I don’t talk to many people in my life about my writing, which is odd because it’s been part of who I am for as long as I can remember. I’ve danced between genres and forms for a decade now, never quite settling. As a child I wrote disturbing horror/murder mystery short stories, which now lie collecting dust in my cupboard, and which I’m glad I never showed to teachers because it would have been flagged as a safeguarding concern1. As an angsty teenager I wrote poetry, and entered poetry competitions without telling any of my friends. At university, I wrote for theatre, which is inherently a more public-facing form, but I always felt awkward talking about it, and kept most of what I wrote shelved away, never to be performed. Now I’m writing fiction, and I still struggle to bring it up. In fact, I only told my friends and family I was writing after I finished two whole books2.

It’s a vulnerability thing, I think. Writing is such an exposing thing to do. Even if you don’t know what my book is about, the fact I’ve sat down and written 95,000 words tells you a lot about me. More, perhaps, than I want you to know.

But it is good to share things with friends, and it’s a bit awkward when people ask me how work is going and I have to decide whether I talk about my day-job or my writing, so here I am, to talk about the latter.

At the moment, I’m obsessed with writing fantasy novels. Usually there are political plots and queer relationships, and there is always humour amidst the darkness. I have a literary agent and am currently waiting to hear back from editors about my second book, whilst writing my third. This one is a fantasy about the Catholic church and religion and power and the intricate rituals of lesbianism. At the same time, I’m brainstorming a children’s book series, because I’ve realised I love writing for younger audiences. I’m also always writing poetry, though not sure I’ll be sharing any of it any time soon.

I am planning for this blog to be a space to share more of this part of my life with friends (and strangers?). I don’t know what else I’ll write about—more about my current projects? My inspirations? My dreams? What I’m currently reading? The hellish process that is getting traditionally published? Let me know in the comments if you have suggestions. I’ll share anything (as long as it’s not the angsty poetry).

Thank you for reading,

A.M