’ve been trying to find some balance in my writing life. A balance between finding enough time for my passion and stopping it bleeding into family time. A balance between creating words and reading them. A balance between consuming story-telling in books and story-telling on screens. A balance between my words… Read More Finding Balance and Genre News
Since leaving a nine to five job, I’ve grown more introverted. My extroversion, necessary for my previous job, was always a skill learned from being part of a big, boisterous family. Today, I prefer interactions in smaller groups. Large gatherings feed my curiosity about people but are ultimately draining. In a world full of megaphones,… Read More Writerly Introversion and the Power of Silence
I didn’t make a concrete plan at the beginning of this year. I knew I had a novel to write this year, perhaps two, but other than that, I thought I would just be. The political landscape has been so tough these past few years, so draining, that living in the moment sometimes seems like… Read More Coming Out of Hibernation
It’s the start of a new year. We leave behind a year that many of us won’t miss, a year which seemed relentless with global news and human meanness. I realise now, there is a limit to our control. We can stand up for our beliefs, we can make art, and treat others with kindness… Read More In 2019, Just Be
Today, there’s a bottle of red wine at the ready on my counter because I’m celebrating the launch of Hidden Colours, my book about an imaginary immigrant circus in Berlin. Yusuf’s story is about compassion and grief, and how a little kindness can have a big impact. What a whirlwind it has been writing this novel… Read More Hidden Colours is Finally Here!