Skip to main content

Hello...it's been a while


Hello...it's been a while. I found it hard to write in this blog because this is almost like an online diary. It's way more personal to me than social media. As you may have heard my dad passed away in January very suddenly with no illness. Yes very random. It's been almost like a rollercoaster of emotions and just all the stuff you have to do when someone passes on. No one tells you about that. Then burying someone in another faith was alot but it was beautiful and Dad would be proud. I don't think I've had a moment to just sit down since it all happened and I'm still dealing with the admin work. I'm so private so sharing the news on social media was not my idea. My mum wanted me to because my dad knew so many people and she wanted to make sure they knew and also could get in touch about the Zoom. 

My dad lived in amazing life and achieved everything he wanted to. It's still weird like it will hit me sometimes and I'll randomly say, “I can't believe my dad is gone.” It's the weirdest thing ever. I'm so thankful that my family is so close, my extended family have been brilliant as well as my dad's friends. I have the best group of friends around me and without them I think I would have just stayed in my room and switched off. The outpouring of love was on another level and his Zoom remembrance was at 100 people capacity so quickly that we had loads of people complaining that they couldn't get in. I knew Dad was popular but damn he was popular. I feel like I see life differently now but I mean that in a good way. I'm way more focused on the things that count and the people that actually mean something to me. Sometimes in life you keep relationships going just because but a death puts every single thing into perspective.

I've cut of people I've known for years. Some of them never reached out, sent a very standard here for you message but not actually being there  like I'm really going to feel led to call them with that lack of effort or one of the worst is going around putting on a performance about how sorry they are this happened...but telling everyone but me. Yeah humans are the worst. Overall we're doing okay, just taking it day by day and I'm allowing myself to feel however I want to feel. It's a process.

What's weird when someone passes on is the world still keeps going. Things still need to be done and in my case opportunities were rolling in. For a few weeks it was like I couldn't even think and simple decisions were just so hard for me. I had to make a choice. I could say no to everything because of how I felt right now or I can take the opportunities and deal with them when they come. I chose the latter and I'm so glad I did. I won't lie I can't remember everything because some weeks are just a blur but here are a few things that have happened this year. 

 -  I have a book deal with Farshore, an imprint of HarperCollins. 12 year old me is screaming! It's a really fun anthology full of diverse middle-grade authors called The Very Merry Murder Club and it's out this October. This such a dream but I almost said no to the deal because I just couldn't think at that time. Thankfully I just went with it and I'm so glad that I did. Writing this story helped me get out of the fog that I was in.

I'm working on a few projects which is keeping me busy which I need and will share once everything is confirmed.

I'm nominated for We Are The City Rising Star 2021 and I'm part of their #ChooseToChallenge campaign alongside some AMAZING women

I was part of a World Book Day Campaign on YouTube.

Emily Knight I am...Becoming was chosen for Book Clubs In Schools.

We started up a book box! That Playlist Book Box will feature the best diverse book with a playlist to go with it www.thatplaylistbookbox.com  

Work wise everything is going really well. More busy than ever but right now I need that distraction. It's been a lot this year but just keeping my head down and making things happen. I want to try and get back to my monthly posting because I love reading over my blogs and seeing my journey but bare with me x

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

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

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

My meal was £22 and it was so small I ate it in 3 mouthfuls.

Happy World Afro Day! I had no idea this was even a day so yes for us! How gorgeous is this? I can't remember what country it's in but I saw it some weeks ago on Twitter. Getting into the swing of writing these blogs is harder than I thought. I'm not sure why I'm finding it tricky to stay on top of it and I know I'll regret it especially when I read back over it at the end of the year.  I turned another year older and despite it being a year that is turning out to be unpredictable I'm thankful that I'm here to see another birthday. It's always hard planning what to do, something that I know won't cost an arm and a leg. In the end I spent it eating lol. Helen and I went to this amazing Creole restaurant, literally a hidden gem that had the most amazing food and drinks that were even too strong for Helen!  I have no idea why it rained on my birthday! In the middle of summer!! Honestly sometimes I can't deal with this country. Then I got changed for