Don't do this & journalism highs and lows

Plus, listen to BookY podcast trailer and news & opportunities

My dear wordsmiths,

This will be a briefer affair as work is mad and I’m away so greetings from a lovely hotel in Sheffield (shout out to The Leopold) where my room for the night is much nicer than expected and it’s just minutes from TK Maxx and Waterstones (dream combo if I had the time). I’m hosting a round table event in the city but frankly I’m just happy to have arrived after a somewhat trying day which involved throwing my engagement ring down the toilet (don’t do this - it wasn't on purpose) and standing (swaying) on a packed train connection from Manchester to Sheffield. By the time I arrived I was very glad I’d not had a chance for lunch, put it that way.

Anyway, after spending the day counting my fails and being v. grumpy with anyone who mithered me on email or otherwise, I realised I have no Q&A for this week, so soz about that. There are many, many, being organised but none available right now and what with the news world about to get very busy again (sorry to be cryptic), I’ve been filming a documentary and recording a podcast, planning a round table and doing all the things that I actually do for my day job. So instead I thought I’d share some of my highs and lows in journalism/radio from two decades in journalism and leadership. But first..

BookY Podcast trailer is live HERE

The podcast, which I have part-recorded and have some AMAZING bookish guest authors for, is nearly here. Please have a listen to the trailer - can you identify the three authors featured? Let me know!

My journalism highs and my lows

In no particular order and fairly random. These span two decades and they are honest, rather than trying to make myself sound important, superior or clever.This is just a selection.

HIGH: Winning young journalist of the year one year into my career.

LOW: Having my DNA taken by police after I accidentally contaminated a cordoned off murder scene by walking into it while reporting. They needed to eliminate me from the inquiry. (this is a true story)

HIGH: Passing my 100 word per minute shorthand exam on first try.

LOW: Forgetting how to read my shorthand back since I became an editor.

HIGH: I mean come on, an exclusive is an exclusive. If you don’t enjoy this as a journalist, you’re in the wrong job. Ditto for important interviews.

LOW: Getting beaten to exclusives. Failing to get an interview.

HIGH: I’ve visited Downing Street three times and visited all the nooks and crannies of Parliament - and of course met Larry the Downing Street cat twice. It’s literally like being in history (Larry aside) whatever your politics.

LOWS: (Multiple) Being summoned into the newsroom by the printers of the newspaper in the middle of the night because a page had failed to go to press, was low resolution or a picture is missing. Usually at 3am. I once drove over in my pyjamas and a coat - only to walk past a gaggle of cat-calling printers in the smoking shelter. I always got dressed properly after that.

HIGH: Gaining my first editorship at the weekly Chorley Guardian newspaper.

LOW: My role was made redundant after six months.

HIGH: I moved into my second editorship as editor of Lancaster Guardian and Morecambe Visitor while I was at risk.

LOW: This was a tough gig and my first job was, you’ve guessed it, making redundancies. You can imagine how popular I was - one of the most stressful periods of my career and I nearly gave it all up. (there have been many since)

HIGH: Discovering a love of radio presenting late in my career - my voluntary role at Chorley FM led to a paid role as a weekly radio show for the BBC, alongside my good friend Gemma. We lasted almost two years before the BBC cuts began.

LOW: Let’s be honest, complaints and abuse are a problem for journalists and like most, I’ve been at the end of some severe nastiness and threats in my time including very recently. The often comes from very senior, often respected, people as well as trolls.

HIGH: All of the press trips; travel writing is a perk to the general journalist and in the past I’ve travelled across the world to places I would never have been able to afford on a reporter salary. (Low - the pay, particularly when starting out)

LOW: A man, who I was interviewing as youths had shot through his front window, laced my drink ( of tea) with whisky or similar and tried to lock me in the house. Luckily I clocked on and got out fast.

HIGH: I persuaded Chesney Hawkes to come on the radio show to surprise my co-presenter Gemma on her birthday. (She loves him)

LOW: He overslept (it was an afternoon show but he lives in California) but he came on another week instead and sent Gemma a video from his back garden as an apology.

HIGH: Making a difference; Campaigns including ‘Operation Feed Chorley’ where we raised enough money to build a new food bank building in Chorley - the previous was built in a dank basement. I was genuinely amazed by people’s generosity; the travelling community were particularly active in helping us.

HIGH: The people; My favourite interview remains a charming 100-year-old man who, when I asked about his wife, produced a pristine 80-year-old photograph from his wallet of them on his wedding day. He told me love is the secret to a happy, long, life.

News, events and opportunities

An evening with Shirley Ballas: You know her as head judge on Strictly but she’s also published her debut novel ‘Murder on the dancefloor’, touted as the the first novel in The Sequin Mysteries series and based in of course - Blackpool. You can catch her at Oh Me, Oh My, 25 Water Street, Liverpool on Wednesday November 22 at 7pm.

Freelance opportunities with Alma/The Lead: The project is looking for freelance journalists in the north of England for a new project. They are particularly interested in hearing from journalists with experience of or an interest in writing about climate and the environment, housing and regeneration, education and work, health, care and wellbeing, equality and race. Email ed@almaonline.co.uk

The Bath Children’s Novel Award: A £3,000 international prize for emerging writers of children’s novels, YA novels, chapter books and picture book texts. 2023 submissions are invited funtil 30th November with this year’s longlist announced mid December 2023.

The Borgen Project: This is a non-profit organisation seeking to eradicate poverty and hunger. It’s seeking students in their final or penultimate year of study to take part in their text and photojournalism internship to develop their skills for a career in journalism. Articles submitted will appear on BORGEN Magazine or The Borgen Project Blog. Look for their vacancies via LinkedIn - search The Borgen Project.

Thanks as always, next week I’ll share book progress and my trip to watch Strictly filmed at Blackpool!! Have a lovely week and don’t forget to share this newsletter! N x