Monday 24 March 2014

THE ESSENTIAL 'MUMMY MISFIT'


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
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

1 comment:

  1. 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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