This beauty arrived today - excited to delve into more of @shaunalawless.bsky.social fabulous storytelling!

Recently read - Happiness by Aminatta Forma Dealing with themes of displacement and hostility to migration, this was a very timely read. Set in my local area so I particularly enjoyed how easily I could visualise the setting and landmarks mentioned!

I finally finished Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind & Blossom. 110+ hours and I loved every second! I will never forget the Shinsengumi 💔 And now I am so ready for Illusion of Itehari to release this week - excited! Created by the same team as the Piofiore games aka my favourite otoge of all time. 🤩

A few days late but here is my August ready wrap! Still mainly enjoying audiobooks but I’ve set myself the goal of reading three physical books in September.

Recently read - Pachinko by Min Jin Lee A sweeping, expansive account of Korean immigrant families living in Japan through the 20th century.

Recently read - Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst It wasn’t until I finished this that I realised it’s based on a true story. A chronicle of love between two flawed people who were desperate for something beyond the ordinary.

Recently read - The Leviathan by Rosie Andrews Haunting and atmospheric, set in an under-appreciated and oft misunderstood period of English history. I really enjoyed this one!

Massive thanks to the very splendid @elizachanwrites.bsky.social for reading THE SALT ORACLE 🖤🌊🖤

chng.it/J9WppVQ9ZC Please consider signing this petition to protest Amazon’s new royalty model plans which, like everything else these days, fucks over writers.

Time for my July reading wrap! I seem to be managing three books a month on average, which I’m content with.

There are ongoing discussions in various places about schemes to certify books have been written by actual people, as opposed to being AI slop. The Society of Authors is running a quick, simple survey to gauge opinion on this, open to members and non-members. societyofauthors.org/2025/07/11/h...

Two days left on retreat in Devon and I’ve got four scenes left to write in my reworked Chapters 1-5. Finally getting to grips with this section of the manuscript felt so daunting. It’s very satisfying to make progress. Of course I left the hardest scenes til last…! #writingcommunity #author

Recently read - Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Ishiguro’s work always makes me think - often I take time afterwards to reflect and read reviews before I gather my thoughts. Klara and the Sun was no different. It’s a story that will stay with me for a long time. Beautiful, bittersweet.

I finished a structural review of my manuscript last night. Now I’m staring down the barrel of cutting a POV character, rewriting huge chunks of the opening section and introducing lots of new lore. And I’ve got to do all that in LESS chapters than I currently have. #writingcommunity #author

Good morning from Devon! I’m on another #UrbanWritersRetreat - so happy to escape everyday life and focus on my creativity for a week. I was up early for yoga and a swim at the local outdoor pool. I’m feeling refreshed and energised, ready to tackle these edits! #writingcommunity #author

It’s that time of the month again! Here’s my reading round up for June #booksky I read three great titles this month, all very different but compelling in their own ways.

Recently read - Matrix by Lauren Groff Spellbinding lyrical prose that I couldn’t wait to escape into. I loved Groff’s writing and can’t wait to read more of her work.

Haven’t bought many new books recently but I grabbed two this week. Dark Earth is reference / inspiration for a new writing project. And The Shogun’s Last Samurai Corps is to feed my curiosity ignited by playing Hakuoki.

Recently read - Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata A nice short palate cleanser, this book is full of funny yet unsettlingly realistic observations.

Recently read - Voyage of the Damned by Frances White Adored this diverse magical murder mystery by a fellow @edinburghsff.com writer @franceswrites.bsky.social! The characters are so compelling and sensitively written, not to mention hilarious. Highly recommend!

Had a lovely walk along Regents Canal yesterday - so inspired by the Gasholders redevelopment and the blend of modern and industrial architecture. Stopped in at Word on the Water too and picked up a copy of the Illustrated London Literary Companion.

May reading round up - I got through three books, all of which I enjoyed. I’ve been playing a lot of Otome instead, which has been a nice change. #booksky

York is very haunted! These two followed me home…

I’m in York for a mini reading and writing retreat with some of my favourite people. Really hoping to get stuck into editing Goldweaver and make some solid progress. I’m reading Belladonna by Adalyn Grace for my book club, and Given Vol 7 when I need a brain break. #writingcommunity #author

A new series of Walking with Dinosaurs! I feel like a kid again! I had hoped for Kenneth Branagh’s excellent narration to be back too, but Bertie Carval does a fantastic job.

Delighted that this prize exists in the first place, even more delighted to find out who the inaugural recipient is! Congratulations Abi Daré. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...

Excited for my first Blackheath Book Coven tonight! We are discussing The Poppy War by RF Kuang, which I read a long time ago, but I’m still looking forward to the discussion. Book friends are the best friends.

Tried a new recipe for lunch today - roasted hake with tomato and chilli sambal. It was tasty, but what always gets me about these “quick recipes” (this one had 15 mins prep time and 25 mins cooking time) is how much longer they take! This took me an hour! Am I just really slow in the kitchen? 🤣

Sunday without the Monday! Starting off strong with some lovely croissants from my local coffee shop. Today’s plans involve otome gaming, reading and writing.

Unsolicited writing advice, no. 357: If you think of your characters as people, so will your readers. That means giving them a past, interests, people in their lives, likes, dislikes, a culture, an education, (dis)abilities, strengths, weaknesses. Your readers don’t need to know it all, but you do.

THREE WEEKS TO GO!! Three weeks until 15 wonderful sci fi, fantasy and horror authors descend on Leeds to hang out with all you fabulous readers! Have you got your ticket yet? They're selling fast and you don't want to miss out on this amazing event! www.waterstones.com/events/its-s...

Here’s my April reading wrap up - I read less as I’ve been playing more otome games and Sims 4! These three were very different - it seems my theme for April was “thought provoking”. #booksky

Ooohhh I’m excited I’m excited I’m exciiiiited! Ghost of Yotei releasing 2 October 2025 😱 youtu.be/PVBLJYjSAhg?...

Recently read - Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi I read this for a reading challenge that had a prompt requiring a translated book. Poignant, sad and reflective, this story really made me think.

HAIM new album and tour is the best news I’ve received in months.

I had a fab time at Curious Histories’ first London event last night. We were treated to fascinating talks from historians on death in Victorian London, highwaywomen in popular culture and windows into Shakespeare’s life through his texts. I hope there will be more London events soon!

My good friend @jordanacosta.co has put together this fantastic list of free to use alternatives to generative AI, so there’s no excuse when you need pictures for your blogs, thumbnails, websites etc. Please share #writingcommunity #authors www.jordanacosta.co/p/free-to-us...

Recently read - Still Life by Sarah Winman I ADORED this book. A detailed, indulgent and emotional character study. My good friend @sarah-herbookshelf.bsky.social recommended this to me and she was spot on. I know I’ll read it again and again.

As a historian and a Shakespeare fanatic, this is so exciting! Any new information about his life can have a huge impact on our understanding of him and his work. I can’t wait to see how this affects things.

My perpetual mood whenever I read the news: disappointed, but not surprised. Look around you. Is this what you want our era to be remembered for? Because in the future, they will study us and pass judgement upon us.

Here are some brilliant Harry Potter alternatives, for reasons: Diane Duane's So You Want to be a Wizard series; Rainbow Rowell's Carry On trilogy; Rachel Caine's Great Library series; Naomi Novik's The Scholomance trilogy. There are so many. I am BEGGING you, stop giving JKR money.

the safety of trans people is more important than the stupid wizard book you read as a child.

Recently read - The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell I loved the BBC adaptation of The Last Kingdom and I really enjoyed the first book in the series too. Twelve more to go! I specifically got the TV tie in edition because… well… Alexander Dreymon? 🥰

1,300 words today! A good Sunday session! #writingcommunity #author

This week has been hard but I did manage to write 1,500 words and finish another chapter of my fanfic. This weekend I’d like to read more of my draft manuscript for my novel, The Goldweaver, and get my head back into edits. I’ve got some really soggy chapters around Ch 4-8 that need work!

Ok Hakuoki has officially taken over my brain, I can’t believe I slept on this for so long?!? I know it’s a genre-defining otome, but the 12 LIs and huge amount of content was so daunting. I am glad I got past that though, because it’s worth it. Harada has been added to my list of favourites… 🫠

Had a fab Writers’ Hour chat with some of my writer friends yesterday evening. It was lovely to hear about their ongoing projects and goals. It’s amazing how motivating and inspiring it is to speak to others. Writing can be really isolating, so I’d encourage everyone to find their writer tribe.

Sunday plans - writing, otome and yoga. Perfection. I wish every day was like this.

👇 www.bookbrunch.co.uk/page/article...

Imagine being scared of writers. What are we going to do, eviscerate you in fiction? Note to fellow authors: whatever you do, don’t write a load of gruesomely murdered techbro plagiarisers in your next books. Whatever will the AIs learn from that?