Stressful Joy and Stomach-Churning Pride...

Steady on, it's just a book.

Regular readers will know I drop a Long Ramble every month. This is usually a post where I get to do a proper delve; the Weekly Update format gets ditched. But because May's Long Ramble has been and gone (about my Eurovision picks a few weeks ago) I'm unable to go deep or geek out about anything this week. It's run of the mill, business as usual, and the Weekly Update subheadings are here. Except this week is SO not run of the mill or business as usual. This week is BIG.

My latest novel, the one that's been filling my head since January 2022, comes out on Thursday. Leeza McAuliffe Has Loads More To Say will finally be launched into the world. I AM BESIDE MYSELF. Even though this is the fourth time I've reached this point, it NEVER gets less stressful, joyous, stomach-churning or proud. In lieu of me banging on about this milestone for a whole blog post, please accept that this opening paragraph is filled with VERY BIG FEELINGS and Thursday will simultaneously be the best day ever, and the day where I have to gulp down imposter syndrome at regular intervals. But still. Woooooohoooooooo.

A still from a
recent TikTok.

Writing News
As mentioned before, I've made a concerted effort to up my social media game in the last few months. As Thursday approaches I've started doing a daily TikTok that I upload across a bunch of platforms. This blows my mind. As someone who's much more comfortable writing alone, head down, being an observer on the fringes of society (kinda) I'm suddenly trying to find my best light, and make sure my fringe is behaving. I tend to film at my desk but that's got a dull background. So now I'm thinking about how to perk that up (hard to do with it's sloping wall) and whether I need to move my office space. There's nowhere else the desk will fit so that's a non-starter, but no matter. These are the issues I'm currently worrying about. I miss the time when my biggest concern was erroneous commas.

It's been so nice spending
time with Jim Halpert again.

Culture

My latest American Office rewatch is coming to an end. Two episodes a night, whilst eating, has been a staple since January and now it's nearly done. That means it's time to consider what my next long-term will be. I'd really like to redo 30 Rock. It was so funny at the time and I'm curious if that's still the case. Derry Girls is another, albeit slightly shorter, series that deserves another viewing. Basically, I'm auditioning TV at the moment. I'll be sure to let you know once I've made the final casting decision.

My chickpea mush
on toasted sourdough.
Patent pending.

Food and Drink

Bear with me on this one. It sounds random and it looks gross, but the taste? Oomph! Chef's kiss times a billion!

 

Ingredients

A tin of chickpeas

2 tablespoons of capers

A chopped tin/jar of anchovies (omit if keeping things vegan/veggie)

The zest and juice of a lemon

3 chopped cloves of garlic

A tablespoon of olive oil

A chopped packet of parsley

2 chopped spring onions

(The amounts are purely subjective. You can balance the flavours however you prefer, or you can add other lovely ingredients that you like. Anything goes!)

Now, ready for the method? Are you sure? It's a tricky one. You get a pan. You put all the ingredients into it. You heat, stir, add a splash of water, and cook into a mush.

Got that? Great. What you end up with is a zingy, punchy, mush of hearty, tasty joy. On it's own, it's a lovely side dish. Add a piece of fish, meat, or griddled vegetables on top and it's a full-on meal. Alternatively, leave to go cold and have on sandwiches with salad. The possibilities are endless. Chickpeas. Is there nothing they can't do?

Blundellsands - closer to
my house than it used to be.

Out and About

I thought my nearest bit of beach was a forty-five minute drive away. I love a coastal walk and sea air is the best air, but a ninety-minute round trip is rarely appealing. But BREAKING NEWS. Ten years ago they built A5758 and I've just realised this significantly shortens my journey. Better late than never! How was I supposed to know the new road went where it went? Last week, I did three beachside walks (one at 7am!) all a mere twenty-five minutes away. It really is a whole new world. 

Thanks for reading and thank you for ordering my book. I love writing. I love creating a world I get to spend time in, with interesting characters muddling through. When the time comes to let other people visit, it's scary. But it's also BRILLIANT when they enjoy that world too. If you love Leeza, Jake, and the rest of the Applemere Bridge gang, please do let me know. (I believe Amazon would also appreciate your five star reviews.) Thanks again, and please, whatever you do...

...have a lovely week, folks.