Cellardoor Magazine: Snow Angel

I have been rather lacklustre with my blogging recently. You have probably all forgotten I exist. In case you haven't, I promise to find time to catch you up on some recent activities soon. In the meantime, you can read more of my writing in Cellardoor Magazine. Yes, I admit my lack of blogging is potentially because I have been spreading myself a bit thin and often the thing that gives is the thing with no deadline.

The mini winter issue launched late last night and I have a short story called Snow Angel on p.59. They are a great magazine to contribute to, so much freedom and it is always so beautifully put together. In case you haven't heard of it before you can also find Get it Loud in the Library, a feature of mine, in the Spring Fling Issue (p.78-81) and a short story called Daisy in the End of Summer Issue (p.84).

The Good Natured: Video Voyeur

At the beginning of this month The Good Natured released their latest video for the song Video Voyeur. I discovered the band about a year ago through Get it Loud in Libraries and interviewed singer Sarah McIntosh for Cellardoor Magazine. They class their music as "pop noir" and I'm not even going to pretend I know what that means but I love it and I love this song.

The End of Summer

I think it's fair to say that summer is officially on the way out, which is a shame as it always seems to be when I'm happiest and I feel like I've spent most of it doing work for my MA.  However, I have also done other things...I've been to Portugal, I've been to Wales where the boy tour me on a tour of many many castles (my favourite was Pehrhyn), I've baked A LOT, drank copious amounts of red wine, I've done some writing for Fused, prepared their AW Fashion Guide, wrote a short story for Cellardoor's wonderful End of Summer Issue (p84), got my little sister prepared for high school and waved the boy off to live bloody miles away.  Oh and I've more or less finished my MA.  It's been a busy one.

Barmouth Beach

View from the Caravan

We may complain about British summers but even when it's pouring it down a 99 from the ice-cream man and chips on the beach front make me reminiscent of summers when I was younger.  As a young girl I spent many summers in a caravan/apartment/posh hotel depending on our finances at the time but to me it didn't matter where we were.  I once adopted a seagull who I called Sammy, I fed him every day whilst we were away with my aunties and cousins and every one.  I only realised this year whilst telling the boy that story that Sammy was probably multiple seagulls.  Naive I know, but it shows how much I believed in the magic of summer - as a tiny girl I had a pet seagull.  So don't give up on British summers - they may be shorter, come at strange times of the year and be largely interspersed by rain but they're our summers.  Make sure you make the most of them.

My mother and I, Newquay, aged 2. 

Cellardoor Magazine: Get it Loud in the Library

Recently I wrote an article for Cellardoor Magazine's Spring Fling Issue. It's all about Get it Loud in Libraries, featuring Pegasus Bridge and The Good Natured as the next up and coming talent spotted in the library. To see the article properly click the link and turn to p.78-81. I hope you like it!

Soundtrack to Stress

Ok...so the title of this post is a little extreme. I'm not manically stressed, I just have five deadlines this week. Currently I have done 4 of those...I'm definitely on top of everything. It's times like these when checklists are good.

1. Umbro iPad magazine - CHECK :)
2. Cellardoor magazine article - CHECK :)
3. Uni report 1- CHECK :)
4. Uni progression presentation - CHECK :)
5. Uni report 2 (formatted as an iPad magazine) - erm.... not so check :( It's written, it's partially formatted but it's definitely not finished. Bugger.

Anyway, in an effort to get all this done in time I have gathered albums that keep me happy enough to work but not so happy that I start working. I have decided to share this just-happy-enough-ness with others so that they too can be productive. If you're expecting anything exciting and new then lower those. Here's a tip - those albums that are best aren't that new. Or they're new but I've listened to them so much I don't have to spend time focusing on lyrics I just sing along, much to the joy of my neighbours. (They're really loud and rude and inconsiderate anyway so it's fine).

Here goes... (in no particular order!)
1. Kate Nash, Made of Bricks - Merry Happy is my current favourite, it was Birds before that.
2 and 3. Paolo Nutini, Sunny Side Up AND Those Streets - Yep Paolo is just bloody awesome at keeping me going.
4. Slow Club, Yeah So - When I Go is a gem of a track.
5. Stereophonics, Word Gets Around - I've wrote about them before (i.e. here) so you may be aware of my love for Kelly Jones.
6. The XX, XX - the bonus tracks are awesome if you haven't had a listen.

So yeah...I told you they weren't exciting but believe me they will keep you focused a treat. Here's a little bit to get you going: