Winter, red, big EEK

Approximately-weekly news, #74

There is snow, and we are quite enjoying it, not least because you sometimes meet yourself coming back. Apparently we both drag our feet.

Harris is generally not one for a there-and-back walk, preferring a circular route, but he does make an exception for going to the paper shop, because he is greeted by name, made a fuss of, and given a treat.*

The snow-skies have been moon-blessed and beautiful.

And Harris has enjoyed the wind in his ears. (Me, not so much, but to be fair, my ears aren’t as good.)

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This week’s permission slip:

You have permission to be happy with your life as it is.

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Thank you for being so kind and supportive when I wrote about grief at Christmas. Beloved Mr Butland and I had a calm and happy time overall**, and I bought red tulips and red candles and wore my dress with Moomins on it, and my daughter made me a bowl that is perfect for holding four croissants.

On Boxing Day, I thought, ‘next year, I must remember that I don’t need to make this much food’, but then we ate leftovers for a week and I changed my mind. At time of writing, 18 mince pies and one and a half Christmas cakes to go, and I might have to admit defeat when it comes to the last bag of Brussels sprouts.

I didn’t think I had anything else to say about Christmas, and then I remembered this: someone I don’t know very well asked me how my Christmas was, and I swallowed back ‘Lovely, thank you,’ and instead said, ‘Fine. A bit sad.’ I’m glad I did: it was true, and also, maybe, might be good for someone within earshot having a sad time to feel less alone. I hope so, anyway. (The person who asked said ‘I’m sorry,’ and went on her way, which felt like a good reaction.)

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You remember the cowl I was knitting? Well, the pattern - Net Hope Cowl - has been released, and is available for free, along with the Manta Ray Shawl and Humpback Whale Quilt. Take a look at this page - scroll down for the knitting patterns - and maybe send the link to the knitters in your life. I loved being part of this project, and loved spending time with amazing people.***

Talking of knitting, it gave me great joy to send three shawls to people who will enjoy them. (Thank you for reassuring me that I wasn’t being weird.) I’m thinking of doing the same with barely-worn sweaters and cardigans. Stay tuned.

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I gave myself a Proper Christmas Break, and then I came back to the studio and hurled myself into manuscript assessments and mentoring, and next week I am having a Writing Week. (Every book is different, and my new novel seems to work best if I have an immersive few days and then leave it all to noodle for a bit. I think it’s because of the nature of the emotional landscape of this one: it’s not easy to dip in and out of, it’s straightforward to inhabit.) I’m glad I had the break, and how I love what I do now I’m back.

As predicted, things are Busy on the work front. Here are the details of how I work with writers, and here’s the current state of play:

• My waiting lists are open for mentoring, manuscript assessments, and developmental and line edits. If you’re interested, please reply to this email and tell me a bit about what you’re working on, what support you might want, and when you might want it. I can either schedule you in for later in the year or let you know when a slot comes up (things move around all the time).

• I can usually fit in a submission package review or one-off mentoring session within 2 weeks.

• Zoom workshops are filling up quickly. Dates and latest availability is here: this is the last call for this Saturday’s ‘Creating a Good Working Life’ workshop.

If you are unsure as to whether this is for you, please ask: you won’t be wasting my time, and it’s better to find out than wonder. We can set up a Zoom or phone call to discuss; there is no obligation for you to go ahead; I can put you in touch with someone I’ve worked with in a similar way for a reference/sense of how it works.

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A funny thing about having time off is that you come back and the ebook publication of your new book is RIGHT THERE, when it used to be ages away. Eeek with me, friends.

February 12th! That is counts on fingers SOON****! You can pre-order via Bookshop here, and on Amazon in the UK here and in the US here. The paperback will be out in May, and the online places, Waterstones, and your friendly local indie will be very happy to pre-order.

(The reason authors ask you to pre-order, if you’re going to buy anyway, is that it really helps us. Pre-orders tell bookshops what is going to be popular, and publishers what readers are interested in, and helps us to get our books seen, talked about, and read.*****)

And if you belong to a book group, host a podcast, organise a book festival, or are a bookseller arranging events, and you’d like me to visit, in person or via Zoom, this is an excellent time to get in touch.

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Before I go, one more picture of the sky. This was taken in December, at the wonderful Garsdale Retreat, on the one day the rain wasn’t hammering down.

It seems to me that these trees are whispering secrets to each other.

Until next time, my friends, be well.

Stephanie x

*It is the order of treat that he would absolutely turn his nose up at home; make of that what you will.

**The calm and happiness partly enabled by a Christmas morning crying jag and a quiet Christmas evening sob.

***I do not plan to try to write a knitting pattern ever again, which is no reflection on the project AT ALL.

****At time of writing, just over five weeks. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

*****I had never thought about how many books there are in the world until mine started to be published. ‘Existential horror’ doesn’t even come close to describing that moment.