This time last year we’d just gone into lockdown again and I was busy home schooling. Just the other day my eleven-year-old son said that he’d forgotten all about that time, although I certainly haven’t! I remember the great tumult of emotions I was feeling at the time – the continued worry about Covid, frustration …
Since this is the one year anniversary of when I announced that I’d be closing down my small press, Mother’s Milk Books, I thought it worth reflecting on what my life’s been like since then. (Although, being a pedant, I have to say that much of the year was spent on the admin involved in …
Reflection is always valuable, but the end of the year provides the perfect excuse to pause and reflect on one’s achievements and mess-ups with a view to planning for the year ahead. My husband calls it ‘scheming and dreaming’ and it’s one of my favourite things to do. First, though, a look back on 2018. …
A year or two ago I went to an event at the excellent Five Leaves Bookshop and got chatting to one of my fellow attendees who set something alight in my head. I don’t remember the context – just that this person mentioned ‘Renaissance Man’ or ‘Renaissance Woman’ and I thought Aha! This is of …
Like ice-cream, every summer holiday has its own particular “flavour”. Now that both my children have returned to school and I’m back from doing the morning school run I’m reflecting on the flavour of the six weeks that have just now passed. There’s been a lot of sweetness and fun, particularly when on the odd …
In October 2016 I did something unusual: I posted an ‘Intention’ (note the capital I) on my blog. The Intention was to put together a book – a collection of short stories in the SFF genre with the final aim of getting it published. At the time of declaring my Intention I knew …
An Update on an Old Intention (aka How Ideas Mutate and Grow) Read More »
Since my husband is a scientist and I’m an ex-scientist, we both love science fiction (reading and writing it). We often discuss science fiction and enjoy having a good old rant, or rave, about the plausibility of the science within the stories. When I’m reviewing science fiction for Shoreline of Infinity I very much …
As we near the end of the year I can’t help but look back. 2017 was a big ‘mothering year’ for me as my firstborn, my daughter, turned 10. A big milestone – for her, for me. It’s taken me a while to process this! So I wanted to share my reflections, but to sort …
I’ve never liked horror – films or books – and the few famous films in that genre that I did watch when I was in my teens/early twenties (Silence of the Lambs, Seven) pretty much freaked me out so much that I quickly realized that although a lover of fantasy and science fiction, horror was …
The Appeal of Halloween to an HSP Who Doesn’t Like Horror Read More »
Today is a bright day, a glorious day, and I am glad of the autumn sunshine since, lately, the world has felt very dark. My children are on half-term holiday this week and I am slowing down a bit workwise so that I can spend time with them, help them with homework, and catch up …