Reflections on 2018

In hindsight, 2018 hasn’t been the year I expected it to be. In January, I was hopeful that this would be the year that my own identity emerged from beneath that of my children’s, and I was looking forward to finding my dreams and following them.  I thought that all of this would come from …

Top Five of 2018

2018 has been a great year for reading; I’ve enjoyed 55 books over the past twelve months. With the birth of The Motherload Book Club at the start of the year, I’ve had recommendations galore and plenty of proofs to devour and review. January’s first book was The Power, a gutsy look at a world in which …

School. Not So Bad.

Almost a year ago to the day, I wrote about (some of) my worries about my eldest daughter starting school. We had walked up to the local high street and, along with my youngest, the three of us had chosen and bought Christmas cards together. That afternoon, it dawned on me that there was an …

Book Review – Whistle in the Dark

Whistle in the Dark is Emma Healey's second book. It focuses mainly on Jen, whose 15 year old daughter, Lana, goes missing  in the Peak District for four days. As Lana has longstanding mental health concerns including depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts, Jen assumes that the worst has happened. When Lana returns unharmed, but unwilling …

Book Review – Missing Pieces

Missing Pieces is Laura Pearson's debut novel. The book is divided into two halves, with the first half telling the story of the months following the death of Tom and Linda Sadler's daughter Phoebe. The second half is set twenty-five years later, and Phoebe's younger sister Bea is trying to make sense of Phoebe's death …

Book Review – How Far We Fall

How Far We Fall is Shemilt's third novel. Set between London and the Scottish island of Jura, it tells the story of Beth, Albie and Ted who are caught in both the past and the present in a web of lies, betrayal and loss. Focusing on the medical careers of Albie and Ted, Shemilt weaves …

First Draft Fears

This week I finished writing the first draft of my novel. The story that started as a short list of bullet points has become a document of over 80,000 words, and it felt like the right time to stop tweaking it in order to get some feedback. A few people (other writers, family members and …

Misunderstandings of Motherhood

This blog was written for The Motherload and first published here. A close friend recently told me that she is expecting her first baby. Needless to say, I was absolutely delighted for her and her husband, and the joy on both their faces at finally being able to share their news was obvious. We talked about …

Publication of the Month

As 2017 was fading into 2018, I found out that one of my short stories had been voted December's Publication of the Month at Spill Words Press. Being one of the nominees had been reward enough, but last night's news pushed me into 2018 on a high. The original publication of this story gave me some much …

Flash Fiction Published

Today I have had a piece of flash fiction published by SpillWords Press. After several short story rejections in a row  over the last few weeks, this news has given me a much beeded boost. Seeing it as the Featured Post of the day has felt like a sign of recognition. I had been feeling demoralised …