In the beginning…
Hello! Welcome to my first ever newsletter. I feel very much like I need to get over myself at this point, however, if you’re reading this and you aren’t my mum (hi mum!) then thank you so much, I really appreciate your support.
Why now ?
Aside from this being a monthly, handy way to avoid doing all of the things that I should be doing (hello eighteen piles of washing), I’m hoping to do my bit to demystify writing and publishing a little, whilst also continuing to compulsively overshare. If nothing else, in a couple of hundred years if I get a famous descendent on Who Do You Think You are, I’m just making life easy for the people responsible for doing the research. A sort of good deed for the future.
Most months I’m planning to talk about writing and publishing (she says grandly with zero concrete plans), but I thought I’d ease us all into this whole thing with a straightforward what have I been reading/writing.
So here goes…
What have I been reading?
This summer (and freakishly hot September) I’ve read some seriously top notch, gold star books. I’ve whittled it down to my top three…
Favourite romance - The Long Game by Elena Armas. Out now. Small town slow burn romances really are the best romances. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I’ve never read a enemies to lovers that I didn’t love. This is my favourite of hers.
Favourite contemporary - Open Minded by Chloe Segar. Out 15th February 2024. I knew nothing about open relationships before this (beyond wondering how anyone had the energy for them) but this was an eye opening and fun read. Worth a pre-order I reckon.
Favourite historical (I don’t make the categories) - In Memoriam by Alice Winn. Out now! I can’t even say how much I loved this book. I immediately re-read it once I’d finished. Set against the back drop of World War One, it’s about two men who go to boarding school together and then sign up to go fight on the Western Front. If like me, you have a vague obsession with the First World War and war poets in particular, this is 100% the book for you.
Favourite thing that I read online (yes, I’m counting Instagram as reading, it was the only way I could work this in) - ‘You don’t have enough information to panic about this yet.’ Apparently someone’s therapist said this to them (I get a lot of these sort of accounts suggested, can’t think why) but as someone who compulsively worries about every. single. little. thing. Mostly things that haven’t happened yet, or in my wilder moments, things that have happened and turned out okay, I 100% need to adopt this as a commandment to live by.
What I’m writing…
What am I not writing is probably a better question! Sometimes I think my brain forgets that it and I are on the same side and that it’s just not helpful to bombard me with ideas the whole entire time. Ideas are never my issue. Writers universally hate synopses but I could write them all the whole day long. It’s the jump from 1000 to 100,000 words where things start to go awry.
Anyway, I am at this very moment close to finishing a draft of my third adult book. I look forward to re-writing it ten times over the coming months (it’s a process, just not necessarily a very efficient one). I’m also editing another secret project and I’m doing the page proofs for The Philosophy of Love (page proofs are our final chance to check it basically). Plus, my MA starts back up in two weeks *laughs in nervous breakdown.*
Anywayyy… the only thing of all this that is guaranteed to see the light of day is my second book. It’s very exciting (and mildly terrifying) that The Philosophy of Love is out next February. Fair warning, this is the part of the newsletter where I’m going to ask for pre-orders. They really do help, so if you’d like to, you can pre-order it here.
Pre-order The Philosophy of Love
Anyway, I reckon that by the time we’re begging for pre-orders it’s time to just stop talking. I’m going to aim for one newsletter a month, maybe more if I’m feeling wild or have something I really should be doing but would rather avoid. If there’s anything you’d like me to cover, let me know!
Thank you for reading, Becs xx