Since THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT* my mind has been in a right old state. My short-term memory is shot. I find it hard to concentrate. I read the science and despair all through the daytime, read some more news reports and despair some more long into the evening, go to bed worrying, worry throughout my dreams and wake up – sometimes around four in the morning – terrified. Occasionally I take a break from all-out panic and segue into utter despair. It’s exhausting. As someone who’s had chronic depression in the past (plus a couple of half-hearted suicide attempts under her belt) I need to do something to press the PAUSE button. If the COVID don’t get me, the anxiety-induced asthma attacks will. The only way I can break this nasty little cycle, which like an emotional wall of death, spins ever more manic, is to do some physical exercise – skip over to my FITN...
Fifteen years ago, I was medically overweight, and now I’m not. I lost two-and-a-half stone and I’ve kept the weight off ever since, thanks to that miracle cure of eating a bit less and moving a bit more. (It really is that simple and that difficult.) My current body, older and creakier though it is, feels more like me than the younger but chubbier body ever did. But there was a time – quite a long time in fact – after I lost that weight, when I didn’t quite believe I could get into a size 10 or 12 and shopping was— confusing. My hipbones felt weird. I wasn’t too sure of my perimeters. (Note, I didn’t say boundaries, as I’ve never been very sure about them.) I felt more vulnerable. A bit more naked, somehow. That’s what it’s been like for me becoming (cue trumpets and bunting) A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! Authors, to me, are mythical beasts. P...
A revealing Q&A from the Pigeonhole a Book Club in your pocket The Pigeon asks… What research did you do for Nasty Little Cuts ? Pretty much all my personal experiences went into this. I’ve had a LOT of bad relationships. Abusive, violent, control freaks, liars, addicts… Married 3 times. The book is dedicated to my current husband who is lovely. What a bloody relief. I also did research on domestic violence & murder suicides in Britain – this was before the pandemic. It got worse in lockdown Why do you think you became a writer? I always loved writing. My mum could barely write. She was a traveller & fairground people didn’t put a lot of stock on that at the time. Mental arithmetic was more important – so she could give the right change on the coconut shy. My grandad couldn’t read or write. My parents really encouraged me to do well at school. And I want to tell stories that resonate with me. How important is setting for your writing? I often focu...
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