Approximately-weekly news, 49

Thank you, and Newcastle, and Lily King, and Harris would like you to admire him, please

I would like to be the kind of writer who writes and then lets things go.

I do sort-of try, and succeed insofar as I am genuinely pragmatic about things like sales figures and people who email me to say I should never be allowed to touch a pen again. But even as I write this I realise that this pragmatism is born of times when I have been distraught about sales and destroyed by unkindness.

We live, we learn, we grow. And we (I) can sometimes forget that we have grown, and think we were pragmatic all along.

A bit like those people who claim to have a passion for specialist metal screws/mulch/hats with ear flaps, but really it’s that they have made a fortune and a really nice life from selling specialist metal screws/mulch/hats with ear flaps, and therefore retrofitted the passion.

Anyway! The thing that is absolutely central to me, as a writer, the thing that means the most, is that I want my books to be read. I love the doing-of-the-writing, but a reader completes the circle.

With this in mind: Readers of America, thank you. A bestseller flash can make a writer’s day.

Readers of the UK, thank you. More than 100 reviews already and riding high in the Kindle chart.

(If you read on an e-reader, or know someone who does, then you may be interested to know that THE SECOND CHANCE BOOK CLUB is currently 99p on Kindle in the UK and 99 cents on Kindle in the US. If you’re a fan of a physical book, it’s available in the UK now and in the US at the end of July.)

My first event for THE SECOND CHANCE BOOK CLUB is tomorrow (eek), at Waterstones in Newcastle, which is a gorgeous shop (I mean obviously, it’s a bookshop) in a gorgeous building.

I’m excited to be talking about this book, with fabulous Victoria from Bay Tales. I’m also, as always with events, terrified that no-one will come. So if you’re wavering… here’s the link to book. I will be very, very glad to see you, and do my best to delight you.

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I am blessed by a friendship group that knows the value of a good bit of Real Post.* (There may be a degree of self-selection going on here.) This card, a publication-day congratulation, makes me smile so much that I cannot bring myself to put it away. Isn’t it beautiful?

The artist is Joy Laforme and she has a Substack and an Instagram. Just looking at her work makes me happy.

Harris, sadly, does not agree. He thinks black dogs are better than black cats any day of the week, and he would also like it to be known that he is available as an artist’s model.

(In case you think I have caught him at a freak/hilarious moment - I have to tell you that I could take a photo like this pretty much any day. Harris is a fan of the spread-eagle and has no shame.)

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This week I heard from two former mentees who are being published soon. More news (and pre-order links) as they come. Which reminds me that, in the run-up to Christmas and all that went with it last year, I failed to share something that Jodie shared with me, about writing her book. Jodie and I worked together for much of 2023 and 2024, and her novel is wonderful: perfect for anyone who likes imperfect heroines, magical realism, and a story with a strong unflinching heart.

Jodie says:

When I set myself the personal goal of writing the best novel I can write at this time, I had never published a word. I spent two years learning about storytelling; a third year basking in the cosy security of rewriting the opening few scenes ad infinitum; and in the fourth year I wrote a book.

I wrote a story about what it feels like when the world expects you to be something special and you keep messing up; and about how so much land and culture is being tamped down by real estate developers in search of profit.

Under the Todo Tree was published in November 2024. It has been a creative marathon - so utterly inspiring that it never felt like a chore. And because I believe that stories only come to life when they're read, I'm now focused on making it available for as many people as possible to read and enjoy.

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You can find out more about my services for writers - at any stage in their careers - here, and see some of the books I have worked on here. If you think you might be interested in us working together, please get in touch for a no-obligation chat. My 2025 diary is filling up fast.

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It is a strange day, weather-wise, when what you fancy for lunch is iced lemonade and honey on toast and to eat it sitting outside in the garden. But I don’t make the rules.

The English Teacher is my third Lily King novel and I’m in awe of the writing, which is, I think, objectively perfect. This story, of a dedicated English teacher who accidentally marries a widower, and all that unfolds, is dark and compelling and made me care deeply for a heroine I didn’t much like. If you haven’t read Lily King before, may I suggest you start with Euphoria, then go to Writers and Lovers, then, if you love those, this. And please, tell me what you think. (Side note: the novel may have a beautiful cover image but I honestly have no idea which novel it’s for. It certainly isn’t this one.)

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I think that’s it from me, for now. I’m wishing you good sleep and sunshine.**

Every week I think I’m going to tell you about a change in my life that is really important to me, and then somehow I run out of space or get a bit scared. Next week.

Until then, sending you love and light,

Stephanie x

*If you live in the UK and know someone who would like some Real Post, or you would like some yourself, please let me know. It would absolutely delight me to send it.

** These in particular because they are the things I am longing for, for myself. But really, I’m wishing for you what you wish for yourself.