I realised
recently that new visitors to my blog would have to look through an awful lot
of posts dating back to the summer of 2011 (I used to blog every day!) to get
an essence of who I am - from the trials and tribulations of my personal life, or as a writer,
through to my opinions on an array of subjects - so I thought I’d create a
quick reference guide with links to some of the posts that help to define me.
You could
start with ‘Inside Me (Parts 1, 2 & 3) or ‘The A-Z of Me’, but otherwise
read on:
How my Chick Lit Writing Career began
My Bio in
the right column explains how I began writing when my son developed School Refusal (aka ‘school phobia’) and, although
not by choice, I suddenly found myself with the time to explore my creative
juices while I needed to be on hand to support him. I honestly don’t think I would ever have
written a book otherwise, so I’m grateful that something good came out of
adversity.
And, while
my books aren't about that subject, blogging about my son’s anxiety raised
awareness and helped others who subsequently saw or heard our interviews in The Daily Mail, Jo Good’s BBCLondon radio show and ITV’s ‘This Morning’.
My First Book
‘Diary of a
Mummy Misfit’, perhaps unsurprisingly, was inspired by my observations from my
vantage point in the school car park and also at various class productions, social
events and parent/teacher evenings.
Written in diary form, it takes a humorous poke at the clicky set (I
call them the ‘Meemies’ - it’s all about ‘Me, Me, Me') from the
perspective of an ordinary mum who feels she doesn’t quite fit in.
Happily,
most of the parents and also my personal friends realised that the characters
were just an amalgam of personalities and not about anyone in particular, so I didn’t
get lynched. A second diary followed and
I’ve since moved on to writing romcom novels, along with a couple of Christmas
novellas.
This hasn’t
stopped my loyal readers regularly screaming for another Mummy Misfit book -
so watch this space!
The 'Sandwich Mum' (explained here)
I have an elderly
Mum and a teenage son, so balancing my life between the two throws up some
interesting challenges in my efforts to keep them both appeased.
My blogs
can therefore range from shopping ('A Daughter's Plea to M&S' or 'Off my Trolley') and caring for my Mum (I think we’ve
ordered and returned six hoovers in as many months) to reflecting on my own teen years or my early parenting days in 'Bumps, Boobs, Breast-Feeding and Beyond ...'
Venting My Spleen
While
everyone’s entitled to their view, and I try to avoid petty Twitter and
Facebook spats despite the constant temptation, I’m occasionally so incensed
about a subject that I simply have put my two bob’s worth in.
Blogging
gives me this outlet and, although in the past I’ve had a crack at a number of
other opinionated women (e.g. these missives about Germaine Greer, Liz Jones and Katie Hopkins (say no more!), usually
it’s just me getting Up on My Soapbox about something or sharing the
Things that Bug Me.
I do Like a Good Party
I love
entertaining, whether it’s a dinner party or a full-on event, so my posts can
cover anything from party planning tips to book launches and
family anniversaries like my recent 50th birthday.
And we
don’t always need an occasion to make our own fun in our household - we play games like 'In my Pants' and 'Poke the Snot' or just generally amuse ourselves with Family Sayings.
Although
it’s never been officially confirmed, and they’re quite common now, I may just
also have invented the Twitter Party (e.g. pretending we're all in the kitchen together) and posted about what it might be like if we all hooked up for real.
* * * * *
There’s
no easy way to sum up over 200 blog posts but, if you’ve enjoyed any of the
above and still aren’t bored with me, here are a few more of my faves:
My
‘Top of the Pops’
10
‘Misfit Essentials’
‘Mummy Misfit’s Law’ and ‘The Tao of Hubbie’
‘Smashing Part-ay’: a look at competitive kid’s parties and tips.
‘My Watermelon Moments’ for you 'Dirty Dancing' fans.
'Dear Me ...': advice
to My Younger Self
It's great getting to know you a little bit better as I didn't 'know' you in the early months of your blog! x
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