For the curious

This month is a month on the road. One of the best bits about being a writer (other than working in my pyjamas), is getting to meet readers. But this month, it's not me on tour but my partner Yann. His new novel, The High Mountains of Portugal, came out on February 2nd and he's been on the road ever since. I've been hanging out in London with the children, recovering from the flight (and stomach flu), reading books, and anticipating Valentine's day when Yann joins us in England.

I've been working on edits for my YA novel Me and Me, and for my chapter book Polly Diamond, AND getting ready for a book to come out with Fiction Express, an online choose-the-next-chapter adventure publisher. That book comes out on February 19th and I'm looking forward to seeing what readers decide will happen next week by week.

I've also been working on this newsletter for you. It's full of book recommendations for the readers in your life this Valentine's Day. And I have one loved-up writing prompt and one other for you, along with some tips and ideas about making time for writing.

Thanks, as always, for being interested in me and my writing life. Drop me a line and let me know what you like about the newsletter and what I could improve. And please share it if you think there's a writer or a reader out there who would enjoy this. Word of mouth is the best way for a writer to meet new readers! Oh, and this photograph is from my launch, taken by the wonderful Kerrie Oliver. I loved the picture so much, I just had to share it with you!

For the readers

2 books to give the one you love:
Jewels: A Secret History by Victoria Finlay. I love this book so much I'm recommending it again this month as a gift. It's full of history and intrigue and drama about the surprisingly riveting history of jewels. It's absolutely compelling. 

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is a book for anyone creative in your life, or anyone who wants to be. Full of quotable moments and inspiration, this is a great gift and a fabulous read. I love Gilbert's chatty tone and her warmth, and I love her ideas about ideas. 

2 books to give a teen:
The World of Ink and Shadows by Lena Coakley. The Bronte sisters, a slip through reality into magical worlds, handsome, brooding characters. This book is taking the reading world by storm and it will keep you, uh, I mean, the teen you give this book to, up all night.

The Art of Secrets by James Klise: is about a possible hate crime and a sensational piece of art. This mystery narrative is told from lots of different points of view, and it's built of texts, interviews, letters and more to make an innovative, fast paced and riveting read. 

2 books to give a child:
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney. My children and I love this tiny, perfect picture book. And now my two year old tells me: I love you all the way to Boston Pizza with deep pride--it's almost an exact quote from this book!

The Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson: with a mix of rhyme and prose, the inimitable Julia Donaldson, explores the journey of a set of paper dolls in a day and in a memory. It makes me tear up every time.

1 book just for you: 100 Years of The Best American Short Stories. This is the book I've been reading nightly all month. Fantastic and wise short story writer Lorrie Moore has selected forty stories from over 2,000 published in previous collections of the best American short stories. The selection is marvellous. Each story comes with a short biography of the author and each decade has a history of the editors who worked on the stories. Any aspiring writer will learn heaps about the craft of writing by reading this, and booklovers will be fulfilled by the range and breath of the storytelling.


 

For the writers

I get asked a lot about how I manage to make time for my writing. With four children (and a dog!) it seems like it must be impossible to fit it all in, but, as I say in the video, I make myself make time to write because otherwise I feel like every other aspect of my life falls apart. Elizabeth Gilbert talks about creativity all the way through her book Big Magic--she describes how each of us are creative because we are human, and I know for me that making sure I make time for writing brings out the best in me. Even though it means using any spare moments to redraft sentences, or jot down ideas, it means that when I'm dealing with yet another tantrum or figuring out what to make for supper, I feel more centred and calm.

I don't know why writing makes me feel calmer. But I suspect it's because it makes me feel fulfilled. Even when I wasn't a published writer, if I went for several days without writing, I'd feel nasty and irritated with the world. When I express myself on the page--and my form is fiction, for you it might be writing a diary or writing poetry or narrative essays--I feel creative and happy. Even when it's going badly, even when I can't figure out the next step in the story, it still gives me fuel for the day to day bonkers-ness (okay, I know that's not a real word!) of life with four kids.

I'm using a photoprompt for you this newsletter, and a written prompt too. Use one or both to start writing. And please share with me how these prompts work for you!

1-This image is of an empty room.I want you to imagine who was in this room ten minutes ago.
Why did they leave? Can you think about conflict and drama as you write the scene of what happened?

2- With Valentine's Day approaching, write a love letter to the one who got away. This can be entirely fictional, or entirely true. Think about all the things you could have said, or should have said. 

Good luck with your writing this month. Please let me know how these prompts work for you!

Books