2024 has been a lot
From Spice Girls to Strictly, Parliament to Podcasts, Rejection and Re-booting, Travel and Tornadoes- 2024 has given drama
My dear wordsmiths,
Welcome to the last Write Reject Repeat of 2024 and let’s raise a glass to surviving and thriving. We’ve written, we’ve bounced back from rejection and we have repeated all that many times as we chase our ambitions and dreams as writers and journalists in difficult industry conditions. This is our annual reminder that life is the journey -not the destination - so let’s go messily, hopefully, forth together. Probably with some rewrites.
Here’s some highlights of 2024, drama and all!
Launch of Booky Podcast
It was my dream to launch an author interview podcast and luckily I have the support of National World for Booky -including fabulous award-winning podcast producer Kelly Crichton. We chatted to some great authors, who shared their stories and wise advice for authors, including some literary legends. You can listen via your favourite podcast provider.
Now, you may have gathered that in between submitting my novel to agents for rejection (insert smiling laughing face with a teardrop:- ) I work a more than full-time time job as a journalism leader in the regional news sector. This mainly involves me sitting hunched at my desk and pulling my hair out. But I am the queen of side projects with my travel writer and radio presenter hats on and it is those which have created drama on the regular .
How can I forget that time I visited Chicago and got stuck in not one but two tornado alerts, the second of which was in the glass confines of the gate at O’Hare airport..
Then there was my trip to the Maldives where I not only had dinner with sharks but accidentally caught one on my line while fishing on a boat - it took two men and 20 minutes to free it. (unharmed)
Then there was the ski trip where I fell down a mountain in zero visibility conditions and ended up on the back of a Skidoo which was scarier than the accident itself.
I also started a new radio show - my third after my stintys at community radio Chorley FC) and then the BBC (BBC Radio Lancashire)... You can listen every Sunday at Central Radio (North West) from 7-9pm (UK time) where my speciality is cheesy tunes to cheer you up.. and books obviously. I enjoyed drawing back the veil of making a radio show through this newsletter.
And some of the more difficult issues facing journalism came up.. including
And not forgetting - books and writing moments that may not have included a books deal but it was great to meet other authors and talk writing. Including
And I added a spoken edition! On a side note, congratulations to Chris and Dianne - Strictly Come Dancing champions. Well deserved!
Happy New Year to all, thanks to all those who have offered continual support through my Write Reject Repeat journey. Sending support right back - and let me know if I have failed to follow your Substack. I’m still working it all out! Nx