Rejection latest, genre confusion & remembering the 'why' in journalism

Latest: US author Attica Locke in Manchester, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Community Radio Awards, Parched Pea Pod latest episode & more

My dear wordsmiths,

I hope you are all well and enjoying summer - if you are a writer-ish Substacker and up for a mutual recommendation drop me a line!

To my new subscribers - hello and thanks! You can expect a bloggish, oversharing, writing and journalism diary with added news and opportunities written from the heart of the northern English countryside. I’m Nicola, a senior editor working across a regional news organisation by day - and querying writer by night. Plus, I do a little radio presenting at the weekends..

Just in case..

So, this week I received my highly anticipated rejection from the Bath Novel awards. I’d hoped for at least an award for the novel submitted at the last possible second of the submission window but no, it’s back to the drawing board. If I’m in honest I have hardly sent my novel out into the world at all - a handful of agents if that - and I don’t usually enter competitions at all. Being rejected from a field of 2,901 (stats: Bath Novel Awards) exactly seemed inevitable.

Part of the problem with my manuscript is I don’t really know how to label it genre-wise. The world of publishing seems terribly siloed into these genres and faced with a drop down list and forced to choose, I am left baffled beyond comprehension. So I’ve told myself my next novel must be set in a genre - as if I don’t know which table it should sit on at Waterstones, should I even bother?

What I need is a confidence boost and some advice. If you know where I should sit a dual timeline novel (present day/WW2), with some historical fiction, book club issues modern day themes (child loss/family/guilt) with an ultimately UpLit story and a hint of romance - answers on a postcard! The stories and the strong characters led me in - and one of those characters is Chatsworth House in Derbyshire here and then - hence a very strong sense of place. It’s a story I needed to tell - rather than written for genre - but it’s left me in a pickle. All advice welcomed!

A tribute to Malcolm

There’s a lot going on in local journalism and an awful lot of noise, change and competing egos and opinions. It’s useful to remember sometimes why we do the job and what is at the heart of it - community. So this week when I heard of the death of a real community stalwart in the Lancashire market town of Chorley (England) - Malcolm Allen , it reminded me too. Many years ago and the week before I started my then role as editor of the Chorley and Leyland Guardian (my first newspaper editorship so I was nervous!), I walked around Chorley and met quite a few shopkeepers and local people. When I popped into Malcolm’s Musicland, he gave me a shop tour, teased me my about my music taste and pointed me toward the friendliest shopkeepers. He was always at the end of the phone from then on and an endless source of advice and musical knowledge. A real loss to Chorley and at the heart of the community. RIP Malcolm and thankyou. You can read more about him here, via lep.co.uk

News, events and opportunities

JOURNALISM/PODCAST: New Parched Pea Pod episode out now

Talking of local journalism - here is is personified in local podcast form. Sipping a brew and speaking to those who served in the Armed Forces is where we spend the latest episode of the Parched Pea Podcast in Preston, Lancashire. John 'Gilly' Gillmore takes the microphone along to the Sandbags café where he meets Jack Kendall - the man who holds the standard for all the military events in the city. We also hear from Colonel David Waters, born and bred in the city, who is one of the driving forces behind establishing the community café. Gilly also chats with Reverend David Craven about the use of the church in hosting the café and the wider work they do in supporting the city’s homeless community too,

The Parched Pea Podcast is a collaboration between Blog Preston, Lancashire Post and Central Radio with Gilly exploring the people and places which make the city tick and is available on Spotify, Apple and all other major podcast apps via Podfollow.

BOOKS: Crime writer Attica Locke in Manchester

American crime writer Attica Locke is coming to Manchester on July 16 for a rare UK event. In Guide Me Home, the latest of her gripping, politically charged crime novels, Texas Ranger Darren Matthews is in trouble: he might be about to stand trial in front of a Grand Jury; his difficult and destructive mother is back in his life, and a young Black woman from an all-white sorority appears to be missing, although her sorority sisters and her family deny she has disappeared. With his job, relationship and possibly his life on the line, Darren is forced to grapple with the realities of living in Trump’s America. The event takes place at Manchester Central Library from 7-8.15pm and is presented by Manchester Literature Festival. Tickets are £10/£8. You can book HERE Also, Read the Manchester Literature Festival festival autumn/winter brochure HERE

JOURNALISM: Press Gazette tracks cuts in journalism.

Worth a read, if a depressing one. The Press Gazette has pledged to track all 2025 journalism cuts. In 2024, according to it’s analysis, there were around 4,000 journalism industry job losses in the UK and US. Now it is detailing them one by one which paints a bleak picture, if perhaps not a full picture, as it does not include the creativity and innovation and culture changes which are creating new jobs amid a changing industry. Read Press Gazette here.

RADIO: Community radio awards:

Now open for entries, The Community Radio Awards have been setup to celebrate community radio and all the hard work and time that the volunteers involved in community radio put into their stations, shows and communities. The awards are a judge led process, with judges drawn from the community radio sector, academics, other radio / associated areas and the 3rd sector. The awards are run not for profit completely independent of any organisation or association. Its being run by a team of volunteers with experience of radio in all forms and sectors from Student, Community to the BBC and Commercial. More information here.

BOOKS: Edinburgh International Book Festival

Next month (August) the behemoth that is Edinburgh International Book Festival begins. Now organisers have revealed the event will feature a documentary inside the life of Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh. The festival runs from August 14 to 20, and will close with the world premiere of Paul Sng’s immersive documentary Reality Is Not Enough centred around Welsh. The documentary is said to be a thrilling and revealing exploration of author Welsh, following his huge success with several film adaptations and six million books sold worldwide, and his awareness of mortality. Welsh, who stars in the film, will be seen taking a wild journey that is said to explore the boundaries of consciousness. The autobiographical film combines intimate observational footage, rare archive film clips and readings from his novels narrated by screen stars Liam Neeson, Maxine Peake, Ruth Negga and Stephen Graham, and musician Nick Cave. You can read more on the book festival here.

BOOKS: Dorothy Koomson sets her latest book in Brighton.

Fabulous author Dorothy was kind enough to come on my Booky podcast so I’m repaying the favour. Her latest in based in Brighton - where she lives! Here via BBC

Say hello

I’m on Linked In HERE

I present a show on Central Radio North West on Sundays 7-9PM UK time

I’m on Tik Tok here( where I don’t take myself too seriously ;-)

Get in touch if you want me to promote your book or event on here - I’m here for the writing and journalism community..

Many thanks as always if you have read this far. I massively appreciate you all and I’m happy to share and recommend. Happy writing Nx