november 2022

in which it got dark and stormy, but in a sexy way

As I start to write this (something I think will take a few days, which is my favourite method of creating something; having the luxury of time to work carefully and slowly on something: it grows because you tend it), the weather outside is ATROCIOUS, in the best kind of way. The wind is pulling at the trees, rain is lashing the windows; real, noteworthy weather, the kind of weather that almost makes you want to go out into it so you can find another human and say to them, “God, this weather!”

Obviously, I did not do that. I made tea and thought, “God, this weather!”

I am enjoying it, though, because it’s exactly the right weather to feed the two main projects I’m working on. I will tell you about them with the caveat that just because I’m writing them doesn’t mean you’ll get to read them; I might not finish them; I might finish them and hate them; my agent might hate them; publishers might hate them; the planet might explode. Things change and grow, and change in the growing.

The first is a YA, a folk-horror, set at exactly this time of year, and so now the weather is cooperating and being deliciously grim, I can really settle into the bones of it. As well as the actual writing, I’m also spending a lot of time soaking up vibes by tramping about in various woods in my beloved wellies, lamenting the fact I can’t use ‘humus’ (the dark, organic material that forms in soil when plant and animal matter decays) as a descriptor because it sounds too much like hummus, and if I, the writer of the work, picture monsters crawling through delicious creamy hummus during a scene, you almost definitely will too. Besides, this is not supposed to be a sexy book - the hummus wrestling scenes will come later in my career.

The second is a ghost story I’ve been working on for over a year, but had to put down between March and October because the weather was too nice (and then scary, but the wrong kind of scary) and as fabulous as my imagination is, even I find it tough to create a terrifying miasma of evil and horror when the rest of the world is eating ice cream and having picnics, and all I want to do is eat ice cream and have picnics.

But now is the time. NOW IS THE TIME.

And there are other little seeds in the soil, buried safe and deep.

It grows because you tend it.

News-wise, I just received my fourth Carnegie medal nomination for HER DARK WINGS! I’m truly honored by it, four nominations is no small thing at all, and I wouldn’t be doing this whole thing if it wasn’t for libraries and librarians supporting me throughout my whole reading, and now writing (and still reading), life. So, I’m over the moon to have had my work recognised by them so often. It really does mean the world.

Also, in Her Dark Wings news; it was recently reviewed in the Independent Ireland, where Sarah Webb called it “Stunning writing, a fascinating plot and a searing examination of anger and grief, this is YA at its glittering best”.

AND it was nominated in the older readers category of the Cheshire Schools Book Award 2023

ANNNNND it’s being published in the US next year by Delacorte!

What a great month for my Greek-myth baby.

Actually, the Kindle version is currently half-price! In a delicious coincidence, the story actually begins this week - the Thesmophoria would have happened Saturday night; Sunday was the day Mr. McKinnon made everyone angry with his awful newspaper headline, (today Corey is languishing in her room, avoiding taking a shower or speaking to anyone, sorry for the spoiler), so it’s the ideal time to read or re-read it.

And if you've read it but haven’t yet reviewed it on Amazon, I’d really appreciate it if you did. It’s a deeply annoying but true fact that their algorithms favour books with a higher amount of reviews - the more reviews, the more likely they are to make it a Kindle daily deal, to feature it alongside other books, to include it in email promotions, etc., and all that stuff really helps authors’ visibility. I don’t think you even have to write a review anymore - you can just leave stars and get back to your day, (obviously five would be optimal for me, but you have to be true to yourself).

I’ve got a few events coming up too:

Monday 21st November, I’m going to be at Waterstones Piccadilly with Frances Hardinge and Kiran Millwood Hargrave, talking folklore and fairytale. Tickets are available here: An Evening of Fairytale and Folklore

On the 22nd, I’m appearing on a podcast to talk about The Way Back Almanac 2023 (out now!). I’ll link the podcast in the newsletter once it goes live.

On the 25th, I’m doing an online feedback session for Write Mentor. I’ve been working with them as a Spark mentor for almost two years now (and I’m very good), but this is my first time delivering feedback in this way, and I’m really excited about it!

And finally, on the 26th, I’m doing an Instagram live for Paper Orange’s UKYA week, with Katharine and Elizabeth Corr.

So, it’s going to be a busy time. I expect I’ll have to eat a lot of cakes to survive it. You should have some cakes too, to support me.

In personal news, I’ve mostly been drinking tea and eating crumpets, tramping about in the woods (God, this weather!), and catching up on my reading. My most recent favourites have been R.F Kuang’s BABEL, Heather Parry’s ORPHEUS BUILDS A GIRL (which I haven’t done a photo of yet), and I went old-school and started re-reading Anne Rice’s LIVES OF THE MAYFAIR WITCHES trilogy. I’m planning to stick with the witch theme for a while but will pause the Anne Rice-a-thon to read Kirsty Logan’s NOW SHE IS WITCH, which I just got an ARC of (Thanks, Tri!).

I spent October on a real vampire kick - rereading INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (fuming that I had to check whether it was A Vampire or THE Vampire - every. single. time), the VAMPIRE ACADEMY books (Dimitri Belikov forever, even though it’s maybe, maybe a little problematic¹ now. And now I think of it, I should mention the Mayfair Witches books are SUPER, SUPER PROBLEMATIC - a proper content warning would take up a whole other newsletter, so please don't take what I'm reading - now or ever - as a recommendation you read it too). Also, I read Amy McCaw’s excellent MINA AND THE SLAYERS, Holly Black's COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN, and Billy Martin's, writing as Poppy Z. Brite, LOST SOULS (I was obsessed with this book as a tweenager. All I wanted in the world was to smoke a clove cigarette and grow my armpit hair out so I could perfume it. I couldn’t even grow armpit hair when I first read it, but if I could have, I would have grown it right out and adorned it with sandalwood oil).

I have also been cooking. I realised a little while ago that while I love cooking, I’m not actually very good at it most of the time, because I don’t bother to learn the rules before I break them. Sometimes, this works out, and I spontaneously create something incredible. But, more often, I make something and wish I’d done something different, taken more care. So at the moment, I’m teaching myself to take more care, which means following recipes TO THE LETTER, and respecting the fact someone has worked hard to devise and test something that works. It is hard to fight my impulse to go rogue, but it is paying dividends.

Most recently, I made this dal from scratch, and it was delicious. Nourishing and soothing and filling and yummy. Look at this photo and tell me that does not look delicious. I put fresh coriander on it and everything.

(this was the day after making it, so it had thickened up a lot)

It grows because you tend it, man.

Finally, a little magic.

I like this time of year because I feel like it resonates more closely with my natural self, and so I always end up being a little more spiritual in the dark season; paying more mind to the energy around me, and how I’m spending my time and directing my thoughts. To further that, I’ve really committed to practicing gratitude for EVERYTHING that happens (even the stuff which might initially seem negative), and I’ve noticed a real difference in my mindset since. It’s not a cure-all, but reframing how I think, and cutting myself off when it starts to get negative, is really working for me.

To support that, I did a little ritual on Halloween Night. I always do; usually, I make a cup of something warm, light some candles, clear my mind and then give thanks for everything that came before, and everything still to come, with a particular focus on the dead (whether that’s people, relationships, friendships, projects - anything I’ve “lost” in the last year, I say goodbye to it and wish it well.) But this year, inspired by Joanne Harris, I expanded the ritual out, to make a monthly “wish list” of hopes, aims, and desires for the coming year.

I cut out 12 circles of black linen and put select herbs, spices, stones, and flowers inside - I’m not telling you exactly what; it was personal to what I hope to bring into my life this coming year - and tied them with red cord, before placing them around my flat. Every time I see one, I think of what's inside, why I chose it, and how I can’t wait to see how it manifests.

It grows because you tend it.

See you next month x

1. I hate the word ‘problematic’. I think if something has the suffix ‘matic’, it should relate to a cute little mid-century invention: The Bookmatic! The Cookmatic! The Teamatic! Machines invented to make life better in a silly little way. And I know the ‘matic’ in this case isn’t the actual suffix; the real suffix is —atic, but what does that even mean**?

**it means ‘like’ or ‘a characteristic of’, which I guess makes sense. Whatever. Problematic should be a machine that creates cute little problems.