Today’s Winter Olympics injury is paying too much attention to the figure skating whilst cooking, and slicing off just a tiny bit of my finger. Eight year old me who was scared of ice skates chopping off my fingers feels very vindicated right now.

Just learned there is an Olympic figure skater who is 42. It’s a good job she’s not 15 months older because that’s my age and I’m sitting here on the sofa unfortunately unable to do winter sports any more due to my greatly advanced age.

Inspired by the Winter Olympics I tried to execute the tricky physical manoeuvre known as “sitting down”, and my knee immediately exploded in agony in retaliation for such foolishness. Now I know what those athletes go through.

Bought a new lady shaver. Apparently I shouldn’t use it without parental supervision.

Watching the curling. “There’s great excitement here in the crowd. They may not know what they’re looking at, but they know that was good.” #WinterOlympics

Oh dear, it is too soon after Heated Rivalry to be watching ice hockey at the Winter Olympics. 😳

Ah, I see it’s time for the traditional “we did not realise the colour we used on the crotch area would look skin tone on TV” part of any international athletic event.

“Big cheer for Team USA there,” says the commentator, optimistically. Hmm, not sure that’s what my ears are telling me…

Excellent outfits from Mongolia. No notes. #WinterOlympicsOpeningCeremony

“The lowest recorded temperature in Kuala Lumpur was 14.9°c.” I… do not think I would thrive in Kuala Lumpur. #WinterOlympicsOpeningCeremony

Knitted scarves for TeamGB! Please tell me Tom Daley was involved in this. #WinterOlympicsOpeningCeremony

Premier fashion choice for the athlete parade seems to be Quilted Igloo. Make it like Villanelle’s pink dress but puffa. I really can’t even describe Canada’s. Quilted… shawl? #WinterOlympicsOpeningCeremony

Enjoying the sign-bearers entering the stadium dressed as a microwave burrito. With sunglasses of course, because Italy. #WinterOlympicsOpeningCeremony

“Cupid and Psyche, the ultimate ‘It’s complicated’ romance.” I mean, if we’re digging into classical mythology, boy do I have some surprises for you. #WinterOlympicsOpeningCeremony

Very much enjoying the BBC’s introduction to the Winter Olympics in Milan being made by… a Swedish footballer.

Here’s my second crack at this! Tiffany, from Hex & Hexability, attending her first ball… in a silver dress, just like another Regency heroine lately. Tiffany’s secret is… somewhat different, however.

Fist bump to anyone else caught between the need to bow down & accept the dire, broken reality of the attention economy to continue surviving via their creativity & a desire to disconnect which becomes more vast, and more potentially vital to their sense of inner peace, with every year that passes.

Finally chucked out the box from the garage of Crisp Varieties No One Really Liked, which I’ve been intending to do since… er, don’t look at that best before date yeah

Cancelling Photoshop: a story in 3 parts. (Replacing one time payments with a monthly subscription: definitely one of Crowley’s)

‘Kinell. Photoshop subscription has gone up by 50%. I really don’t use it enough to spend £180/year on it. MAN I hate subscription models.

Not that I’m very pale, but I’ve just remembered that when I was at primary school and we were trying to invent nicknames, mine was Ghosty Face.

For the day that’s in it

Helpful note, Past Me

Little announcement to make: I have an agent! I am very happy to announce that I am now represented by Judith Murray at Greene & Heaton. #writing #literaryagent #publishing

Same, plastic bag. Same.

Another #procreatedrawing from my next book. She’s plotting something… but what? #procreate #procreateart #romantasy #fanart

What? Why? Are you okay, Amazon?

Had to go via the website to do this (the website?? Who uses that) because attempting to deactivate my Twitter account on the app returned a mysterious error message 🤔.

Excellent joke in Heated Rivalry where the Canadian defends his car choice to the Russian by saying, “It’s British. Practical. Good on snow.” I mean neither of the actors seems to realise it was a joke but that just made it funnier.

“Have you seen Billy today?” After a short search involving the tracker on his collar, we find Billy in the garage. Billy has—in about 10 mins—attempted to get back into the garage three times and got himself shut in the coat cupboard once. Billy is as sweet as he is pretty, but he is NOT bright.

Pssst... Wildewood is only 99p for a limited time. If Irish gothic romance with ghosts and folklore is your thing, this is for you. geni.us/B0FX4GQ59Bau... Welcome to Wildewood. Don't stray from the path. #booksky 💙📚 #speirgorm #romancelandia @secondskybooks.bsky.social

Went to get some water for my plants*. Might’ve been a bit chilly out there? *carnivorous plants, which don’t like tap water, so I fill up old bottles with rain water

Houseplant spent the summer outside and apparently had an affair with the oak tree.

“I looked around in a blood-soaked gown, and I saw some things they can’t take away…” Another scene from my next book (actually less gory than the book, but I couldn’t find a visual reference for dismembered orcs…) #drawing #procreate #procreateart #robinhood #romantasy

I watch Grantchester for the plot. The plot:

No work. Only Tomkin.

Well my New Year’s Day has included a note titled “what K8 did to the water” so that’s, y’know. Going well.

I have swept out the old year with extreme prejudice. Happy New Year! 2026, do at least try not to be shit.

“Not worried about a little prick, are you?” Last drawing of 2025… from my (hopefully!) next book. She goes by Marian, and he’s just Some Guy… #drawing #procreateart #robinhood #romantasy

Mmm yeah that looks like an email I should open

It’s time for the years to be better, not me.

Doing taxes. Excel just tried to correct an input error in my Amazon royalties. Did I mean £287? No, Excel. I meant £2.87. #GlamorousLifeOfAnAuthor

Going to need this disclaimer in every book going forward.

Watching Christmas Sewing Bee whilst sewing labels into clothes, whispering “We’re basically the same.”

Not me having a sudden idea for a new Hunger Games style dystopia at 3am. Map & everything. No, brain. We’ve got other books to write!

Putting up the Christmas cards, some of which are still in their envelopes for some reason, and realising how many people my parents have known for decades who still cannot spell the name of the place we have lived in since 1984 (and which shares its name with an international airport).

Just explained to my dad the reason I’m good at wrapping presents is I’ve been doing it nearly 40 years. We paused to appreciate the mental gymnastics my parents did to accommodate this alongside my still believing in Father Christmas. Quite impressive, really.

Another book where I want to 🤦the copy editor: Here the author attempted a polite euphemism for soiling oneself, which has resulted in an unintentional image of simply walking fully clothed into a room with a bath in it. I know it’s a common usage in USA, but am I the only one seeing it this way?

Wait, this Christmas Day weather forecast doesn’t look quite right. It’s going to be cold? And maybe even sleety? But Christmas is unseasonably warm and drizzly, everyone knows that. How else are you supposed to feel hot and sweaty in your Christmas jumper?

we go live to David Walliams’ front door