I was watching the documentary “J.K. Rowling – A Year in the Life” (2007) the other day and there’s a scene in there where we watch as Rowling writes the final chapter of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She’s locked herself in a hotel room to write the “crucial final chapters,” we’re told. There’s a […]

This afternoon I went to the park and sat on a bench, as I often do. This particular bench is dedicated to Brian West who was born in 1929, died in 2011, and according to the inscription, “loved this park.” I thought, as I sat on that bench, that there will never be a bench […]

I have to admit that it was with trembling fingers that I pressed send on this post two weeks ago. I don’t know why I was nervous particularly—mental health has become a frequent discussion in my writing communities, some of my closest friends have struggled with it, and many of you have been writing to […]

You know what I did last Friday? I walked my son to school, came home at 10am and slept until 3 in the afternoon because I could not get out of bed. And then Sam, my husband, brought me a cup of tea, tore open the curtains, and I let him because apparently sunshine is good for […]