i'm pretty sureyou have s t a r d u s t runningthroughthose v e i n s- women are some kind of magicAmanda Lovelace There's something about women. Something that keeps us fighting when the battle seems lost, hoping when there seems no room for hope, banding together when the world would tear us [...]
”You can betray someone with a word or an action. You can betray them with silence or inaction too. And in betraying that one person, you can betray a whole world.” Exodus, Julie Bertagna I can’t remember the first time I read this book. It was a long time ago though. I do remember being [...]
Your fairy tales have it all wrong. I am the Master of the Spindle and I spin not from straw but from magic. My silks are not of gold but of stardust. I spin nets to catch dreams from the night and jewels from the morning air. I spin swathes of silken lace fine enough [...]
A few years ago, I fell in love with The Lost Words - a stunning collection of poetry and illustrations by Rob Macfarlane and Jackie Morris celebrating the wonders of nature and preserving the words that are becoming increasingly absent from our common vernacular. With that book, I taught a class of eleven year olds what bluebells are, [...]
Dawn mist creeps up the valley, diffusing the gentle warmth of early day across the ochre earth. The Adhan dances from mountain to mountain, carrying softly, coaxingly through the still, sleepy air. I am a stranger in this land but it calls me still. A tender hand on my brow, my shoulder, welcoming me home. [...]
I was fortunate to connect with Chris over on Twitter, somewhere in the depths of an #indieauthor thread. The premise behind his debut poetry collection, I'm Not Too Bad, Thanks, intrigued me: Chris reflects that "When someone asks how you are, whether you are on top of the world or feeling low, what’s the standard [...]
my heart-song carriesa tune of soaring joya searing melody thatcaresseswith tingling fingertipsalong the nape of my neckcalling my soul outinto the world this loveis notwhat they told me you are not my other halfor my betteryou do not complete meor make me wholeyou are not what I was looking foryou are the mirror that helped [...]
What is this illusion of perfect beautyThat we cling to with such desperation?Why is it that what we areIs deemed less than the imaginings of what we'Should' be?The joy in my smile is not diminishedBy teeth which don't lie straight.Nor do the blemishes that scatter my skinLike fallen constellationsLessen the softness of its touch,Or its [...]
When I first listened to the audiobook of Katherine Arden's The Bear and The Nightingale two years ago, I knew this series was going to become a firm favourite. Her writing (and Kathleen Gati's fabulous narration) transported me straight into the winter of darkest Rus and I could feel Morozko’s breath on my cheek. She wove [...]
Dear readers, I still can not describe to you the joy of knowing my work is out in the world. The thrill I get when I see the little book I put so much of myself into in the hands of others. It is a dream come true and I am so grateful for all [...]
