life of a street dancer

Spring is finally here. I got to leave the house today to finally watch Captain Marvel (how cute was that Stan Lee tribute?) and I didn't have a scarf or my fur on! It's been a very full on month. I finished my forth book!! AHHHHH!! When I typed the last sentence on my third Emily Knight book, I burst out crying and then I started dancing. Writing a book is so damn long. This has taken me over a year and sure right now it's un-printable but in a few months, it's going to be ready. I truly hate the editing process and the re-writes so pray for me. In a few weeks I'm going to start on my fifth novel. Can you believe that? Fifth! It's a book I started a few years ago but I don't know whether to make it YA or Middle-Grade. With the submissions of Beats, all these editors are like where's Abi's MG novels? I just can't with publishing. You write MG then they want YA as there isn't enough but now there's too much. Over it. I do so much better...

So my friends are trying to get me to join a dating app. There are several reasons why I don't want to do it. 1. I don't have any issues meeting guys but I haven't met the right guy and will they be on Tinder? Meh 2. I feel like I would get caught up talking to different people and will lose track of who's who 3. I don't have space for another app on my phone I am a little bit intrigued about Bumble as I like the fact that the ladies are in charge but everyone I know that has used a dating app, I don't feel like great things have happened for them. Maybe one day when I'm drunk or bored I'll try it and see. Actually maybe not when I'm bored cause that's when I do dumb things. I got to film for Egmont Publishing! How cool right? Hilary who runs their publicity reached out to me and wanted me to do a short video about tips for their authors. Very cool. I feel like every author is part of a members club. I didn't even know there were so ...

If you are reading this that means that you survived January! CONGRATULATIONS!!! Isn't it just the worst month? It's dark, cold, everyone is broke and it drags on for years. Even those born in January are annoyed because no-one can celebrate with them. So glad it's over! I started 2019 with visuals from Chocolate City Comics. Isn't the Osaki Training School beautiful? Found out some months afterwards that the company is ran by a scam artist who I had to sue BUT the artwork is lovely! Silver lining and all that. I am about five chapters away from the end of Emily Knight 3. I have no idea why it is taking me so long to do but it is driving me slightly insane. I hate when you know how close you are to the end but yet you are not at the end!!  I went to Waterstones and saw my book on the shelf and one of the staff asked me to sign it. I was so cool but inside I was like AAAAHHH!!  We ran our first event for The Author School and did a #Bookstagram cla...

So we made it! Praise be to God as so many people didn't. What an amazing year it's been. I can say hand on heart that this has been the best year of my life. Every month something significant happened. I knew that this year would be all about my career and God really showed up. The Author School grew and we did more events and one-to-ones. Hashtag Press turned 1 years old and we've published our 10th book. Yay! At The Lil' Author Skool, we published The Originals and found our next bunch of young writers to be published next year. The Lil' Author Skool is my passion project but it's done so well with very little put into it so next year I'm going to run it how I run my businesses and I want to see how big it can get. Emily Knight I am...Awakened has done so good and is nominated for 2 book awards. My third book, Beats, Love and high top trainers has 7 publishers interested (well now 6 as one couldn't deal with all the black girl magic. Ha!). My career ...

Can you believe Christmas is almost here? This year has seriously blown by. I feel like I was just in Wakanda for my birthday literally the other day. So one of the exciting things I wanted to mention in my last blog is...my book is shortlisted for London's Big Read 2019! Emily Knight I am...Awakened has been doing so well and now it's up against 14 books and it's up to the public to vote for their fav book. Voting starts World Book Day 2019. We had the launch party for it, with the other authors, family, friends and press. I had to do some interviews and I got to go on London Live to talk about my book! I have no idea why I thought London Live was radio and not live TV. All Helen told me was not to be late. I totally forgot that I had my first BookBrunch committee meeting but thankfully they were fine with me missing this one. Of course this was the day when there was diversions and cancelled trains. I had to be there at 5 and the building was next to the station. At 4....

                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 agen...

It's Black History Month and it is freezing cold. I ordered my fur coat ASAP. I was so lucky that my cousin hooked me up with a weekend packed with The Hate U Give. I read THUG last year. I remember seeing it in Waterstones and picking it up because I saw a picture of a black girl on the cover. When I read the title I was like, didn't Tupac say this? I then read the blurb and literally was in shock that this Black Lives Matter book was in Waterstones ( as it should be but it's not something you see every day). I sat down and read it up to Khalil and the policeman. I couldn't get over the fact that this book had been published by a big publishing house. I brought it straight away and finished reading it the next day. It is one of my favourite books so when Toyin told me she was working the BFI London Fim Festival and THUG was going to be shown and did I want to see an exclusive screening, all I could say was Girl!!!!!! Then she upped it by getting me tickets to hear Ang...