2020 has been a crappy year for most people in one way or another, but it’s also been a year that’s given us a heck of a lot of time stuck inside. I don’t know about you, but this means that I got a ton of reading done during lockdown, and despite 2020 bringing a lot of shittyness, it DID bring some fabulous books into my life that i am super grateful for! So without further ado, i present my top 5 countdown reads of 2020!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, well according to Andy Williams anyhow, and one of my favourite traditions around the holidays is snuggling in on a chilly evening with some hot chocolate, my oodie, and some of my favourite childhood classics. I don’t know what it is about some of these books, but they make me feel like i’m relaxing into a hot bath at the end of a long day. Not only that, but some of these books most definitely made me into the writer i am today, so attention must be paid.

Here are my top 5 childrens classic rereads for adults!

Discover this never before seen Epilogue addition to Vexed- A Tidal Kiss Novella <3

I have this issue with my author career and general life called chronic pain, so I thought I’d start doing these little update posts because so many people ask me how I juggle my health, writing, and running my author business without having some kind of mental/physical breakdown. The truth is, it’s not easy, and more often than not I DO end up having some kind of breakdown. November 2020 has been a prime example of this, with me having to be benched from author work for two whole weeks due to some serious health problems (I mean what else do you call over thirty shoulder dislocations in 2 weeks?). It’s frustrating as all hell, especially if you ask Mark, who will tell you I’m a total and complete nightmare when I can’t work. So, I thought I’d fill you guys in on what I’ve been doing for the last two weeks (besides pulling my goddamn hair out- it’s super long now too by the way and I need a haircut so bad- thank you lockdown!) So uh, without further rambling ado, I present… my life lately.

Discover the 10 Baby Yoda Memes that describe my 2020 !

I just want to start off by saying that this series has been undoubtedly my favourite of 2020, and I’ve read A LOT of books this year. (Thank you lockdown… at least you were good for my TBR if nothing else.) I haven’t read very many books based in Russian culture, an exeption being The Witches of St. Petersburg by Imogen Edward-Jones- a book which I also loved by the way.

When I was writing The Ashen Touch Trilogy, I realized very early on that I was dealing with the part of the Infiniverse most entrenched in imagery and myth. The use of imagery during The Ashen Touch Trilogy is what makes it not only one of my most complex works, but also my most contrasting. The imagery of classic myth, epic battles, and life or death choices are set against a heady mix of tunes ranging from The Beegees to Marvin Gaye, with a side helping of Candy Crush and The Furies wondering what the fuck to make of a Chicken McNugget. All in all, bringing classical and religious imagery into this series was essential, but also refreshing as I got to make it my own.

I thought, given the importance of the imagery throughout Sephy’s story, as well as the fact I did a crap ton of research going into this series, that I would explore some of the images and themes in the story, how I attached or subverted them when it came to particular scenes or characters, and how I decided to twist or use classic imagery to my storytelling advantage.

It’s no secret that I read A LOT, but what’s surprised me this year is how I’ve sort of fallen in love with horror. I’m not a huge horror movie fan, so the fact that I love the genre is a bit of an oddity. Perhaps then, the reason I’ve gotten into all things spooky, supernatural, and horror when it comes to fiction has something to do with the fact that I’ve been treated to some incredible books this year!

So, without further ado, here are just a few of my favourites!

Every year on my birthday Mark takes me into Norwich to our local Waterstones to go book shopping. This year, I had a lot of books I wanted to check out, but there was one series in particular I knew I just had to walk away with, and that series was The Wayfarers Series by Becky Chambers.

I’m writing this letter because recently I’ve realised that despite having you in my life for the last five years, there’s still a lot of things I haven’t managed to let go of from before you came. I never expected you to come into my life, and when you did, I was in no way prepared…

Take a sneak peek at what Kristy Nicolle is cooking up for Violet Dawn- Book Two of The Aetherial Embrace Trilogy- in this never before seen excerpt from Genevieve.

One of the best parts of my new schedule, in my opinion, is my evening routine, which has managed to seriously increase the amount of sleep i’m getting as well as the quality. Everyday still isn’t perfect of course, but i’m finding that waking up is alot less of a challenge than it used to be, so i thought i’d share my routine, and the products that make it so amazing, with you!

I’m one of those readers who will read pretty much any genre. However, having said this, i do go on binges of certain genres quite often. For example i won’t touch a crime thriller novel for like five months and then i’ll read twelve in two weeks. This fall i’ve found myself binging thrillers, but not just any kind, YA thrillers to be exact. I’ve never really read the genre before, but i’ve become obsessed ever since rewatching 13 reasons why in preparation for season 4. (I still haven’t found the mental steel to binge that yet… i mean everyone i know who has watched has been reduced to tears so i’m putting it off…) Anyway, i’ve become a bit obsessed lately with the high school kids caught up in a brutal murder type scene, so i wanted to share some incredible reads i binged with you!

When my bestie Leeah sent me the trailer for Ratched, I had absolutely no idea who Nurse Ratched was. I had never read One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest by Ken Kesey, and I’m so glad that I rectified this before the Netflix original series Ratched launched on the 18th of September. I read through the novel in around three days and found the narrative structure as well as the setting highly compelling.

I also immediately realised why the conception of Ratched as a prequel to the novel was a stroke of genius. Mildred Ratched is an anomalous character, and in the same time period of the smiling 1950’s housewife, we find a woman who not only takes no shit and isn’t afraid to lie, scheme, and manipulate to get what she feels is justice, but a woman who has been traumatised by the recent passing of the second world war, as well as a dark childhood.

I feel like this series has too many merits for words honestly, so instead of gushing on for paragraphs, I’m going to give you a short and sharp five point list on why you should make this your next Netflix binge obsession!

Prompt my pen is a super fun feature I run whereby my reader group THE INFINIVERSE EXPLORERS suggest visual prompts and i pick my favourite to write a flash fiction, poem, or short story each week.

This week’s poem is about the intense need to create felt by many writers..

Prompt my pen is a super fun feature I run whereby my reader group THE TIDAL TELLTAILS suggest visual prompts and i pick my favourite to write a flash fiction, poem, or short story each week.

This week’s poem is about the many masks women wear.

Prompt my pen is a super fun feature I run whereby my reader group THE TIDAL TELLTAILS suggest visual prompts and i pick my favourite to write a flash fiction, poem, or short story each week.

This week’s flash fiction was inspired not only by the visual prompt provided by Jeanette Nicholson, but also by my new appreciation for the natural world whilst undergoing quarantine.

Prompt my pen is a super fun feature I run whereby my reader group THE TIDAL TELLTAILS suggest visual prompts and i pick my favourite to write a flash fiction, poem, or short story each week.

This week’s poem gives us an insight into the best friend of Azreal, Angel of Death.

Prompt my pen is a super fun feature I run whereby my reader group THE TIDAL TELLTAILS suggest visual prompts and i pick my favourite to write a flash fiction, poem, or short story each week.

This week’s flash fiction revolves around a young girl who finally finds her freedom after being abducted.

Prompt my pen is a super fun feature I run whereby my reader group THE TIDAL TELLTAILS suggest visual prompts and i pick my favourite to write a flash fiction, poem, or short story each week.

This Week’s Flash Fiction takes a look at the possibility of werewolves on Jupiter!