As usual, I’ve started 2024 with my yearly Goodreads reading goal of 100 books! Maybe this year I’ll be successful. It’s unlikely that I’ll be successful (I have never once been successful since I started setting this same goal in 2014).
Continue reading “January reading recap”Category: Books
Get to know heartwarming women’s fiction author Lilac Mills
Hi everyone! As mentioned in my January reading recap, I reached out to the lovely Lilac Mills to see if she was interested in having a nice little Q&A with me.

Lilac lives on a Welsh mountain with her very patient husband and incredibly sweet dog, where she grows veggies (if the slugs don’t get them), bakes (badly) and loves making things out of glitter and glue (a mess, usually).
She is the author of over 12 romance novels, which have been translated across the world.
January reading recap 📚
Every year, I set my Goodreads reading goal to 100 books. I’ve never once completed this, but considering I’m going on almost ten years of this tradition – well, I’ve got to try!
Continue reading “January reading recap 📚”This autumn: Ilkley Literature Fest

Looking for something to do this autumn? Why not head north to Ilkley’s annual Literature Fest!
Ian McMillan, Ruth Jones, Gyles Brandreth, Adrian Chiles, Gabby Logan and Melvyn Bragg amongst headliners at the 2022 Ilkley Literature Festival.
Continue reading “This autumn: Ilkley Literature Fest”10 creative writing prompts to help fuel your writing spark
List 1 of (?)
I have a lot of ideas, thoughts, and threads for stories – but very little time to write them. Or if I do have the time, I don’t have the energy or I feel like I’m lacking the words and writing style to give the idea justice.
So I thought I would share them here. This will most likely be the first prompt list in a series. I can’t guarantee they will all be good (if any are), but hopefully they help spark your creativity.
(I won’t lie, most of these could be considered meet-cute prompts)
Continue reading “10 creative writing prompts to help fuel your writing spark”all the things she said; a review
All the things she said: Everything I Know About Modern Lesbian and Bi Culture by Daisy Jones
Publisher: Coronet ¦ Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2021

A modern, personal guide to the culture of queer women and everyone in between.
All The Things She Said explores the nature of 21st century queerness. Lesbian and bi culture is ever-changing and here, journalist Daisy Jones unpicks outdated stereotypes and shows how, over the past few years, the style and shared language of queer women has slowly infiltrated the mainstream. (Think less hemp sandals, IKEA trips and nut milks and more freedom, expression, community. And Cate Blanchett.)
From the dingy basement clubs of east London to the unchartered realms of TikTok, cutting in DIY mullets and christening Meryl Streep ‘Daddy’, Daisy explores the multifaceted nature of what it means to be lesbian or bi today, while also looking back and celebrating the past.
The book shines a light on the never-ending process of coming out, what it’s like to date as a queer woman, how physical nightlife spaces have evolved into online communities and the reasons why mental health issues have disproportionately impacted LGBTQ+ people.
As someone immersed in the queer culture of women, Daisy brings both the personal perspective and a journalistic one to this changing landscape. Through interviews and lived experience, a cohesive image emerges: one which shows that being lesbian, bi, or anything in between, isn’t necessarily always tied to gender, sexual practice or even romantic attraction.
With verve, humour and razor-sharp prose, Daisy paints a vital and insightful modern day portrait of what it means to be a queer woman in 2021.
play for me; a review
Play For Me by CP White

Would you play to save your life?
LJ is an aspiring musician desperate to get her big break. She is getting nowhere – until a golden opportunity arrives, giving her the chance to turn her fortunes around.
When she accepts the invitation to perform however, LJ quickly realises she has bitten off more than she can chew. Who is in the audience, and what do they really want from her? How do they know so much about her? LJ must give the performance of a lifetime, if she wants to avoid a deadly final curtain call….
Jurassic Park; a review

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Originally published: 1990, Alfred A. Knopf
This edition: 2015, Arrow books
Words from Friends: ‘Life can be weird, so why can’t stories be weirder?’

M. Jonathan Lee is a British author and mental health advocate. He is here today to speak about his writing process, the journey writing can take, and why it’s important to be fluid in life.
You can find him on Twitter as @MJonathanLee, and read lots of his writings in The Huffington Post.
Content Warning: Reference/Mention of suicide (paragraph 2).
Continue reading “Words from Friends: ‘Life can be weird, so why can’t stories be weirder?’”12 Spine-tingling Reads to Get You Ready For Hallowe’en 2021.
Hallowe’en this year will not be the same. I can’t see my partner, I can’t dress up and get drunk with friends, and I can’t even go out to the pub. Hopefully you’re in a better place than me and can do one of those, or maybe you can’t. And maybe, to top it all off, you can’t even take your little one on the prowl for some sweets through your town.
I’m hoping Hallowe’en 2021 will be a lot better. And what better way to look forward to it than with a nice count down? I have put together a list of 12 upcoming scary publications – one for each month until the next Hallowee’en! Genres included range from mystery to horror. I tried to focus on releases by UK Indie publishers, but eventually had to concede to across the pond publications.
Continue reading “12 Spine-tingling Reads to Get You Ready For Hallowe’en 2021.”





