Bedtime stories when you’re all ‘touched out’
We’ve all seen the images, a sleepy child curled up on the lap of their adoring parent sharing a bedtime story. This is a common image that is shared in parenting circles to promote the benefits of bedtime stories and how wonderful it is. Even the other day, I heard a...
Reading Nook – why not to have one
This may seem like a controversial opinion, but hear me out. It may be every readers dream to have a cosy reading nook, and I often see advice to get kids reading is to create a reading nook... however, especially if you have autistic and/or ADHD kids who take things...
Navigating the library with AuDHD
I love libraries; however they can sometimes be overwhelming places, especially for autistic & ADHD people. There are so many books, sometimes it can be hard to know where to start. Sensory overload is real, and all those shelves of books, while they fill me with...
There is no single way to write a book
'There is no single way to write a book. Anyone that says different is trying to sell you something.' With apologies to The Princess Bride for butchering their quote... This is something I come up against a lot in writers' groups, kids who think they can't write a...
What I’ve Read – May 2024
Welcome to a brand-new month. May ended up being a busy time with most of my reading being audiobooks and picture books. I also won a Mother's Day competition from Walker Books, so most of my picture book reads were the amazing books that I won. Here are the books...
Hundreds of stories
I often joke that I have hundreds of stories on the go. Most of them are stories I've written in writers' groups, most since they went online in 2020. This weekend, I've been sorting through stories that I've typed up. This is what I found: 90 short stories 47 book...
Fiction can change lives…
Did you know that fiction can change lives? By seeing themselves in stories, a person can feel less alone. By reading about situations they may find themselves in, a person can feel seen. By reading about history, people can learn about the world around them. By...
Share Your Story – through fiction
Sometimes, you may want to share your story, but are not wanting to write a memoir for a variety of reasons. One way you can share your story, or parts of your story, is through fiction. My first book, Swallow Me, NOW!, was inspired by true events. When I was a child,...
Want to change the world? Write a story
Yesterday, I was talking with someone and I said that 'If you want to change the world, write a story'. This was in the context of autism advocacy and I used examples of Paws by Kate Foster among other books that show autistic characters living their lives, rather...
What I’ve Read – April 2024
Where is the year going? I feel like I blink and it's a new month. According to GoodReads, I'm up to 35 books of the 50 I set as a goal at the start of the year. Maybe it's time to increase it? I had thought I hadn't read much during April, then I looked at my list....