It was just over a year ago that I began tentatively posting about my book on social media, which was (and still is) quite scary. Promoting your own work can feel ostentatious, desperate and fake at times and, of course, if you add in the old imposter syndrome it can feel very daunting. As I dipped my toe into the water, I thought it would be a good idea to search for book reviewers. There’s an account for everything on Instagram so there must be book review pages, right? I had never heard of ‘Bookstagram’; an Instagram community made up of people who adore books and not only post reviews but engage in giveaways, discussions and plenty of book related challenges. When I stumbled across it, I was amazed that I had never seen these types of posts before. I love books! Why had I never thought to follow people who love them too?! I will admit that my initial reason for delving into this world was quite self-serving but having hung around it for a year now, I’ve realised that it’s taught me a lot and also changed my reading habits.
I’ve owned a Kindle for a few years and the main reason I bought it was because I can be impatient and I like the idea that if I find a book I want to read, I can download it within seconds. I’m also not gifted with plenty of space and so being able to store hundreds of books on a small device is a big plus for me. This isn’t to say I don’t adore printed copies. If I had the means and space, I would devote an entire room to filling it up with books, but I don’t, so in recent years I haven’t bought a lot of printed books. When I began following Bookstagram one of the standout features of the community is the beautiful pictures that people take of books. Whether it’s their current read or multiple covers as part of a photo challenge, the effort that goes into some of these photos is huge, and so rewarding to look at. As a result, I have fallen back in love with printed books and I appreciate their covers like never before. I now allow myself to buy certain books in print, particularly ones I’m pretty sure I’m going to love or has a cover that I adore, and then the rest on Kindle. Of course, one of the biggest reasons that Bookstagram exists is for recommendations. I do find looking for new books quite daunting, once I discover a new author that I like, I try to read as much of their work as I can but the way I find a new author is usually via friends or, when we’re not in a pandemic, strolling through Waterstones and reading hundreds of blurbs. Bookstagram has kept me up to date with the latest releases and popular books like no website or amount of researching ever has. It’s also great to read what other likeminded readers think of certain books before I part with my money! Overall, Bookstagram has reminded me why I love reading and what a joy it is to share it with people. I get such a buzz when I speak to someone who has read the same book as me and we can discuss it until we’ve exhausted every theme, quote and character. During a time when conversations are pretty much all virtual, it’s amazing to feel connected to so many people and continue a hobby that’s keeping me going through lockdown. So, thank you Bookstagram, you have made me a more devout reader than ever! Happy Galentine’s Day! Thanks to the wondrous character that is Leslie Knope, every February 13th is now a day to celebrate the wonderful ladies in our lives and I am completely on board with that.
To celebrate, I have asked five fabulous females whom I have the pleasure of knowing, to recommend a book for anyone looking for a new read. A big thank you to them for allowing me to continually plough their brains for blog and social media content. I love how varied this list is and why each of them has chosen their specific book; I won’t be too on the nose and make a comment about women being complex and…actually I will. Women are multi-faceted bad asses with complexities and nuances that are not reflected as much as they should be in mainstream media. Anyway, over to you, ladies… 1.The Girl You Left Behind, Jojo Moyes “This book is about a famous French painting that ties together two women who live decades apart. In 1916, Sophie (the subject of the painting), is helping her sister and brother at the family hotel but her husband has been taken to a prisoner of war camp and she’s determined to get back to him. Fast forward to 2006 and Liv Halson is given the painting as a gift before she begins a relationship with a new man. However, it turns out that he has been hired to retrieve the painting as it is believed to have been stolen during WWI. I found the story quite powerful and it has two really strong female characters, which I loved. Jojo Moyes’ style just pulls on your heart strings.” 2.Sad Girls, Lang Leav “Lang Leav is one of my favourite poets (seriously, any hopeless romantics reading this need to check out her Instagram) and this is her debut novel. It’s secrets and drama and tragedy all bubbling up around a bit of a twisted love story and I loved it!” 3.East Lynne, Ellen Wood “Originally a serial in a Victorian magazine, the book centres around aristocratic Lady Isabel who abandons her husband and children for her wicked seducer. It’s the epitome of a Victorian Sensationalist novel, there is murder, betrayal, divorce, disguises and death and all this is set among a backdrop of stately homes and horse-and-carriages. It’s a long book but you feel like you are living in a Victorian soap and, quite honestly, who doesn’t want to be transported back in time and immerse themselves into the gossiping world of Victorian society?” 4.Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Jung Chang “It’s about three generations of women in China. Heart breaking, hopeful and just fucking beautiful. You should read it, it’s amazing!” 5.Women Don’t Owe You Pretty, Florence Given “The book is beautiful, filled with amazing artwork, strong female energy and empowering quotes that stay with you. This sassy self-help book teaches how to set boundaries and to stop people pleasing whilst challenging patriarchal outdated narratives. I love this book because I wish I could read I to my teenage self and would recommend it to everyone, even purely for the artwork!” Today is ‘Blue Monday,’ which is said to be the most depressing day of the year. Christmas is over, January feels like it’s never ending and so some boffins have declared this a very glib day indeed. Of course, I think given what the entire world is going through right now, we can laugh in the face of Blue Monday. You think you’re big and clever, do you? Pfft, we’ve had many a Blue Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday this past year.
If you’re reading this, the chances are you enjoy a good book, so I thought I would recommend a few that have brought a smile to my face in times gone by. They won’t cure the futility a lot of us feeling, but hopefully you can find something that lets your mind refocus for a few hours (and maybe even enjoy a laugh, too?) Good Omens, Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman I have to kick things off with one of my favourite fantasy books! This follows an angel named Aziraphale and a demon named Crowley as they wait for the Antichrist to bring on Armageddon. The Antichrist in question is also an eleven-year-old boy living in an idyllic English village. It may not sound like the chirpiest of plots but in the hands of Pratchett and Gaiman it is a joyous ride from start to finish due to their brilliantly bonkers characters and equally mad plot. It’s an easy read that’s pure escapism (I also recommend the Amazon Prime show after you’ve read the book; it’s genuinely one of the best adaptations I’ve ever seen.) How to Build a Girl, Caitlin Moran This book tells the story of teenager Johanna Morrigan as she navigates growing up and deciding what type of person she wants to be during the early 1990s. She lands herself a job as a writer at a music magazine in London and in her quest to be a grown up starts losing the parts of her that make her so wonderful. I think this a story we can all relate to and I’ve never read a book that handles this topic so accurately or hilariously, particularly for women. The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, Jonas Jonasson Let’s be honest, with a title like that you know this book is going to be barmy. Once the aforementioned elderly male, Allan Karlsson, escapes from his care home in his slippers he goes on an adventure that sees him travel across Sweden, gathering a band of delinquents along the way. The characters in this book are wonderful caricatures and it also turns out that Allan was part of many of the great moments of the twentieth century, which makes for a really fun read. Daisy Jones and the Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid This isn’t a light-hearted read as it deals with the very serious issue of addiction, however, I’m including it because if that isn’t triggering for you then I think the hedonistic, rock star storylines that litter this book are just the kind of escapism we need right now. The book is written as an exposé on the reasons why the eponymous band split up in the late seventies. Jenkins Reid creates such a vivid world filled with the kind of rock star tantrums, rifts and craziness that have littered tabloid headlines for decades that it’s easy to get lost in it and believe that this is a real band. As someone who truly believes she was born in the wrong decade, it genuinely upsets me that I wasn’t in Daisy Jones and the Six. The Rosie Project, Graeme Simsion I read this years ago and the feeling of general loveliness that it gave me has still stuck with me. Don Tillman is a genetics professor and has never gone on a second date; he sees the world differently to most and that’s one of the best things about him. He decides to embark on ‘The Wife Project’ and approaches dating as if it was a science experiment so, as I’m sure you can imagine, there are many funny episodes in this book. He meets Rosie, who is pretty much his opposite in every way (I know, it’s a trope, but go with it) and teaches him that not everything in life needs to be predicated, measured and specific. If you need something uplifting from start to finish, I definitely recommend this. As much as I love reading, in non-pandemic years, I don’t do nearly enough of it as I’d like. However, one of the few positives to come out of 2020 is that I’ve been able to devour more books than I usually would. Here, in no particular order, are five of my favourite fiction boos that I’ve read this year.
N.B These books didn’t come out this year, I just read them this year! The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid If you have frequented my social media pages this year you will know how much I adore this book. My friend lent it to me with a ‘This book is so you, you HAVE to read it’ and I replied with a ‘Sure, thank you’ and got to reading. Within a few chapters I was hooked and finished it within two days. The book follows the story of famous actress Evelyn Hugo as she recounts her life story and her many husbands, starting in the heyday of glamourous 1950s Hollywood. The characters are well developed, the storyline is filled with dramatic twists and the central love story had me smiling and weeping on every page. I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I do but I now consider myself a superfan and will happily talk about it for days on end! Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier I had been reticent to read this book for years as I don’t tend to get on very well with older texts. I understand the value they have in the literary canon, but I usually find myself frustrated by the plot, the characters or both, and after years of feeling guilty about it I finally decided that I don’t have to be and they’re simply not to my taste. However, I finally gave in after it was forced into my hand by a friend (the same friend who recommended Evelyn Hugo; she keeps me on the straight and narrow when it comes to books.) This was a slow burn for me but I found myself turning the pages and trying to work out where things were going so before I knew it I was completely invested and eager to read as much as possible. Rebecca focuses on the central character who is only ever referred to as Mrs de Winter and the second wife of the older Maximilian de Winter. When she moves into his familial home, once run by Max’s now deceased first wife, Rebecca, she finds it impossible to feel at home and make her mark on the place. As the plot progresses, we learn more about how this aristocratic world behaves and the relationships that the new Mrs. de Winter has found herself tied up in. I’m so glad that I finally got over myself and read this because not only is the story fantastic, but the writing is also top level and genuinely inspiring. I read the whole book thinking ‘I wish I could write like this!’ The Flatshare, Beth O’Leary This is a romcom with bite. I am partial to a romcom, especially those by Mhairi McFarlane (more on her later), and this one has been doing the rounds a lot on Instagram this year so I thought it would be a good lockdown read. The Flatshare follows the lives of Tiffy and Leon as they become flatmates except, not really. Rather than sharing a flat in the traditional sense, Tiffy rents the flat for the evening and morning and Leon rents it for the day time, including the only double bed in the flat. As a result, the characters don’t meet for a while and their relationship grows primarily through sticky notes. The book also touches on some hard-hitting issues including emotional abuse and the false imprisonment of Leon’s brother; both of which I feel were handled really well considering it’s a genre that is usually more fluffy. However, I appreciate that I’m lucky enough to not have experienced those things so understand that I could be wrong. O’Leary writes with a warmth and humour that really does bring these characters to life in such a way that I found myself routing from them from the start. I’d also quite like to grab a few drinks with Tiffy because she sounds like the kind of bonkers woman I’d get along with. The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller You may already know that I’m a Greek mythology nut and this year in particular I have been striving to learn more about these ancient stories. I had wanted to read The Song of Achilles for years but, similar to Rebecca, I was always a bit intimated. I think I worried that the language would be too intelligent for me and there’s always a concern that a book with so much hype then turns out not to be enjoyable. Of course, none of this was true and I fell in love with the story within about five pages. Miller retells the story of Achilles from his childhood to his time in the Trojan war from the perspective of his beloved Patroclus. I thought this was genius as you’d expect a story this epic to be told by the protagonist but Patroclus understandably gives a new perspective on this legendary hero. This perspective also gives the story an air of mystery to Achilles which I liked. After all, there are so many versions of Achilles’ life that it seems fitting for there to still be a few questions about what he was up to when Patroclus couldn’t see or be with him. If I Never Met You, Mhairi McFarlane As mentioned, I am a big fan of Mhairi McFarlane’s books. She writes romcoms with characters that perfectly encapsulate modern living and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. Her dialogue is also hilarious. If I Never Met You plays into the trope of a fake relationship and although it’s a predictable storyline, as I appreciate most romcoms are, it’s McFarlane’s characters that always win me over. The central character, Laurie, is dumped by her boyfriend of eighteen years and embarks on a fake relationship with her co-worker to make said boyfriend jealous and win him back. However, there’s more to it than that and Laurie is one of the most realistic female characters I’ve ever read. She has her struggles at home and at work, yet her humour doesn’t really fade and her grit always shines through. Last month the wonderful Becky Sandy agreed to let me interview her for this blog (via Skype in case you’re thinking of dobbing us in) so not only can I show you all how fabulous she is but I will also have some nice content to post on here. So, yes, it’s all pretty self-serving but I’ve got books to sell.
Joking aside, Becky is possibly the loveliest person you will ever meet, is crazy talented and one of my closest friends. We lived together for about eighteen months and it was during this time that I asked her if she wouldn’t mind creating my book cover for me. Thankfully, she agreed and designed such a beautiful cover that sometimes I just find myself staring at it longer than is deemed appropriate. Becky launched Becky Sandy Art and Illustration five years ago and specialises in bespoke pet portraits, so creating a book cover was a little different to her usual work! Below we talk about the design process, fancy sword hilts and loveable rogues. Hello! Thank you for agreeing to this, you are most wonderful. So, I’ve tried to come up with questions but I’m worried they’re a bit lame. We’ll have to see what happens. Well, I can’t promise that I won’t have lame answers, to be honest. Great. Are you ready for your big interview? Go on, then. Excellent! First question, as someone who isn’t remotely artistic; what does the beginning of the design process look like? Especially for this project as I know it’s different to your usual stuff. Yeah, it was definitely different, because for most of the stuff I do it’s pet portraits so I don’t really have a process so much because I get a picture and just make that a painting! I think with this the first thing I obviously wanted to do was read the book so I could know the story and what was needed in the cover. I guess that was kind of an ideation thing in itself because as I was reading through it I was working out what was important and there’s a bit where Tarley is describing her favourite gate and the image was so clear in my head, especially with the coloured crystals. I thought that could be quite a striking cover so once I got that idea I started doing some Googling to see what fancy gates look like in real life! A common Google search, I’m sure. Yeah. GATES. To be fair, the stuff I’ve Googled for the book is pretty weird. How to make a sword, why do people want to kill each other etc. Anyway, carry on. Ha, so I read through the story to see what stuck out to me, what would work well as a cover and then searched the internet for some inspiration on top of the idea that I had in my head. And then I had to make sure that that matched what you were thinking as well. I remember with the sword you were sending me ideas of what you had pictured and I said ‘Oh I actually have a picture of that!’ because I’d seen the exact one I’d imagined when I went to Copenhagen. That was super handy by the way when you were like ‘this is actually the sword!’ It was mad because Ryan [also a close friend] and I went to a castle in Copenhagen and we were just looking around and I saw that sword and went ‘What?! That’s it! That’s the one I’ve written!’ So obviously I had to take a picture of it. That’s so cool. It stuck out because of the way the handle curves. I did a lot of Pinteresting while I was writing because I don’t know anything about swords, but I always liked the style of the ones in Pirates of the Caribbean and the fancy hilts. I thought I had better get some reference images so I can describe it properly! It was really helpful because in my head I think I overshot what you wrote in the book because I imagined a King Arthur style sword with a big hilt so when you sent me that picture I was like ‘Ohh…’ Isn’t it mad that two people can read the same thing and have a completely different interpretation of it? Anyway, digressing! This is an arty question because I don’t know much about art; what materials did you use? This was done in ink and watercolour and, to be honest, I can’t give you too much detail because I’m quite new to it but I used watercolour because that’s what I paint in most. I like that it’s light and freer than other paints. That’s interesting. In my head when I asked you to do this, I know nothing about art and obviously I knew that you did the pet portraits, but I expected something quite graphics led and then you came back with this beautiful painted image. It was just so much better than what I had imagined. That is something I thought about because I used to do a lot of digital painting but when I thought about the book I thought it would suit a traditionally painted cover, which I think always look really nice and some of my favourite books have those types of covers. Such as? Well, I’ve got a really nice copy of Watership Down with an illustrated cover… I’ll take that! I’ve been lucky enough to have a few people review the book on social media. How do you feel about reviewers calling the cover ‘Instagrammable’? Is that a word you ever though you’d hear to describe your work? That’s a fun question! Umm, no? Whenever any of them say that I’m so happy because I think when you do a painting or piece of art you get to a point where you’re like ‘Ok, this is finished now,’ because I know that if I stare at it for too long I’ll find little bits to do. But there’s always that bit where you’re not sure if you should add to it or will it be overkill, so I’m never completely satisfied. But obviously I wouldn’t send you anything unless I thought you would like it and I was really happy with it, so it’s so nice to hear it described like that. I would never have thought that anyone would ever call something that I had painted Instagrammable; that’s really nice. Well, in case you didn’t already know, I love it. But it does beg the question…why on Earth did you agree to do this? Umm, because you asked me to? But then also because I really liked you story. Phew! I’m glad it didn’t feel like too hard work. I really want to do more art for it but I just haven’t got round to it yet! Well I’m not going to stop you, I love your art. This may be a really obvious question but what are the key differences between doing the pet portraits and this? Did it feel like a big challenge? I think the challenging aspect of it was trying to get something that I felt represented what you had in your head or what was a good representation of what was in the book. I wanted something that would look nice on the cover but also sell the story so I think the context was the most challenging thing but doing it was really fun. With pet portraits, because you’re trying to accurately reflect a pet, you don’t have a lot of freedom. I do try to keep them quite loose but you can’t go too wild on them, so this was a nice chance to have more freedom and get creative. Ok, I’m now going to ask you some questions to inflate my ego even further. Who is your favourite character in the book? My favourite character is West but I’m not really sure why! I just felt from the moment he was introduced that I warmed to him and then as the book went on I really liked his story. With West, he’s a bit of a loveable rogue and those are some of my favourite characters in literature. That’s exactly my type of book character to be fair. Yeah, for example I love Haymitch from The Hunger Games; he’s one of my all-time favourite characters. I think that’s why I liked writing Lenna too because she is a loveable rogue and that’s traditionally more of a male trope. Anyway, do you have a favourite moment? No spoilers! Ooh but my favourite moment is the biggest spoiler! I’ll just say that I really liked the big twist because I didn’t see it coming at all. Oh, that’s such a relief! Also, thank you. I’ll never forget when I did a creative writing course in uni I was told that when you write a twist it has to be shocking but also believable so I wanted something that had that kind of impact. It definitely did, the red herrings really worked on me. This is where I do an evil laugh. OK, last character question; which character do you think you’re most like? Oh god, I don’t know! May I make a suggestion? I’m going to say Carida because you’re very warm and lovely just like her. And she’s a seamstress so she’s creative like you, too! Aww, I’ll take it! What’s coming up next for Becky Sandy Art and Illustration? At the moment, it’s mainly Christmas commissions, which is really cool but also a bit annoying because I can’t post anything as they’re all secret! I’m also releasing gift vouchers, too, as I’m a bit swamped with commissions at the moment but people can still gift them. My future plan is to also start working on things like cards and maybe pieces that aren’t custom pet portraits but just prints. I’m also thinking of working on an Etsy shop! Well I know that I will be first in line for everything you have on sale! Becky Sandy, thank you very much. Netflix recently released the film ‘Enola Holmes,’ based on the first book in a popular series by Nancy Springer. The eponymous heroine is the younger sister of famous detective Sherlock Holmes and doesn’t appear in the original Arthur Conan Doyle works (which is the subject of much controversy which I’m not going to delve into here!) so she has been written specifically to add another dimension to the Holmes saga many of us love.
I haven’t read the books but I did watch the film and, although parts of it were flawed, I thought it was a great story for young women and men to enjoy. Plus, it has Helena Bonham Carter in it as the bad ass mum so, you know, I’m sold. When I was watching the film I quite liked the idea that the iconic character of Sherlock Holmes could have this hidden side to his life but that the character of Enola was completely her own person with her own story to tell. So, of course, I had a think about who else might have some interesting siblings with a story to tell and, if there weren’t any legal issues, this is the list I would like to submit… Willy Wonka Yes, I know I’m discussing a Roald Dahl character again but I won’t feel bad about it. The possibilities with this one are endless! There could be a brother who despises chocolate and sweet things and has built a factory dedicated to chopping vegetables or a sister who is even more committed to chocolate than Wonka and has made an entire planet out of the stuff. I also quite like the idea that there could be a few Wonka siblings traversing the universe searching for the best sweet treat it has to offer. Basically, if this ever happens one of them has to be called Wilma Wonka. James Bond The most famous spy of all time hasn’t been without controversy and it’s completely justified, so much so that some believe the next iteration of the character on screen should be female. I think a sister to this character could be really interesting as she could challenge the sexist history that Bond is famous for. All I ask is that she ties her hair back when she’s fighting and isn’t given some weird backstory that a man hurt her once and that’s the only way she could be become a hardened killer. Ursula Any Disney fan will know of this wicked sea witch and if you don’t think she has one of the best songs in the Disney back catalogue, you’re wrong. There’s been a trend in recent years to reinterpret famous Disney villains and I think Ursula would be perfect for this. I’m imagining her and her glamourous older sister painting Atlantis red with their debauchery before something happens that turns her into the witch we all love to hate. Mary Poppins Mary Poppins was a key feature in my childhood (my mother is convinced this film is why I’m a feminist after she caught me marching around the living, aged two ,shouting ‘Votes for Women!’) so I have a lot of love for Mary. She’s a bit of an elusive character and so I think giving her a sibling would open a new world of fun. I can see her with a brother who is also practically perfect in every way or a younger sister that’s still trying to learn the ropes. Either way, I want a film adaptation and I want some catchy songs. Dracula As it’s spooky season I thought I should include this guy! This would require some reworking of the story but why shouldn’t Dracula have a sibling to share that big old house with? I quite like the idea of a ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ type film with him and a vast number of siblings who don’t really get on but who else is going to put up with them for eternity? I’ve recently moved back in with my parents for the short term while I find a flat (like most people this pandemic screwed me over on the job and housing front) which has understandably made me a little nostalgic. This is the house I did most of my growing up in and there’s a fair few photographs dotted around that inevitably send my mind back in time and the whole thing got me thinking about how writing has been interwoven throughout my life.
In primary school Fridays were predominantly ‘Story Writing Day’ and, without a doubt, I thought it was the best day of the week because it gave me a chance to let loose. Sometimes we were given a title we had to use, an object to incorporate or even a sentence we had to begin the story with and I always loved the challenge. One of my fondest memories was aged nine when the teacher had selected three of us to read our stories aloud to the rest of the class and I had been selected as a Chosen One. Admittedly, the teacher said that I had used way too much dialogue but she thought it was a really funny story and my classmates would love it. I remember desperately waiting for my turn and when it came I gave it all the gusto I could manage and not one of the fuckers laughed. Every line I read I thought ‘This is it. This is BOUND to get a giggle,’ but apparently my teacher was incorrect and I was met with silence and the death stare of twenty odd nine year olds waiting for playtime. Despite that near traumatising experience I still loved writing and found myself writing stories and poems at home. The poems in particular were a big hit with my grandparents (they thought I was funny) and I’d churn out a few stanzas as often as I could. Each one of these poems was put in a 90’s style ring binder and my grandparents never threw it out. I vividly remember them showing the poems to my great aunt and uncle, which obviously made me feel very proud, but I was also slightly concerned about the mugs of tea in their hands and their proximity to my masterpieces. Thankfully, they remain undamaged to this day. Once I reached secondary school creative writing wasn’t as big a feature in our learning but I do remember one standout moment when I was in Year 8 and we had to pretend to be soldiers in WWI writing letters home from the trenches (an old favourite in UK secondary schools.) I felt totally unprepared for this task in all honesty due to the fact that this was an English class so we hadn’t done a lot of research into the history of the period. I had no idea what actually went on in a trench; what did they eat? How did they speak to each other? Why had they signed up to fight in the first place? Therefore, when it came to writing the letter I kept it quite simple because I thought if I was a soldier on the front line I wouldn’t be using similes and metaphors, I would be straight to the point and telling my mum that hopefully I’d be home soon. However, it looked like the whole class took this approach because the teacher was furious and made us all rewrite it. I went all in on the similes and metaphors the second time round, so much so that I was pretty sure no one would ever write like that in real life. Anyway, the teacher read it once I finished and loved it so I felt reassured that I had somewhat of a talent for writing and I suppose the whole incident just meant that I understood the importance of character and voice. However, my most treasured writing memory of my younger years has to be when I came second in a writing competition for Newport University (as it was then) aged eighteen. My English Literature teachers had told my class about it and it was about this time that I thought maybe writing was a bigger passion of mine than I had previously realised so I decided to submit a short story I had been working on. You could choose from three titles and the story I had was already leaning towards to one of the titles so it didn’t take too much to adapt. I thought no more of it and submitted it assuming I wouldn’t hear anything, the submission guidelines even stated that you shouldn’t enter if you couldn’t attend the awards ceremony which also happened to be the date of my A Level Drama exam but I did it anyway. Then one day I came home from school to read an email stating that I’d come second and won a little money too, I can’t remember the amount but any money at that age is treasure isn’t it? It’s been almost eleven years since the competition and it still makes me smile when I think about it because it was the first time people I didn’t know had read my work and enjoyed it. It’s a feeling I will never forget or take for granted for as long as I am lucky enough to experience it. I have a confession to make. I’m a big old myth nerd. I just love them. From Ancient Greece to the Welsh myths I grew up with; I am gripped by them all.
I can’t pinpoint when this love affair began but I’m pretty sure it’s been for at least 90% of my life. As a child, like most who grew up in Wales, I learnt about the stories that have been interwoven into our collective history (especially in the lead up to St. David’s Day where, no doubt, you would have to draw your own version of a myth or recite the story as part of the school’s Eisteddfod. And for those not from Wales, google Eisteddfod.) The myth that always sticks out for me, and I’m still not sure why even after all these years, is that of Gelert. He was a brave dog who fought off and killed a wolf that was attempting to attack his master’s son but when the prince returned he saw blood dripping from Gelert’s mouth, assumed the dog had killed his and son and promptly plunged his sword into the poor thing. It wasn’t until he heard the baby crying and saw a dead wolf next to him that the prince realised what a prick he’d been. Wales is built on these types of stories and I relish them being a part of my heritage. For those of you that have read The Arben Bridge you’ll hopefully notice a few nods to these myths in there as I felt they encapsulated the otherworldly universe I was trying to create. I also love the myths of Ancient Greece and Rome and I’ve spent years trying to learn more about them. I was lucky enough to visit Rome when I was fifteen and as the tour guide explained the Romulus and Remus myth I was standing there eyes wide open absorbing everything he was saying and determined to learn more (meanwhile my brother was standing there wondering when we were going to eat pasta again.) During lockdown I have discovered the wonderful podcast ‘Let’s Talk About Myths Baby,’ which I would encourage anyone with an interest in ancient myths to listen to because Liv the host is hilarious, and my love for this world has only grown. They are completely ridiculous and the women are always, always, always wronged which incites a huge rage within me and yet I am addicted! I think it’s because so many of our words and basis for our stories come from this time that I find myself utterly fascinated. Plus, as mentioned, the stories are so over the top you just have to embrace it and love them. I don’t think it’s hard to make the link between my love of myths and why I like to write stories. No matter the setting there’s always a sense of right or wrong (in the context of the time period, I’d like to add), a great conflict and a character we’re either rooting for hoping get’s his or her comeuppance. Stories are an integral part of how we interact with one another; it’s how we learn and attempt to understand the mad world that we live in. I recently attended an online event hosted by the networking organisation Warrior Women on this very subject and the emphasis that the speakers placed on telling your story not only highlighted how it connects us to other people but, in a business context, also enables you to stand out and grow your brand. Myths have been my gateway into storytelling and I am proud to continue to get my nerd on and learn as many as I can. The history and grandiosity of them all is simply delicious and, in all honesty, I feel like I owe them a huge debt because without them I wouldn’t have this drive to create outrageous stories for people to, hopefully, enjoy. Whether you’ve read my book or not you can probably deduce from the blurb that there’s a fair few made up words in The Arben Bridge. Some of these are completely made up through an extremely intelligent and complex process of taking parts of words that I like the sound of and combining it with other words that I also like the sound of. Or simply changing one letter in a word. I know, it’s groundbreaking stuff.
However, a few of my made-up words have a lot of meaning and reasons behind them. I haven’t included all of them because I think it spoils the fun but here’s a few that may be of interest. Who knows, maybe one day they’ll be a question on a real-life pub quiz! Liliath – This is the name of the country in which the story is set and is named after my late fabulous nan. Her name was Lilian and I thought the ‘iath’ at the end made the country sound like somewhere you might find in Wales (Welsh speakers please don’t come for me, this is fiction.) I decided to name the country after her because she was a complete powerhouse of a woman and this seemed like a suitably epic tribute. Jobern – The name of Liliath’s capital city is named after my grandfather (or as I called him; Bampy.) His name was Bernard but everyone called him Joe, as you do. The story goes that when he was a child he and his friends decided to call each other by their father’s names for the day but somehow his stuck for eighty-three years! Jobern is simply an amalgamation of his two monikers and as someone who adored words I like to think he’d approve. Andice – This is a flyaway reference in the book that you may miss! It’s another city and an amalgamation of my parents’ names. My dad is called Andy and my mum is called Janice so you can see how I arrived at this one! Yanto – Again, another small detail that won’t have any meaning to anyone other than myself. My Bampy gave my brother the nickname ‘Ianto Full Pelt’ when he was a kid, which I think is a common Welsh nickname but in all honesty I never asked about it so if someone can enlighten me that would be great! My brother’s name is actually Ieuan but I thought this would be too difficult for non-Welsh readers to understand due to all the vowels, as is Ianto, so I just swapped out the ‘I’ for a ‘Y’ to make it more readable. Carida – This is the name of Tarley’s mum and a very slight anagram for the Welsh word for ‘love’ which is ‘cariad.’ This character is full to the brim of love and it’s her driving force in life so I felt this was the perfect name for her. Hyd/Haf – If you’ve read the book you may have noticed that my characters are never called ‘Mr,’ ‘Miss,’ ‘Mrs’ etc. and that is a very contrived decision on my part because I truly hate the idea that women’s titles are dependent on their relationship to a man and if you’re making up your own world why not change a few things? Therefore, ‘Hyd’ is taken from the Welsh word for autumn which is ‘hydref’ and ‘Haf’ is the Welsh word for summer. In The Arben Bridge all men have the title of Hyd and all women have the title of Haf. If you’re wondering why I chose those seasons it’s because summer is my favourite (so I had to give this to the ladies) and autumn is the season I was born in. |
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