It Was Burgundy All Along...

As I type these words, my hall, landing, and stairs are being painted. (NOT A EUPHEMISM.) 

My home

Morning! I've decamped to Costa - because paint fumes, strangers in my home, and the fact I don't trust myself not to get concussion by walking into the scaffolding, means it's better I'm here and not there. I'm sure it'll look marvellous when it's finished and the hassle and upheaval will be worth it. 

The colour my
comprising-self
has agreed to.

Actually, I'm not sure that's true. Of COURSE, it'll look fine. It'll be clean, neat, and judging by the work done so far, brilliantly professional. The trouble is, I've gone beige. YUCK. After many heated debates about bold wall colours (I live with someone who'd live in magnolia hell if I didn't intervene) I've given in this time. I didn't have the bandwidth to argue. Besides, the point of this current paint job is to freshen things up for a valuation. If I'm looking to move house one day, I can live with nondescript 'pale' for a bit.

Look what I could have won!
Nicked from the internet
but stunning. 

A friend of mine recently commented that she thought my hall could handle a deep burgundy. She told me this when I was already too far down the beige route to back out. But OH how I can't stop thinking about it. BURGUNDY. Can you even imagine? Think of Christmas, with fairy lights, flickering candles, and snow falling outside. Burgundy! I wish I'd chatted to her sooner. Back when I was choosing colours for me, not for imagined estate agents and buyers of the future. Burgundy! It would have been spectacular. 

Take this as a timely reminder. Live for the day! Don't put off doing excellent things! Paint your hallway burgundy (metaphorically or literally) and choose bold not beige, however that manifests in your life. Burgundy for the win! Burgundy forever! I WISH I'd chosen burgundy. 

Writing News

A lovely thing happened last week. The woman who owns the nail salon I visit, posted from her business account how she'd enjoyed my Leeza McAuliffe books. It was lovely - a genuine thrill to see someone I like buzzing off my stories. But then that post was seen by a woman who knows my sister-in-law. She sent a screenshot to the sister-in-law, who sent it to my partner, who showed it to me. How FAB to see the little journey that post made, amidst some people who know me. I wonder what other journeys it made that I don't know about.

Joanne Harris, author of Chocolat, posted on Bluesky recently. 'Unsolicited writing advice no 7410: This is a conclusion drawn from over 30 years' observations of publishing. Reviews don't sell books, What sells books is human-to-human communication, via reps, booksellers, author events, word of mouth from readers.' And ain't that the truth. I've chatted to strangers in the flesh, told them about my characters, and they've had the book ordered from Amazon before I've finished talking. It's definitely the way to sell. Likewise, to everyone else who has shared a conversation or post about my books, thank you so much. It helps sales and my ego, as well as deep down reassuring me that I'm not wasting my time. Thank you everyone!

The last few reads on my app

Culture

Remember this is my mad reading year? I decided in January to make a concerted effort to read more. I didn't want to chart my progress or stick to a self-imposed goal, I simply wanted to make the most of not being in the middle of my own book-writing for a bit. 

Well, goals, schmoals. That's gone out of the window. I can tell you, with alarming precision, that we're in the middle of the 27th week of the year and I've just finished my 30th book of 2026. Let's be clear, I don't like that I know this. I don't like that I felt a buzz when my reading tally overtook the weekly count. I add my completed books to my reading app and then move onto the next one. It's still enjoyable, I'm still in control, but I'm aware it's a slippery slope. 

Food and Drink

Consider this a gift for the word-of-mouthing you've been doing about my books. It's a proper recipe and the best thing I've eaten in ages. It's a pudding! I don't even like puddings, but this is FIT.

The pudding of dreams

Because of a recent incident involving BBQ over-catering, I had MANY brioche hotdog buns to use up. Instead of the route one solution - hotdogs forever! - I googled brioche recipes hoping to think outside the box. Ladies, Gentlemen, and those who don't adhere to the gender binary, let me present Bread and Butter Chocolate Orange Pudding.

(I merged a few recipes together to get this one. Feel free to adapt with flavours of your own.)

Ingredients  (serves 4 )

• Six brioche hotdog buns, split in half lengthways 
• Marmalade
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbs caster sugar
• 375mls milk
• 1 tbs vanilla extract
• roughly cut chunks of chocolate, I used about 40g - you do you
• 1 tsp Demerara sugar

OK, ready? It's easy peasy. 

Method

• Spread marmalade on the cut edge of each half of hotdog bun.
• Cut the buns into bite sized chunks and put in an ovenproof bowl.
• Mix the milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a jug.
• Pour the milky mixture over the buns making sure they're all soaked.
• Push pieces of chocolate into the soggy mixture, between the gaps (or anywhere you like.)
• Sprinkle the Demerara sugar on the top.
• Put in the oven, 170℃ electric, 150℃  fan, or gas mark 3, for 45 mins.

EAT WARM. Or you know what? Eat cold! It's fit either way. And experiment. I want to try dark chocolate, slithers of marzipan, and cherries with apricot jam, but I fear I'll get carried away. As a non-sweet toothed woman, it's not ideal to get into this sort of thing at my age. You, however, can do as you like. Enjoy!

Out and About

Now that every day is accompanied by a stiff breeze, normal service has resumed. Last week saw the usual food shop in Warrington Asda, brunch in Childwall, Costa in Aintree, and writing group in Liverpool. As much as I'm setting my expectations low for the next Prime Minister - it's the best way to avoid disappointment - it's been quite a revelation to see Andy Burnham's social media be so local and relevant to my life. His current days, like mine, are heavily North-West based. It makes a nice change.

So what wisdom have I imparted today? Nothing? Yeah, fair enough. Just remember that quote from Dead Poets Society...  Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Paint your halls burgundy.

Have a lovely week, folks.

Remember the Heat?..

I'm not sure anyone else has mentioned it so I'll just write it here for the record.

IT'S SO HOT.

By the time this blog is published, the UK temperatures will have cooled. That's what the Met Office says, anyway. As I write this a day or so beforehand, however, that is not the case. It is 10.20am, the house is filled with thick, hot air, and my face is slick with sweat. SEXY TIMES. 

My brain doesn't work well when the temperature nudges the mid twenties so the current state of affairs (34℃ right now) is taking the piss. After finishing this post, I'll spend the day dabbing myself with a wet towel, drinking multiple iced waters, and trying to find the energy to tell the internet that Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out is available now. The struggle is real.

Writing News

Or, I can do that here - Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out is available now. Woohoo.

Over the past week, I've signed a few copies for people - always the biggest thrill - and heard from others who are reading it. THANK YOU. I'm nearing the point where I can stop thinking about this book and empty my head. By mid-August I'll be totally done, but even now the promotion is dying down a bit. And then? ONWARDS. To filling my head with the next book!

The Young Royals. I'm now
an expert on the Swedish monarchy
and elite boarding schools.

Culture

I've just binged Young Royals on Netflix, which was more in-depth and interesting than its high school romance blurb indicated. I'm also in the middle of Dolly Alderton's Everything I know About Love. I know it's good because it's one of those books that I wish I'd written. Yesterday I finished Murakami's memoir, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, and next in my personal readathon is Sathnam Sanghera's new release, Tonight the Music Seems So Loud, his George Michael biography. It's all go, culture wise.

Food and Drink

I can't lie, it's been leaves. A bag of supermarket salad leaves, with a few extra bits thrown on top. That's been the extent of my culinary output over the week. I've also discovered that if you get a tin of skinless, boneless sardines in olive oil, and pan fry 'til crispy, they jazz up the aforementioned leaves no end. 

A touch more effort was made on Saturday when we invited people over for a BBQ. It was still leaf based, but with added meat, bread rolls and sauce thrown in. Simple. At some point I'll be up for leisurely hours of kitchen pottering. Today, I'm focusing on keeping cool and picking at bits from the fridge.

Out and About

Father's Day involved a lovely day trip to the seaside. My brother and I did a parental visit to their coastal home and we all enjoyed a reasonable breeze. That can be the only reason I found myself eating a roast dinner that day. I also caught up with a mate for a drink in a hospital cafe which was lovelier than I've made it sound. Then on Thursday, I did a cinema double bill. Purely for the aircon on the hottest day of the week, I sat through Supergirl and Scary Movie. Neither of those films would appeal during cooler times but as it turned out, they were good fun and my overheated self felt calmer for an afternoon.

Right then Temperatures, you've made your point. We need to crack on and get our routines back. Silly season is over, do you hear me? 

And now, as we look around us on this Monday morning, it seems my stern words have worked. YOU'RE WELCOME everybody. 

Have a lovely week, folks.

Keeping it Real... Kinda...

Did you see that fab clip from BBC news last week? 

After the social media ban for under-sixteens was announced, a reporter asked a young person in school uniform, what they were going to do with their extra time. 'Stare at a wall,' was the dead pan answer. A perfect response. Exactly right. No notes.

I did, unfortunately, see a bunch of random responses to that clip online. (I realise looking at responses online was my first mistake.) They were the equally sarky but far less amusing comments of, 'Oh I don't know, why don't you READ A BOOK or something.' Sigh. Perhaps the problem with social media isn't the young people looking for community and diversion. It's the adults that shout in all caps, the immediate thought that they're having, the second they're having it, without digging a little deeper into what it means.

Making my own fun, 
aged eleven. Thank
goodness I discovered
the library.

Of COURSE, I'd love teens across the country to down social media and rush straight to their local lending libraries. Of COURSE that would be a brilliant state of affairs. I spent my own young teens - pre-internet - borrowing six books at a time, working my way through each one, then days later, walking back to the village library and swapping them for six more. The specific summer holidays when I was fourteen and fifteen, were spent in that exact way. So why can't today's teens do that? Well, my local village library closed a few years back, as have others throughout the country. I've no idea how I'd pass my teen-time now. I certainly wouldn't be able to consume the amount of books I did. Likewise, when I wasn't at the library, I'd be on the landline, talking to my friends. Who has a landline these days? No one I know. What about youth clubs? Do they still exist? After the austerity years, I don't imagine so. What are young teens supposed to do with their extra free time now? I'd much rather the teen-phone ban had been part of a thought-out package of support rather than simply taking away something that many have relied on for their support networks. Meanwhile, adults can continue to access misinformation at best, brutal, illegal content at worst, and no one seems keen to regulate it. But this post isn't about the new laws about teen social media use. Being child and teen-free, I've no skin in the game. Not in the traditional sense.

Yet news stories like this should be of interest to me. I'm currently in the process of writing the Leeza McAuliffe Stories, with three books currently available. I urge you to buy them for your social-media-starved teens to stop them staring at a wall, but I digress. I should be all over any law that affects young teens. In the latest story, Leeza turns thirteen. By the time I've planned, written, and published the next book, a social media ban may well be in place. She'll be fourteen, still have her mobile phone, but won't be able to access things that she could in the past. I really need to be doing a tonne of research about this particular issue to include in the next instalment.

Except... hmmm. Maybe not. One of the things I've been intentional about is keeping technology references to a minimum. The second I mention anything real-world and current, the book is immediately dated. In the first book I mentioned her little brother was always playing Fortnite. I used that reference because two youngsters I knew back then (in 2019) were obsessed. Now they're not, and I've not heard it talked about since. It still exists, sure, but was it a sensible reference to add to a book that's supposed to represent a relatable experience of being young for years to come? Probably not. I've learnt my lesson. No more specific game references during a surge in their popularity from me.

An extract from the latest book
Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out.

In a similar vein, I've been cautious at using social media in the stories. Leeza has a phone. I think it'd be weird if she didn't. She is, however, not allowed on social media sites as a parental rule. This is referenced in the last book (see photo) where she's fairly accepting about it. If I start mentioning Snapchat every two minutes, I'm asking for trouble. One day, in the near future, Snapchat will be for old people, and a new app will roll up. I can only mention well-established technology that's become part of the vernacular of everyone, not just the youth. This means that the youths in my books 'message' each other instead of 'WhatsApp', they share memes without the host app being mentioned, and they continue to talk in person on the school bus. Occasionally they'll FaceTime if the plot demands it, and their 'group chat' is called just that, with no mention of the social media site behind it. It's the easiest way to write fictional young people over an extended period of time. 

I've also built in some tools to make this easier. The school Leeza attends is tiny - sixty pupils, three classes, smack bang in the middle of the countryside. By creating such a specific high school experience, I can also create specific phone rules that suit the story. So whilst in the real world, secondary schools seem to be stopping phone access during the school day, I can swerve that. This school is different. (It's also fictional, which is a big help.) If I need Leeza to send a text at lunchtime to move along the plot, I can still make that happen. It also helps that I've written Leeza's family as being a bit skint. They moved to the countryside after buying a dilapidated farm house with two redundancy payouts. Things are better than they were, but there's not much spare money. That means there are no expensive devices all over the place. She has a phone, and access to a family iPad, but that's it. She uses the school library for books, helps out in the mini supermarket for pocket money, and has no real place to spend her cash in her immediate location. That helps to avoid needing to include a shed load of technology. She can't afford it so it's not there.

It's not always that simple; it's a tricky balance to find. On the one hand, I want to write authentic, relatable stories for young people to believe in. On the other hand, if I made them totally authentic with cutting edge references and up-to-date technology, I'd be giving them a tiny shelf life. I guess I'll carry on the way I'm going. Focusing on the universal themes of growing up - spots, periods, crushes, angst, school, friends, family, heartbreak, laughing 'til you burst, and working out who you are and what you love. Nothing can age those themes, and any reference to social-media law seems irrelevant. The inclusion of an accurate legal change, or all of humanity and its rites of passage experiences? I'll think I'll leave the legal stuff out of it, ta.

Have a lovely week, folks.

Joy is a Choice...

Has summer 2026 started now? 

The World Cup has, and in my teens that would've been enough to mentally wind down and embrace the season. This year? Meh. I'm only vaguely in. The US's involvement makes the tournament feel icky (although the Curacao and Scotland matches provided great moments.) 

Likewise, it's Pride month. Happy Pride! This year, more than I can ever remember as an adult, it's clear that Pride is as it began - a protest not a party. A local council leader (a stone's throw away from where I live) has just announced they're not supporting Pride anymore. That comes hot on the heels of the same council stopping financial support for Refugee Week. There's no longer a creeping sense of things going back in time; progress has been halted and is being turned around, in some local councils at least. 

It's all so joyless, isn't it. The vibe seems to be, I don't like it so you can't have it. Proper playground shiz. Whenever I've encountered someone in real life whose default setting is 'bitter and obstructive', I try to remember it simply means they're deeply unhappy in their own life. That strategy has (mostly worked) at giving me more resilience than I'd ordinarily have when dealing with them. The trouble is, that these people are no longer consigned to one troublesome colleague, or the random neighbour that causes grief about the hedges. These people have now been elected to positions of power. Assuming they're struggling with deep-seated misery at the way their lives have turned out, doesn't change the bigger picture. They're joyless, and their misery is making council policy.

It is important - or even our duty - to refuse to be led down that particular road. We need joy! We need fun! We need a summer of memories instead of a shameful collection of blazing news stories. What are you going to do? Where's your particular joy coming from today? How are you making the world better? 

These are obviously rhetorical questions. I've no more answers than you have, but I am thinking about them. I'm thinking about what I can do to make the world more joyful, not less. There are so many current pressing issues with which our elected politicians must grapple. But if they're hell bent on snuffing out communities coming together, then they've seriously lost their way. Let's help them find it, in whatever joyful ways we can.

Writing News

Meanwhile if you're looking for a book for young people, that features a gay character with a happy ending, let me point you towards my own new release. Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out is available now. What is lovely is that people are letting me know that they've got their copies and are reading it. I'm getting regular pictures from all over the place (including Australia!) of paperbacks sitting on laps or held up for the camera. I write novels about the ups and downs of growing up, some of which can be stressy and frustrating. I'm a big advocate, however, of it being 'all right in the end.' You want something uplifting, dare I say, joyful? Something that provides escape from the bad stuff, or at least offers encouragement that things can be better? Then knock yourself out with this little lot. We fight the bleakness with the tools we have to hand. My tools are my books! They're not much but I'll use them.

Culture

Despite my 'meh' feelings about the World Cup, I finished Dear England last week on a football nostalgia high. It was only right, therefore, that I kept up my tradition. Whenever England Men are about to play in a tournament, I find myself watching, An Evening With Gary Lineker. It's not available in the usual places so, as has become habit, I watch it on YouTube where someone has filmed it from the telly. It's blurry, shaky, and the mouths and words don't quite match. Still, I love it. Based on the play that's set during the Italia '90 World Cup, this film has given me and my partner many lines that have become part of our vernacular. ('No Bill', 'I think I might support Germany for a bit', and 'Geet a beer for Birgitta'.) And if you want, I can recite Monica's speech about the World Cup wall chart, any time you like. Don't say I didn't offer.

Yesteryear
on my train
journey

In book news, I'm in the middle of Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear. It's a fascinating premise (trad-wife influencer finds herself in original trad-wife era of the 19th century much to her horror) and I'm gripped. What I've no idea about is how it's going to end. I'm trying to enjoy the plot without second guessing every little thing, so I can get the full impact of how it's resolved. Easier said than done. 

Seafood chowder with
lobster roll in background.

Food and Drink

On Tuesday I was sitting on a bench in a Scottish harbour, looking at the fishing boats, feeling a gentle breeze and the sun on my face, whilst eating fresh seafood chowder from a lobster shack. It was such a moment. The unbridled joy of it all! What was ostensibly a quick lunch in the place I was staying, became a lovely mindful experience. And now I'm back home, I've thought about that seafood chowder ever since. Obvs, I'll have a bash at making it. It was chunks of smoked haddock, prawns, baby shrimp, with a few pieces of potato and leek, all cooked together in a creamy sauce. It can't be too hard to replicate. Unfortunately the only photo I took was the one featured here. I was clearly too busy being in the moment to adequately record it.

Tuesday night, about
9pm, North Berwick.

Out and About

As mentioned above, I had a couple of days in Scotland which soothed my soul and took me away from my laptop for a bit. I'd assumed it would be cold and rainy - that was the weather I left at home - but it was glorious. Summer 2026 felt like it began while I was there. It was also cool to feel the Scottish World Cup buzz. If it had been decades since England had qualified, would I feel as meh about it because of the host country? Possibly not. On top of that, I was at the Rainford Festival on Saturday. A gazebo, a bunch of lovely people, and Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet headlining with ALL the tunes. The dream!

Tony Hadley plays Rainford.
More joy!

Let's find the joy. How's that for a plan? Let's work on our own bitternesses and disappointments so they don't bubble over and affect the people around us. Let's live and let live as a bare minimum, or even better, let's support people and groups being bullied en masse. Let's see the friends that sustain us, read the books that intrigue us, and sit on a bench and feel the breezy sun; whatever it takes to feel joy. Joy is a choice. More joy next week? Yeah, let's do it.

Have a lovely week, folks

I'm Canon...

Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out is nearly three weeks old. Hurrah! 

Find Leeza here

The Amazon algo has finally settled down so it's now consistently available. It's also on sale at other online book shops. In terms of my immediate working skej, I'll be tied up with advertising and promoting for a month or so more. I'm also in the process of sorting an online book tour and there'll be a steady stream of posts and videos all over my socials for a while yet. If you care even the tiniest jot for me and my silly endeavours, word of mouth is a marvellous thing. I'm stupidly grateful when I see a share or a repost online as every little LITERALLY helps. In a few months time, I'll sit down with a notepad and start to plan the next one but until then, I'll be banging the Branching Out drum with gusto! 

The Leeza McAuliffe Stories so far

Writing News

I'm sure I'll have shared this info before, but it's worth repeating. Mainly, because it's a fabulous thing that most people don't know. Legal Deposit? Have you heard about it? I never had before I got into the old book game. Here's the gist. Every single book published in this country, has to be kept in The British Library. That way, there's a national record of the nation's literature preserved for future generations. I LOVE this. My silly little books are part of the country's canon - madness!

With that in mind, I fulfilled my publishing duty on Wednesday and sent a copy of the new Leeza McAuliffe to the Legal Deposit office. I also sent copies to the other national libraries - The National Library of Scotland, The National Library of Wales, the Library at Trinity College, Dublin, the Bodleian Library in Oxford, and Cambridge University Library. Little Leeza McAuliffe is part of all that jazz! It blows my tiny mind.

Culture

My year of consistent reading continues. In the past week I've read two college hockey rom-coms by Elle Kennedy, and then the sublime 2005 novel, Pick a Colour, by Souvankham Thammavongsa. This one was a bit special and I'm looking forward to seeing the friend who recommended it to me, for a mini book club chat.

Jordan Pickford, depicted in
Dear England on stage.

In TV news, I'm still working down my list of current shows. I've boxed off Falling, Queer as Folk, Looking, and Rivals. I've just started Tip Toe, and am still in the middle of Dear England. It's all brilliantly written stuff and I love it.

Food and Drink

Take a bread dough base, and stud it with halved cherry tomatoes, black olives, diced courgette, and crumbled feta. Then bake. I can confirm it's fit. Oh, and I also spread the raw dough with pesto before assembling the thing. A basilly, veggie, pizzary, delight!

Out and About

Nothing special, all run of the mill, but with every venture outside the house, the tapestry of life gets enriched. A food shop, a brunch, a lift to the hospital, a writing group catch up, and a mani. Good fun.

More life enrichment is coming up this week. I'm away for three days. Ch-ching! Although I'll still be firmly attached to my laptop, it'll be done with a change of scenery and the aim of the cobwebs getting blown. Hope your week is as refreshing and rejuvenating as I'm planning mine to be. Or not, if that's your bag. I'm not the boss of you.

Have a lovely week, folks.

Sweatin', Scrollin', and Spammin'...

Well. Wasn't that a hot week? Pheeeeeweeee. 

I spent seven days sweating out all the moisture from my body and now I'm a husk of my former self. Probably. It made me laugh when my Aussie cousin messaged midweek because he'd seen the temperatures in my town. When the heat is surprising Australians, you know things are bad. So hurrah if you've enjoyed the summer so far. Knock yourself out, lap it up, soak up those rays. I'll be over here, sweating past myself, while I wait for the cooling balm of September. 

Writing News 

Stand by for a half-remembered, massively paraphrased bit of info I semi-digested once. It's an ABSOLUTE FACT (ish) that you have to scroll past a piece of information seven times before it will start to register. 

This explains two things. Firstly, it'll be the reason why I pay a small fortune each month for collagen supplements, and mushroom gummies. My insta algo knows my exact time of life and markets the hell at me. Secondly, it's the reason why I'm currently spamming everyone's timelines on a daily basis with links, vids, and pics, urging the world to buy my book. I can only apologise. It's science, you see. 

The upshot is, I'm getting really good at using Capcut to smush a bunch of clips and photos together, along with a carefully timed voice-over, in order to spread the word. If you follow me on insta, TikTok, Bluesky, or Threads, you'll know exactly what I mean. (The underlying sentiment of all this is, I'm so very sorry for being annoying. I hate this necessary evil and I judge myself on the daily.)

Culture 

I absolutely devoured Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife. This is the fourth Sittenfeld book I've read and it's magnificent. A fictional First Lady of the US recounts her life. We're invited into the inner world of Alice - from the fifties to the noughties - including a candid look at the inside of her marriage. Except it's more than that. It's an accepted truth that the fictional character of Alice is hugely based on Laura Bush. That gives the novel a whole layer of extra interest and comment. I couldn't put it down and it's still in my head, a week or so later. (I also went straight to Laura Bush's Wikipedia the second I was finished.) 

In very different book news, I'm racing 

through the Off Campus series by Elle Kennedy. I saw that there was a TV show on Prime and wanted to check out the book first. I'm now reading the third book of five and finding them a perfectly lovely diversion in the heat. 

Rivals. Pure eighties
where the male heartthrob 
is a Tory MP.
It was a different time.

Meanwhile, TV is doing its best to make me put my books down. Rivals is back! YES. That series brings all of the joy and reminds me, more than is healthy, of Britain in the eighties. The era in which as a child, all my understanding of the world was formed. It was a different time, folks, it was a different time.

Mango, halloumi, and
lime. Plus salad shiz.

Food and Drink

Remember last year when my garden was a state? 2025 saw the installation of a new sewage treatment plant, a dug-up garden, and then the necessary fixing of the outdoor space. Now, almost one year on from the end of that upheaval, I have a nice place to sit when it's warm. It's shaded and cool, with a big wooden table that could be used for outdoor dining with friends. In reality it doubles as my desk when it's too hot to be in the house. To be honest, the table/desk has become my all day seating area. Meals, work, reading, and relaxing have been going on in the shaded little corner of the garden. And what food has been involved? Why, salads of course! Before I bore you to tears, along with the usual suspects of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber, there's also been griddled mango, halloumi, croutons, honey roasted swede, honey roasted carrots, pistachios, and dried apricots. Bung a basic vinaigrette over any combination of all that and you've got yourself a feast.

 

My 'work, eat, relax' table.

Out and About

I had a night in London to visit my aunt, a quick trip to Sheffield to have lunch with my sister and niece, a night out with friends in Liverpool, then another night in another friend's garden to celebrate a fiftieth. Turns out it's been a bumper week of frolics. Lordy, sometimes I go nowhere! How fab to have a crazy period of socialising for a change.

The Met Office app informs me the temperature has dropped. My perimeno-self is grateful. However, the salads, litres of water, and fresh air aren't bad habits to have. I just get to do them in sleeves now. The dream!

Have a lovely week, folks.

Finally!

Hey You! Looking good! Isn't it a lovely day! 

If you detect a glimmer of jollity to my words, or a hint of the frivolous more evident than usual, you'd not be mistaken. It's finally here! Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out is IN THE WORLD. Look at the links below... ALL the choices. (Other global Amazon sites also have it.)

UK (Amazon)

UK (Waterstones)

UK (Foyles)

UK Kindle 

US Amazon

US Barnes and Noble

 

Ordinarily, there'd be months of a book being available to pre-order before the publication date. It's so important, the publishing world tells us, to get as many pre-orders as possible. Those pre-orders count as sales on the release week, which creates a bumper week that won't be replicated again. It's the one chance to get the algorithm to notice you've done a brilliant thing. With that super sales week under your belt, stores like Amazon are more likely to push your book and prompt more sales. Clever, right?

Well... ordinarily, schmordinarily. That's what I say. After months and months of hassle, Leeza McAuliffe is Branching Out finally became available to preorder two days before it was published. I can confirm this will NOT result in a bumper week of sales. Here's the thing though. I don't care. I've learnt SO much about the publishing process with this book, that even in the most frustrating of times, this experience has been worth it. I've written myself a massive essay for next time round - of what not to do and when not to do it - and one fact still remains. My lovely characters, in their lovely town, with their lovely lives, are back in the world again. I get to write books I love. It's a frigging JOY.

Last Thursday was the day it came out. I did what I usually do on publication day... I celebrated! It's the one day where everything feels wonderful. Nothing matters except the fact it's done. This time, however, was a little more muted than normal. With so little time to tell people beforehand, it was like a lovely secret just for me. I sat in the pub, full of the thrill of a project completed, but knowing all the promotion was still to come.

So here we go. I would LOVE you to read this story and I'm stupidly grateful that you've read this much about it. Thank you. Thank you for reading my books, and thank you for letting me vent a smidge. Indie-publishing? It's a frigging roller coaster, but what an amazing ride!

Have a lovely week, folks.