I’ve been thinking about grief a lot recently. When I begin to type ‘Marija Smits’ into my Google search bar one of the suggestions Google comes up with is ‘Marija Smits grief’. Strange. Only it isn’t, I guess, because I’ve written about grief in the past and sometimes I try to search online for my […]
Grief, and why it’s useful to grieve Read More »
I began this blog 3 years ago and I’m proud to say that despite all the busyness of home and work life I’ve managed to keep it going. Yes, I’ve only ever posted about once a month but keeping to a manageable writing target has been helpful and ensured that the blog isn’t a burden.
Three year blogging anniversary and a giveaway Read More »
As it seems to have been an age since I last blogged (though I’m still just about managing the once-a-month blog post!) I thought I’d go with a list to help me put into words all the big things that have been happening around here. HOLIDAYS Our one week away to Wales at the
On our summer holiday, reading, writing and having an epiphany Read More »
Welcome to the June 2015 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Talking to Yourself This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written letters to themselves. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the
Dear highly sensitive soul Read More »
I recently finished editing the manuscript of my first novel, which I started writing about 10 years ago. At this moment in time, my greatest feeling is that of relief. Yes, the MS needs to be given to my favourite editor (aka my wonderful husband) for feedback and, no doubt, it will need further editing
First novel thoughts Read More »
Crumbs. Where to start? Really, I should have written this post about a month ago when I was in the thick of writing a children’s chapter book, but of course work and family (and illness) kept me pretty busy, and every spare moment was taken up by actually writing the book rather than blogging
Crumbs. Or, the writer as lover… Read More »
Welcome to ‘The Forgotten and the Fantastical’ Carnival This post was written especially for inclusion in ‘The Forgotten and the Fantastical’ carnival, hosted by Mother’s Milk Books, to celebrate the launch of their latest collection of fairy tales for an adult audience: The Forgotten and the Fantastical. Today our participants share their thoughts on the
I know that some people really hate Saint Valentine’s Day and some people really love it. I have to say that I quite enjoy it – for me, nowadays, it brings a much-needed injection of colour in a month that is often grey weather-wise. However, I’m really not into most of the commercial Valentine goo
Alternative Valentine images Read More »
When I was about fifteen or sixteen, I had to write a kind of list poem for my English studies. I think I called it something like ‘Nervousness’ and it was a whole list of things that made me feel ‘nervousness’. My teacher corrected me, writing that ‘anxiety’ was a better word to use. She
Of course I love to look upwards and gaze at the beauty of the stars. Looking at the constellations is a potent reminder of just how small I am; of how insignificant human life is. My troubles are as nothing to the vastness of the sky and the magnitude of the universe… How wonderful that