Something New

Is it time for something new? These gentle hints of spring have been inspiring me to embrace newness this month. I saw my first snowdrops of the year yesterday, and Olive and I spotted the acid green shoots of bluebells emerging from the woodland floor (which prompted a lengthy conversation on the difference between bluebells and Babybels). I’m trying to embrace newness in my creative work, too. I recently shared an old poem that I’ve refreshed and rewritten, as well as the working cover for a brand new zine I’m putting together. On reflection, I’ve been putting too many restrictions on my work, boxing myself in with labels and ideas of what I should be doing, rather than going with the flow. This can often mean I feel so paralysed in terms of creative direction, I don’t create anything at all. Have you ever experienced that sort of thing?

In other news, I had a great Zoom meeting with the Bloomsbury marketing and publicity team yesterday, all about the launch of The Bridleway in four months time! I recently found out it’s going to be recorded as an audiobook - although sadly I won’t be able to read it as it needs a few solid days of recording in a London studio, which isn’t very compatible with a newborn baby who spends most of his time on my boobs. The front cover is also being polished off now, and it looks like I’ll be able to share the final design very soon! I’ll also share the whole process from beginning to end for paid subscribers because it’s always interesting to see how these things develop from the initial idea. Watch this space - and have a great week!