About
I have been writing stories ever since I can remember. I love how words make you feel; how they connect people to one another, how they inspire. My career to date has involved words in one fashion or another - from a broadcast journalist and radio newsreader, to a marketing manager, copywriter, and a media manager.
As the years have gone by, I've realised you don't have to knock out a literary masterpiece at your first attempt, and your words don't have to be perfect in every sentence. You have to love the process and the craft to create the magic. I've written a few novels and children's books (unpublished) and I'm currently writing a novel based on an idea I had many years ago. I also love collecting ideas for future novels. In 2024, I signed up to do my first creative writing course which was so good! In 2025, I plan to keep putting pen to paper, and to keep showing up.
I'm Reading...
THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE
Matt Haig
I have high hopes for this of course! Hot on the heels of The Midnight Library (the only other one I've read by Matt Haig) I am expecting pure brilliance, raw emotion, and the highs and lows of human behaviour stripped and laid bare to devour. Not much to ask, right? I reckon a good few hours under a blanket with a cup of something hot and frothy, will help me indulge in this. I almost don't want to start it because I'm expecting perfection.
THE FIRM
John Grisham
I know this is an oldie but it's a goodie! Having read a few John Grisham beauties throughout 2024, I decided to go back to the early 90s and to his second bestseller. It didn't disappoint - pacy, full of action and treachery; it was good to go back to good old crime novels where the classic good cop bad cop causes chaos and confusion. Well worth the step back in time! I've now added some other Grishams to my ever expanding TBR list for 2025.
So, what's on your TBR list for 2025? If you're like me, you'll have numerous titles ready and waiting. Admittedly, you may have spent much of 2024 curating your list and you've got so many books to be devoured. Building steadily, it now resembles a rather long and never ending food shopping list. But, you don't care and you're going to carry on regardless.
I discovered Patricia Cornwell many years ago and quickly polished off her entire crime series. I must admit I did lose faith in the series midway but thanks to a few hot days last summer spent in my back garden I rekindled my love for this series and I've got her latest, Identity Unknown, near the top of my list.
I like to read a few books at once sometimes so while reading The Life Impossible by Matt Haig I'm also really enjoying I Haven't Been Entirely Honest With You from Miranda Hart. Her words are really comforting and just what the doctor ordered for these dark days of January.
Having read one of the Camino series by John Grisham on holiday in Greece last summer, I've got the other two Camino Island and Camino Winds in my sights. The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods looks utterly charming and I've been promising myself to get to When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. I also really loved I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes so I've treated myself to his latest, The Year of the Locust.
Then, for good measure, I'm planning to re-read a few favourites. Top is The Women's Room by Marilyn French - truly inspiring and groundbreaking. Finally, I'll also treat myself to re-reading one of my favourite authors, Lionel Shriver. She's intense and controversial, and her books are absolute powerhouses.
Oh and before I go, my recommendation for a masterpiece if you haven't already devoured it? Read Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang. It focuses on a writer who steals a manuscript from a fellow writer and passes it off as her own. With a punishing look at the publishing industry, I just couldn't put this book down!