2014 - Gosh where to start?

So we've come to the end of another year. It seems to be flying by right? This year has been some amazing highs and low lows. I've had some great opportunities and a lot of situations and people, that are not positive, have gone out of my life and I couldn't be happier. I have never really experienced death before but my Granddad dying was a hard one for the family and then a family friend died as well. Then on top of that a lot of talented people that I looked up to died - Sue Townsend (author), Maya Angelou, Robin Williams, Joan Rivers. I actually had a goal that I would be interviewed by Joan on Fashion Police to play 'Bitch Stole My Look.'
I have had a lot of close calls with publishers. Unfortunately I haven't got the deal yet but it seems a lot of people in the industry are starting to know me which is amazing. I even had a publisher come to a reading and say she came just to see me! Also a publisher is interested in Emily as a trilogy. Let's see if I can fit all my crazy ideas into three books. I have dealt with unprofessional's hiring me for dance. I battled a fox that tried to make a den in my garden and of course my crazy Fergie! But a lot of very cool stuff has happened. Here are my 2014 highlights!

- Walking out of the bar on Jan 1st 2014!
- Making contacts at Harper Collins and Bloomsbury Publishing
- Debbie Moore's (founder of Pineapple Dance) all expense paid meal
- Beyonce Mrs Carter Tour
- Drake Nothing Was The Same Tour
- Justin 20/20 Experience Tour
- Wireless 2014, that was up the road from me! Iggy, Pharrell, Kanye's rant
- Reunited with a love
- Literally PR Summer Party, so many great opportunities for me
- For Books Sake Birthday Party, a boat party on the Thames and being told by a publisher that they came just for me!
- Reviews and interviews
- Emily Knight Warriors: Rose - my first ever pop up book was successful. Defo going to do another
- My surprise birthday at Thorpe Park and Brazilian BBQ with the Samba dancers, all paid for & Amsterdam and exploring the Anne Frank Museum and Red Light District. One of my best bdays
- Taking my first ever cruise
- Finishing Emily Knight 2 and starting on book 3 and a brand new fiction YA book
- Over 11K likes on FB
- The epic rise of Twitter followers after Rose release
- Promotions at work
- Kara's surprise Cabaret
- New Car
- Nivea comp
- Being accepted onto a great scheme (will go into more detail soon)

It's been a great year and even though there have been a lot of challenges, I have been made stronger because of it and wiser. I am so excited for 2015! I have two big ideas for writers and I can't wait to make it a reality. My number one hope is still a publishing deal so I am believing for an amazing one. I hope you all have an amazing New Year. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported me this year. I appreciate it so much. See you next year! xx

I have a new book out!

That's right book 4 is out! This is my first anthology and it's absolutely gorgeous. I was asked to be part of The Very Merry Murder Club maybe a few weeks after my dad and I remember just thinking why is this opportunity coming now?! And it's with Farshore and imprint of HarperCollins. There's no way I can do it. I literally couldn't write. My agent Gemma spoke to me and the editors knew what had happened to me so it was really up to me. I prayed on it and God said to me you're not going to feel this way in October so I said yes. I won't lie I was worried that I really couldn't write this book but thank God for his strength and amazing agent and now it's here! I've been ill all week but I saw loads of pic on social and my copy hasn't come yet so I dragged myself to Waterstones Islington to take pics of the book on the shelves. The booksellers were looking at me like are you going to buy this book. HA! The amazing thing is I have even more ...

In the words of Carrie Bradshaw and just like that I was a YA author

It feels like the right time but this will be my last entry. I know! I've been writing in this blog for TEN YEARS but this year it just felt off. I couldn't pinpoint why that was but the other day I realised I started this blog because I was a dancer who was trying to understand the publishing world. I also was so scared of anyone reading my work hence why I started a blog. Ten years later I have fulfilled my goals! Back in May I had finished my first YA book, a love story based around a Black owned bookshop in Stoke Newington. How I wrote this book when I was heartbroken I have no idea. I vaguely remember sitting on the couch with headphones on playing O Holy Night on repeat at 3am writing. I made my deadline and I wasn't sure if the book was good. My first round of submission for another book had very conflicting feedback and honestly I didn't have it in me to experience that again. I just wanted a deal. Fast forward to September 21st and my book was sent on submissio...

My meeting with an agent

Those of you who have been following this blog from the beginning will know that I've been trying for years to get an agent. Well I have the best news...I HAVE A LITERARY AGENT!!!!!!!! Omg I was in so much shock when they responded and it wasn't the rejection letter I was used too. You're probably wondering how did this happen right? Remember when I went to The London Book Fair? My PR told me to go through the exhibition directory and message all the literary agents for a meeting. Whilst I was doing that, most of them had links to their sites so I figured why not submit for the thousandth time, you never know. The directory is super long so I got bored doing it and Helen (PR) kept emailing 'Have you finished it?' All I can say is thank Jesus that she did that because that's when I submitted to Raimondi and Campbell. I got a response to read the whole of the novel. Now I've been at this position before and it usually ends there, so I sent the book in. Th...

life of a street dancer

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