Emily Knight I am...Awakened is nominated for a Carnegie Medal! AHHHHHH!! Do you know what's so crazy? The Saturday before I got the email, I was feeling so low. I just felt like I wanted more and was writing down ideas for things I could do to build my brand etc and trying to find time that I don't have to do more. Then the Monday comes and I got an email saying I've been nominated. It's such an amazing feeling to have my Emily alongside some of my fav authors and books. Our little pub house hanging with the big dogs! Being nominated has definitely opened up more doors for me, I even had a massive literary agent from NYC approach me. I'm signed already but it was extremely flattering. Now my dance book is making the rounds and when I found out how many publishers have shown interest. At first I was like girl you're lying, is this real? But then later that evening it hit me and I just started crying. Then I got foreign rights agents emailing Hashtag for my book. Ya'll know how I have hustled in this business to learn everything myself and to just create my own doors so I can walk through it. God has been so faithful and I just felt so overwhelmed with a hint of it's about time!
There's been lots of cool things happening that I can't go into in the blog (just yet) but I swear being consistent is the key. No matter how hard it is or how many people don't want to help you, when Jesus say yes. nobody can say no! People talk about getting a seat at the table, I'm going to buy the whole building.
I got asked to speak at the SYP Autumn Conference. Our panel was called How to be a Slashie, which is basically someone who wears a bazillion hats like moi. It was really fun! I couldn't believe they had 250 people in attendance. I actually love doing panels. I really like sharing how I got to where I am and I never realise the impact of my testimony until people come up after me and then I'm like wow! The only issue with the conference was that it was the same day Spice Girls tickets were coming out. I was up ready to go with bare screens up and Aleta was doing the same. Why was Ticketmaster kicking us out of the cue? I got kicked out at least 5 times and when I finally got in, I couldn't get ANY TICKETS! But I knew I was going to get them. I get these feelings where I just know something is going to happen and it does. I can't explain it but I knew without a doubt I would get tickets. Aleta at this point is over it and was looking at holiday flights! I had to get ready to go SYP so I was refreshing my page on the bus, when I got out of the station, before the panel started - basically everyone who came to watch our panel knew I was trying to get tickets. No luck. I went to a panel talk after my one and thought let me just try again and your girl got tickets! Good tickets! So basically I already got tickets prior to the release ;) but I wanted to get some for Aleta. In the end, she couldn't take them so Helen is now the proud owner of x2 Spice Girls tickets. I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Author School was amazing as usual. The speakers were so on point and I think this was the best bunch of authors we've had attend! We've got so many events planned for next year and we have An afternoon with The Author School on January 21st. We are doing a new class there called #Bookstagram and I'm so excited for it. Bookstagram is a huge book community on Instagram and bloggers take the prettiest pics. I've been getting better at it! I met blogger Kristina at SYP and she wanted to get involved with The Author School. Her Bookstagram pics are gorgeous (I mean look at it) so it only made sense she comes and teaches us how to make our pages look equally as gorgeous. We are also covering the best publishing routes and how to submit a submission to an agent, write an AI and more. Tickets are only £18 till Cyber Monday before they go back to £45 and are selling fast, so grab a ticket at www.theauthorschool.com
At Hashtag Press, all paperbacks are £4 and ebooks 99p till Cyber Monday www.hashtagpress.co.uk At The Author School we announced Hashtag Press 2020! One lucky author is going to get a traditional deal from us! Yay! Info at the bottom of the blog.
I swear I was food poisoned. I was at this meeting space and ordered food and maybe 10 min later I felt so nauseous. That night I had the worst stomach craps and then the next day I thought I was going to throw up all day. I was so pissed off because I was going to In Conversation with John Boyega and was wearing the tightest jeans. After dance I tried to find a H&M but I'm in Chelsea and there are no H&M's and even leggings cost £110 so I braved it and went to Oxford St. Omg it was so packed. I was literally elbowing people out of the way. H&M was rammed with school kids and I couldn't find anything! Thank God this sales assistant had the perfect trousers that she had hid for herself lol. I brought them and changed and felt like I could breath.
I had a feeling that John Boyega was going to tweet me and he did! I went to his talk at Google Curiosity Room with Femi Oguns and I swear it was like looking at me and Helen. We are literally all the same person. I love their relationship. Femi said something that really stuck with me about waiting on Star Wars and that it was worth it because it was about making history. I just thought you are really speaking my language and I loved when John said that the most successful people have a partner and I thought this is me and Helen. He is such an inspiring person. I swear nothing is more attractive than a creative, bossed up man that loves God. I tweeted about the event and referenced Helen and Helen messaged me saying, “OMG HE RESPONDED!” I had a split moment where I thought should I shoot my shot lol then I realised I'll have a face to face convo with him. You know that feeling thing I said I have earlier, that's what I have. Try and head down to the space at Google. They have a slide!
I wish I could bottle this feeling. Just feeling so thankful to God for my life and for taking this young girl from Hackney and making her something. For joining me with Helen at a time when I just wanted to feel like someone had my back in this alien publishing industry and now we do everything together lol and I just love her so much. I couldn't have asked for a better business partner, PR- everything! I swear when we get our matching yachts, I'll let her pick where we should sail it.
R.I.P Stan Lee. I was so sad to hear that he passed. X-Men changed my life. I wouldn't have written Emily. Thank you Stan for making me feel like I can be super! This pic mad me want to cry
I am so sick of tax! Where can I go so I don't have to pay it? It's like I'm being punished for levelling up like just let me live my life!!!!!!!
The Lion King. How epic does the live action look? The only thing is I don't really want to see Mufasa die with that much definition. I'm probably the only person that never cried when he died but I feel like I will this time. How can someone say Beyonce better come right, because Nala is not from Texas. I am so done with Black Twitter!
Emily Knight books £3.99 via a-bello.
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