life of a street dancer

We are on week 2 of lockdown in London. Hoping everyone is doing okay! I work remotely so not much has changed for me. Walking down the road is a trip. It's literally a ghost town and finding toilet roll and pasta is like stumbling across a pot of gold. I miss seeing my mates, church and driving! I literally volunteer to go to the shops just so I can drive! The lockdown had to happen though. When I was driving to the shop I could see bare people in the park just laying down, sunbathing and me and everyone in the cars were just staring at them like wtf?! But despite all the crap the lockdown has made me very appreciative of my health, my family, that I have a garden to all least go for run in without people breathing on me. I am bored enough that I'm messing about with filters on Instagram. My uncle and cousins have natural blue eyes so it's defo my mum that ruined the gene. The publishing world is slowly closing down and loads of books are being delayed. We haven...

Good news! Remember in my last blog I had two parking fines? And one went up because they claimed I never paid but I did? So I called up to pay over the phone and the payment literally was pending in my account for a week—basically the council couldn't be bothered to take out the money. So now I'm really annoyed as this is the second time I tried to pay for this damn parking. I called up, spoke to this lovely girl who asks me when I got the letters. Turns out I didn't have my full days to pay so they lowered it back down to £65. I will take £65 over £130 anyway so was happy with that! And the good news keeps on rolling! I literally had the worst start to the year. It felt like every day there was something crap happening to the point I wanted to quit my own company (I know!) and just doing something not publishing related. I kept praying about it and I felt in my soul everything was going to work out but you know when you're just like WHEN??? Well my book is in the f...

I'm late to the party but HAPPY NEW YEAR!! My start to the year has been up and down but working through the downs so they have become ups (if that makes sense). There is something so annoying about January. I think I've had one good January where everything just went smoothly. Yeah I would love those times to come back. Started of the New Year with not one but two parking fines. I just can't with this. One of them you can't even see my car and they're like it's defo you. How?? And then the other one literally suspended my entire road so then I had to park up the road. The next day or maybe the day after they suspended that road and gave me a fine. I said they should have said days prior that the road was going to be suspended and given warning. They claimed they did. THEY DIDN'T. So then I paid the stupid fine and then got a letter the other say saying I didn't pay it. I am so over these idiots. I feel like this year everyone has the mentality of s...

Happy New Year! I felt like the heatwave went on forever and then suddenly we're at New Years Eve. This year has been full of surprises -  good and bad but God is so good that all the bad ended up working in my favour. I feel like last year taught me loads about myself but this year taught me about business.  I have hired and fired, I have a lawsuit against someone, Hashtag Press turned two but with that came lots of bumps that had me and Helen like WTF?! But we overcame it all. Emily Knight I am...Awakened literally blew my mind with the awards - Carnegie, London's Big Read, The People's Book Prize. I got nominated for a Black British Business Award. I didn't end up signing Beats with any of the publishing houses. If it's not a big house it makes no sense for me to sign as I have my own one. I started on a new fantasy series that I am obsessed with and Emily Knight I am...Becoming is out in 2020. I spoke to producers and I finally understand this whole film adapti...

Next week we will be in 2020. How crazy is that? I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Mine was good. I got stuck doing the cooking again! But there was no arguing so a success! It's always so strange that gap between Christmas and New Years because I feel like there's all this stuff I want to do before the year is up and yet just chilling out has been the best. This break has been so overdue and I am really loving just moving at this glacier speed. I told myself I would have finished my new book by the end of the year...yeah I love how ambitious I am! I haven't worked on it since I've had my break. I just clocked this morning that my third book is out in just over 9 months. Why that gives me anxiety I have no idea! I am debating whether to have a book launch party. I just don't know if I can be asked to organise it. Next year is already looking full on. Grrrr I just need another me really. I was thinking about my highlights for the year and one of them was de...

It is so freakin' cold! My feet are literally frozen even when I'm in my house. As soon as the heating goes off, I feel like they're ice blocks. Well guys we're almost at the end of the year. The end of a decade. I swear if I told myself back in 2010 that this is what would happen to my life I legit would have said, “Are you on crack?” But look at God! And I can't wait for next year. My third book is coming out and I just can't wait to hold it. I was doing some more edits on it yesterday and I am determined to get through it before the year is up. In preparation for book 3 I was thinking about the original Emily book and I decided it's time to let that go. I adore my first cover by Giles but the second edition is the one I need to focus on, plus I was still using the ebook from the original. I'm so grateful for that book cause that literally started everything but it just makes more sense for it to be under Hashtag. An ebook for book 1 will be availab...

It's officially winter time! Hello fur coat and scarves. I actually like this weather when it's crisp and the sky is clear and I was those annoying people moaning about the heat so I figured I should just enjoy the cold! This month was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and of course Black History Month! I did my annual post of the books that I have at home with a black main character written by a black author for children/YA and it has grown! There is way more to get but my to read pile is actually a joke right now. Actually my submission pile is a myth right now. I am literally whizzing through to make sure I don't miss any gems and I am reading a manuscript now for Hashtag BLAK and am really into it. Fingers crossed Helen feels the same! Our book Ticking off Breast Cancer by Sara Liyanage became a bestseller on Amazon and Waterstones!!!!!! I am so so happy for her and I think this is our 4th bestseller so I am well chuffed for our little pub house. We took part in #...