WRITER & LECTURER
I’ve also been obsessed with assembling the best space-themed outfit I can, ready for my events about The Loneliest Girl in the Universe. Here’s what I’ve got so far:
My video of my June reading just went live:
Books mentioned (all links to Amazon UK):
Wilde like me* | Girlhood* | Other Minds | The Power | The Accidental Life of Jessie Jefferson* | False Lights* | Truth or Dare| The Pearl Thief* | The Book of Dust | Days of Grace*
*books provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review
I’m in the middle of writing a first draft, and to say I’m finding it difficult is an understatement. One of the main reasons is that I find it so hard to actually sit down and write. Here are some tips I’ve learnt for making writing easier, even if you’re not feeling in the right mood.
1. Don’t prioritise admin
At the start of each day, it’s tempting to answer your emails first, which are often easier and quicker than writing. But this puts your brain in a different mindset than the creative zone you need to be in to write. It’ll be harder to switch over when you need to start writing. Often, admin is less urgent than writing anyway. It can wait.
2. Avoid social media
Delete your apps. Log out of your accounts. Don’t let yourself check any social media at all until you’ve achieved your daily work counts. The internet these days can be such a negative space, it’s hard to stay upbeat and write. You have to shut out the rest of the world to get things done, however difficult it is at first.
The only exception for this is probably myWriteClub, which allows you to update your writing total, and follow your friends who are doing the same.
3. Give yourself an outlet for breaks
Whether it’s a walk around the garden, a colouring book by your desk, or just waiting for the kettle to boil for tea, give yourself something to do that takes a set amount of time when you need a break.
I use newsletters for this. When I need a break, I pick one from my inbox and read it. I prefer these to social media because they’re usually a lot more upbeat, contain lots of interesting links, and are a finite length – there’s no way to get sucked into mindless scrolling.
Here are some of my favourite writing-related newsletters:
Misfits & Daydreamers | Snacks in the stacks | Dog Ear Half A Dozen
Getting Clever | Witty Title Here | Zan Romanoff | The Black Cardigan
I subscribe to a lot of these, so if this is your thing, check out my own blog over the next few weeks – I’m going to be posting a full list of my favourites.
4. Trick your brain into entering the writing mood
I use music, essential oils and candles to give ‘signals’ to my brain that now is the time to work. I also try to restrict recreational time online to my ipad, so whenever I sit at my desk, I know that it’s time to work.
5. Sometimes, you just can’t write.
If you’re not in the mood, you can’t force it. Answer your unanswered emails instead, or file your taxes, or write some blog posts or make some playlists or moodboards to inspire you and share with readers.
Don’t beat yourself up for not writing, because being an author has other responsibilities too.
Good luck with your writing – if I can do it, you can too!
I’m really into email newsletters at the minute. I love that they’re a great way to take a break from writing, and get a social media fix, without getting sucked into mindless scrolling. They always contain lots of interesting links to things that get me thinking.
As I’ve become a bit of a connoisseur of them, I thought I’d share some of my favourites. All links go to the latest entry, where possible, and you can also subscribe at the link. My favourites have *** next to them.
Books & Writing: ***Misfits & Daydreamers | ***Snacks in the stacks | Dog Ear Half A Dozen | Getting Clever | Witty Title Here | Zan Romanoff | The Black Cardigan
Fandom: ***door | *** The Rec Center | Better than words
News & politics: ***The Ann Friedman weekly | Above the Bottom Line | Proceed Until Apprehended | Goodnewsletter | #awesomewomen | Women aren’t funny
Beauty: The Iris Letter | ***Girls’ Night In
Pop Culture: ***Bravo & Buchanan | ***This Week’s Work | Deez Links | Pop Warrior | Read Look Think | Emma Gannon Weekly
Introspection: The Sunday Letters | Grief Bacon
If that isn’t enough newsletters for you, you can also subscribe to my own here – it updates once a quarter, and I’m really enjoying writing them.
I’ve been experimenting with a new style of reviewing over on my youtube channel, where I combine garden tours with book round ups! I’m going to do this every month, so if that’s your thing, you can subscribe. Here’s the latest video:
Books mentioned (all links to Amazon UK):
Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy | Arrival by Ted Chiang | Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal | Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi | The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal | Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia | A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers | Strong Poison: Lord Peter Wimsey by Dorothy L Sayers | Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari | The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley | The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley
The Next Together (part 1) | The Next Together (part 2) | The Next Together (part 3)| The Next Together (part 4) | The Last Beginning (part 1) | The Last Beginning (part 2) | The Last Beginning (part 3) | Another Together | Another Beginning | The Loneliest Girl in the Universe | The Quiet at the End of the World | Book 5 (ghost house) | Book 6 (loneliest 2) | Book 7 (earth) | Book 8 (fandom)
I am writing a scene with Clove and Ella for something exciting…and I’ve missed them SO MUCH. I’m getting emotional.
#the last beginning #another beginning
4TH JUN 2017
I’ve got a special announcement coming your way tomorrow. Here’s a clue. Can anyone guess what it is? 👀
#another beginning
20TH JUL 2017
walkerbooksya: Let’s celebrate YALC with some FREE eBooks!
We’re thrilled to announce that to celebrate YALC 2017 we are going to be publishing three novellas by authors Alison Goodman, Lauren James and Non Pratt in eBook format. These will be available FOR FREE, and we’ll be publishing one a day over the YALC weekend. You can find more information about each of the eBooks below:
Lusus Naturae by Alison Goodman, publishing Friday 28 July
Experience Lord Carlston and Lady Helen’s first meeting from Lord Carlston’s point of view in this compelling novella, a companion to The Dark Days Club.
London, April 1812. Lord Carlston, a man of dubious reputation and infuriating manners, has recently returned from the Continent. He is in London to assess whether Lady Helen Wrexhall has inherited her mother’s Reclaimer abilities, which would mark her as a protector of society. These abilities would also take Lady Helen from the glittering ballrooms and bright lights of her first Season into a world of demonic creatures and deadly power. Not the usual aspirations for a young lady in Regency society…
Perfect for longstanding fans and readers new to the series, the novella also includes a chapter from The Dark Days Club, so you can experience the same scene from Lady Helen’s point of view.
Another Beginning by Lauren James, publishing Saturday 29 July
Featuring the much-loved protagonists Clove and Ella, Another Beginning is a companion story to The Last Beginning, set during the siege of Carlisle in 1745.
“Elenore Walker, ancient literature thief. It makes an odd sort of sense, actually,” Clove said.
Clove is working as a maid in the Finchley household while she spies on Katherine Finchley and Matthew Galloway. But her mission is briefly interrupted when fellow maid Ella persuades her to help steal a valuable historical document from the main defence in the city – the castle. The two girls embark on a risky adventure involving scaling castle walls and hiding in the most unlikely of places! A fast-paced and fun read, perfect for Lauren James’s existing fans, and readers who enjoy historical fiction and romance.
Includes the first chapter of Lauren James’s third novel, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe.
Truth or Dare: Sef’s Deleted Scene by Non Pratt, publishing Sunday 30 July
Get Sef’s side of the story in this deleted scene from Non Pratt’s gripping new novel Truth or Dare.
In this previously unpublished scene from Non Pratt’s gripping love story, Truth or Dare, get a moving insight into Sef’s family life before and after his brother Kam’s life-changing accident. Sef looks back to choosing the name for his family’s new kitten – a moment that seems very far away from his life now, as both he and Amir struggle to come to terms with what’s happened to their brother.
Includes the first two chapters of Truth or Dare, one story told from two sides.
Excited? So are we!
If you’re at YALC next weekend, don’t forget to pop along to the Walker stand to say hello! And if you can’t be there, we hope these three eBooks will help to ease the pain a little bit.
So ready for all of these, @walkerbooksya 💪
#another beginning
13TH AUG 2017
Free short story!
So who would like to see more of Clove and Ella? What about Clove and Ella pulling off a heist? And revealing why Ella was really in Carlisle? THEN I’VE GOT SOME GOOD NEWS 4 U BUDDIES.
As of right now, you can read a free novella by me on Amazon Kindle, or any other eBook retailer, which includes not just one but ALL OF THOSE THINGS. Kate and Matt got their own short story in Another Together, so I had to give Clove and Ella one too! It’s about Clove and Ella pulling off a heist in 1745. It’s pretty fun. Here’s some more information. Enjoy!
A short story set in the world of Lauren James’ Next Together series.
Featuring the much-loved protagonists Clove and Ella, Another Beginning is a companion story to The Last Beginning, set during the siege of Carlisle in 1745.
“Elenore Walker, ancient literature thief. It makes an odd sort of sense, actually,” Clove said.
Clove is working as a maid in the Finchley household while she spies on Katherine Finchley and Matthew Galloway. But her mission is briefly interrupted when fellow maid Ella persuades her to help steal a valuable historical document from the main defence in the city – the castle. The two girls embark on a risky adventure involving scaling castle walls and hiding in the most unlikely of places!
A fast-paced and fun read, perfect for Lauren James’s existing fans, and readers who enjoy historical fiction and romance.
Includes the first chapter of Lauren James’s third novel, The Loneliest Girl in the Universe.
Goodreads | Amazon Kindle | iTunes | eBook providers | First Chapter
Subscribe to my newsletter to find out about other bonus content about my characters.
Tumblr tag
#another beginning
1ST AUG 2017
#go go go #another beginning #the last beginning
30TH JUL 2017
Seeing these covers together is the most satisfying thing ever. Wow.
#another beginning
21ST JUL 2017
theparisreview: Behold: the first written use of fuck, from 1528, inscribed by a monk who seems to have been pretty pissed off with an abbot.
#another beginning
15TH JUL 2017
englishable: Old English just has some wonderful words and kennings. I mean, really:
Their word for sea? It was often swan-rad or “road of the swan.” Spider was gangelwaefre, literally “the walking weaver.” They had the simple and now-obsolete word uht, which describes that time just before sunrise when mist still hangs heavy over all the fields and lakes and the last few stars are still out.
…Also, they didn’t say body. They said ban-cofan, which means “bone-cave,” and if you don’t think that’s some hardcore shit right there then you need to get out of my face before I turn your skull into a mead-cup.
In the commentary on his translation of Beowulf, Tolkien argues that translating ‘rád’ as ‘road’ in the context of kennings for the sea is incorrect. On the subject of ‘hronrád’, which is often translated as ‘whale-road’, he says:
“rád is the ancestor of our modern word ‘road’, but it does not mean ‘road’. Etymology is not a safe guide to sense. rád is the noun of action to rídan ‘ride’ and means riding – i.e. ‘riding on horseback; moving as a horse does (or a chariot), or as a ship does at anchor’; and hence ‘a journey in horseback’ (or more seldom by ship), ‘a course (however vagrant)’. It does not mean the actual ‘track’ – still less the hard paved permanent and more or less straight tracks that we associate with the ‘road’…The word as ‘kenning’ therefore means dolphin’s riding, i.e. in full, the watery fields where you can see dolphins and lesser members of the whale-tribe playing, or seeming to gallop like a line of riders on the plains. That is the picture and comparison the kenning was meant to evoke. It is not evoked by ‘whale road’ – which suggests a sort of semi-submarine steam-engine running along submerged metal rails over the Atlantic.”
13TH MAR 2017
I just hit 40,000 words on my WIP, which is a miracle because I’ve belatedly hit The Fear Paralysis. It usually hits around 20k, when I can’t write because I become convinced it’s all terrible.
Things I usually worry about during The Fear Paralysis:
1) By this point in the book, I should really know more about the characters than I do! Am I a fraud?
2) All the “plot twists” I’ve included are REALLY OBVIOUS & everyone is going to guess what happens immediately and get bored. Am I a fraud?
3) I’ve worked out what novels/films/tv shows most heavily inspired the story in my sub-conscious. It’s all been done before! Am I a fraud?
4) I don’t have enough plot to keep this going for a whole book/I have TOO MUCH plot to fit in one book/I have no plot. Am I a fraud?
5) I’ve reread it so many times that its not funny anymore. Everyone is going to find my “humour” lame and embarrassing. Am I a fraud?
I could carry on…. I guess the point is that I’ve done this five times now, and I think this stuff every single time. But in the end it always works out fine & I’m really proud of my drafts. So you’ve just gotta wrestle your self doubt into submission.
And no writer is ever a “fraud”. All you have to do to be classified as a writer is WRITE.
https://twitter.com/mstiefvater/status/863914124748759041
https://twitter.com/mstiefvater/status/863916668552175617
In other news:
Proofs of The Loneliest Girl in the Universe go out to bloggers tomorrow. I may or may not be freaking out about it. They’re going to be pretty fancy though, and look like this:
Cuuuute! There’s a giveaway of a signed copy running on my blog until the 9th, if you want to snag a copy.
I took the opportunity of the glorious wisteria to do a lil The Loneliest Girl in the Universe photoshoot.
You can follow the blog of Commander Romy Silvers from Loneliest on Wattpad: http://my.w.tt/UiNb/qPQJ654qrD
Also, it was announced that I’m going to be at YALC again this year! I’ll be there on the Saturday and maybe a bit of the Friday too.
I’m experimenting with vlogging some book reviews, and recorded a test run on my instagram stories, uploaded to youtube here. I’m going to make it a regular thing on youtube (on a proper camera!) so subscribe over there if that’s your thing.
I love this picture of Katherine and Matthew by Deni at supermixer.blog.cz! It’s based on a drawing by @aliceoseman and I’m obsessed. Thank you Deni!
Some foreign rights news:
On June 13th, the US edition of The Next Together is finally released! It’s been a long road to get here (my original US publisher shut down before the book could be released – hence the long wait!) but it’s almost here now.
I don’t have any copies of the lovely hardback to show you yet, so for now, here is the dust jacket. I’m still not over that beautiful sunset.
Posledni Zacatek, the first translation of The Last Beginning to be published, is out now in Czech with Cooboo Redakce.
I’ve also seen glimpses of the Russian and German editions floating around instagram! I don’t have copies of these yet, but it’s lovely that my book is being published to the point where I’m struggling to keep track of all the editions. Here’s to many shelves full of copies, one day!
I think that’s all of today – talk soon! (When I’ve defeated this writing paralysis…)
I’m very excited that this year I’m going to be appearing at Edinburgh International Book Festival this August, on a Schools Programme panel with Philip Reeve.
Lauren James and Philip Reeve take you on an incredible journey of imagination involving extraordinary beings, complex characters, thrills and thoughtful moments. Both authors have created stunning sci-fi novels that explore time, space, love, loneliness and the end of the universe. Join them on an intergalactic adventure exploring everyday human emotions.
You can view the programme here. Tickets are only available to Scottish students right now – but I think the spares are sold to the general public, so keep an eye out!
My other upcoming events are all listed here.
In other news: Look what’s landed…. 🚀
I am so proud of this little book! 👽
I’m pretty proud of the fact that by the time I turn 25 I’ll have 13 books published. I would never have thought that was possible when I was a kid. I thought writers were supposed to be in their forties!
Here’s a post I wrote the last time I got a proof, back in 2015, which was a very emotional experience. There’s nothing quite like it!
If you can’t wait for Loneliest, you can follow Romy’s blog and read her fanfiction on tumblr here.
I’m also making good progress on the first draft of my next book.
🚨🚨🚨first kiss!! first kiss alert!! i wrote the first kiss in my new project!!! only took them 35k, the teases 🚨🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/dfI28N7R7S
— Lauren James (@Lauren_E_James) April 20, 2017
Sometimes I look at the notes I've made for future chapters and I just have…..absolutely no idea what I was getting at. #moths? pic.twitter.com/LdKXKYIaDD
— Lauren James (@Lauren_E_James) April 21, 2017
I made a series of tweets late last night which got a good reaction, so I thought I’d share it here too. This advice pertains to FINANCE, SECURITY and other adulthood things. Basically, here’s 24 things I’ve learnt in 24 years of life.
(1) If you are planning to buy a house at any point in your life, you’re gonna want to open a Lifetime ISA asap. If you’re planning to buy within the next year, make sure you open that thing as soon as they start running on April 6th. You’ll get 25% of your deposit extra from the government. Forget your Help to Buy ISAs. Do this, even if you just put in a quid. Deets.
(2) You should increase your online security. If you’re anything like me, you’ve been using the same password since you were 12. Download an app like KEEPER and each time you log into your sites, add the passwords into the app.
THE IMPORTANT PART: use the app features to change each as you go to a randomised 16 digit password with numbers, letters and symbols. It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember it, it’s all in the app. If you’re worried about forgetting them, write them all in a notebook too and keep it somewhere safe.
You can take your time changing over passwords for social media etc, but do it ASAP for your email & bank accounts. Trust me, you want to do this. It is worryingly easy to crack a password.
(3) If you’re someone who feels constantly stressed by everything you have to do, I cannot emphasise enough the freedom of good organisation. Get some kind of list-keeping software like Workflowy (my bae), Evernote, or even just a good old planner, and make lists of everything.
The key to good To Do lists:
a) Split them into categories. I go for Work/Personal and split them down further into Admin/Health/Creative &c.
b) Don’t list big things like WRITE DISSERTATION. That will freak you out more. Make a DISSERTATION sub-list and write small actionable things like LOOK UP RESEARCH. Focus only on the tasks you can get done immediately. The rest will flow.
I use the same software to keep extensive notes as reminders. If you can collapse your bullet points, this is a good way to aid your memory without stressing you out even more. Trust me, knowing something is written down will instantly help with your worrying.
(4) Never buy a new car!! Don’t do it, even if you have the cash! After a year it’ll have depreciated by a few grand even in perfect nick!
Do some market research and then get on the Manheim website. Look up local used car auctions and go bid on one. You can get a car that’s literally a year old and looks new, for half the price.
Car auctions can be kinda scary though so take a dad/brother/confident person with you if you’re nervous about bidding. They’ll love dropping your cash.
(5) Credit ratings are EVERYTHING. You will struggle to buy a phone, car, house etc without one. Even if you have a couple of grand in the bank, get a credit card as soon as you turn 18. Set it up with a direct debit to be paid off in full each month. Use it for all your purchases.
Credit cards are better protected against fraud than debit, but also – having years of reliable payments on your credit rating will do wonders. It’s no good having money if when you’re 25 and looking to take out a mortgage, creditors look up your name and there’s no payments there. There’s no evidence that they can trust you with a loan.
(6) RELATED: shop around for a credit card! Lenders want your business, they will offer some really great deals. Look up how many points they offer to the pound you spend. I’m with John Lewis, who give me ~£15 every quarter. MAKE YOUR MONEY WORK FOR YOU.
(7) If you travel by train a lot, check http://www.splitticketing.co.uk before you purchase. Play the system! If you’re spending >£50 it is worth 5 minutes to see if you can knock a tenner off that. If doesn’t always work but it’s worth the hassle.
(8) Also, if you travel by train more than once or twice a year you really need to get a 16-25 railcard. Duh. If you order your last one just before you turn 26, you can make that stretch to 27 too.
(9) If you’re booking any kind of travel tickets – flight or train – remove your cookies for that website each time you visit. They put the prices up if you’ve looked up a journey before.
10) Ask questions in job interviews. Most interviewers will never be asked a question by applicants. It will show you aren’t intimidated, are serious about the position and it will make you stand out. You want them to come away thinking they’d be lucky to hire you, not the other way around.
Memorise these. Role play an interview at least three times with a friend to practise.
(11) Over-hype yourself on your CV. This is not the place to be modest. Be as cocky and overconfident as you can possibly be.
Baby boomers can barely use Excel. As a millennial, you have so many skills that don’t seem like skills to you but are VERY VALUABLE IN THE WORKPLACE. If you use social media, you have experience in marketing and publicity. If you’ve ever changed a Tumblr theme, you have experience in HTML coding.
Even just being able to google how to teach yourself new software is a skill that older generations find baffling. BIG YOURSELF UP. YOU’RE WORTH IT.
(12) You don’t have to wear heels!! Ever!! Even if you work in an office, BUSINESSES CANNOT IMPOSE SEXIST CLOTHING GUIDELINES. It is unethical to force women to wear heels. Do not feel like you need to. Don’t give yourself a workplace disadvantage just to appease social customs, you’ve got enough disadvantages already. Your feet will thank you in ten years.
(13) Install flux on your laptop and keep your phone on minimum brightness. You won’t notice the difference after a day and you’ve gotta protect those eyes. If you read a lot of documents for work, consider investing in a kindle with an eInk display background, so you aren’t staring into a white light all day. You email any PDF to a Kindle in seconds, so you can read it at your desk without any hassle. Just – maybe tell your boss that’s what you’re doing (!).
(14) You could be saving a lot of money by being savvy. Use comparison websites before you make big purchases.(Compare the Market gives you the best deal AND two for one cinema tickets all year! For a purchase you are making anyway!)
If you’re thinking of buying something online but aren’t sure, log in and leave it in your basket for a few days. A lot of sites will email you voucher codes or reduce the price. If you’re getting business cards, Vistaprint are so thirsty for sales that they’ll email you a code for 40% off the next day.
Save up big purchases until Black Friday. If you really want an iPad or fancy brand but know you can’t afford it, you might be able to if there’s 25% off. Plus, I kinda like having something to look forward to like that?
(15) Always check eBay at the last minute before you make any purchase. Order by Ending Soonest & Auction and see what you can buy within the next 30 seconds for CHEAPS.
You can set up your Nectar card on eBay too, so you can get points on anything you buy there. I get ~£20 a quarter in Nectar vouchers (but I’m obsessed with doing all my purchases for as cheap as possible on eBay even if I have to wait months for the right deal).
My fave eBay trick: spell things wrong in your search – e.g. molskine, burbery, La cruset. You’ll have less competing bids as no one finds it. If you’re into bargain hunting, you can set up a million alerts for these misspelt listings for things you want. It will change the game.
Make sure with eBay you always check the seller has a feedback rating above 100 though, otherwise it may be dodgy. eBay are good at returning money in these cases, but just be wary if the deal seems too good to be true. More often I’ve been conned as a seller by dodgy buyers, than as a buyer myself.
Also, be careful of buying things internationally for unexpected custom charges. China to the UK is usually fine, but be wary of US purchases. Always assume you’ll have to pay £16 customs charge on anything you buy from the USA. It’ll always get you, and if it doesn’t it’s a nice bonus. If postage is ridiculous for a brand site, consider getting a Borderlinx account so you only pay domestic shipping.
(16) If you are a book lover, eBay is your BEST FRIEND. Get on there on holidays and search up National Book Tokens. People who don’t read will sell gift cards for a fraction of the price for quick cash after christmas.
You can apply these to purchases online at Foyles. In the past I’ve bought a £100 gift card for £60, which is £40 free books AND I feel good buying from not-amazon.
(17) Another for readers: Black Friday is a great time to do all your book preorders for the next year using your xmas/holiday money with a discount code.
When I was a bit more penniless and a bit more obsessed with ~~keeping up with the publishing industry~~ I used to do this and read books as soon as they were published, then list them on eBay at retail price the same week. Because I bought them at a discount I got my money back and usually made a bit of profit too.
This is a lot of work, and nowadays I don’t bother as I have more money and less time (plus I’m auto-approved for lots of publishers on Netgalley because I spent a year reviewing everything immediately, so I get most releases as ebooks anyway.) But for a student this is an A+++ plan and I would be proud to be told you were taking over my eBaying legacy.
(18) KEEP A BOTTLE OF WATER (and maybe a cereal bar/sandwich) IN YOUR BAG AT ALL DANG TIMES. If you buy food/drink on the go every other day at £1 water+£3 sandwich that’s £730 in a year! For something worse than you can make at home!
If you did this in your twenties, by the time you turned 30 you would have £7000 extra. THAT’S YOUR HOUSE DEPOSIT RIGHT THERE. Plus, until you buy a house you could invest that in an ISA or premium bonds & be getting £££.
(19) I’m not much of a drinker, especially not now I drive, but if you are then get yourself a hidden flask. It’all save you a fortune at gigs or concerts or theatre where drinks are £7 a pop.
(20) If you know what time you have to get up, use an app to calculate when you should go to sleep so you don’t wake up in the middle of a REM Cycle. Even if you get a full 8 hours, you’ll feel groggy if you don’t sleep in integer 90 min cycles.
(21) I cannot over-emphasise the joy in having good sheets/towels. If you’re getting by on old family cast-offs, you might think it’s a waste of money to buy new ones until you’re in your forties. TRUST ME. GUYS. Get yourself the thickest ply Egyptian cotton bath sheet you can find. It’ll change your life.
(22) Use a separate device for social media/entertainment than for work. The best thing I’ve done for my productivity in a while is get an iPad. HEAR ME OUT.
Before, I used to go on my laptop and mess around instead of working. But now, I do all my social media stuff on the iPad. So when I sit at my desk with my laptop it’s like YOU GOTTA WORK NOW. My brain immediately goes into ‘work mode’ when I turn it on. I hadn’t realised how much I had to force myself to focus until suddenly it got really easy.
(23) Family accounts are a gift to the world! Spotify, Netflix, Amazon Prime – enlist your friends to join together to reduce your monthly charges a LOT.
(24) Finally, GO TO THE DENTIST EVERY YEAR. Use mouthwash and floss as often as you can bare it. Look after your teeth!!!
If this list is overwhelming I recommend you do (2) and (5) at the very least. Build up from there. GOOD LUCK.
The Next Together (part 1) | The Next Together (part 2) | The Next Together (part 3)| The Next Together (part 4) | The Last Beginning (part 1) | The Last Beginning (part 2) | The Last Beginning (part 3) | Another Together | Another Beginning | The Loneliest Girl in the Universe | The Quiet at the End of the World | Book 5 (ghost house) | Book 6 (loneliest 2) | Book 7 (earth) | Book 8 (fandom)
dragonwingsandtimetravel: book aesthetics // moodboard // The Last Beginning by Lauren James (@laurenjames)
“I can remember thinking I’d been turned inside out. Kind of like the first time I saw you.”
Sights: pale grey / soft green / deep black / spilled gold
Scents: fresh grass / old wool / sweet violets / engine oil
Sounds: if you ever want to be in love – james bay / she’s a lady – lion babe / where you go – the young romans / elenore – the turtles
#the last beginning #look at it! #look at it!!! #GOSH
3RD MAR 2017
📢 📢 📢
My newsletter goes out next week & I’ll be choosing a subscriber to win a signed copy of The Last Beginning! Sign up here to win!
#the last beginning #prizes #giveaway L
23RD FEB 2017
#imagine….this wedding…..as clove and ella…… #the last beginning
#is this a grown up clove or is this a grown up clove #the last beginning
1ST FEB 2017
captoring: this is from a store in los angeles called The Echo Park Time Travel Mart, and it’s pretty much the coolest place
#the last beginning
22ND FEB 2017
Valentine’s Day LGBT romance scene + Clove and Ella get engaged!
Last year on Valentine’s day I posted a romantic extract from The Next Together. Let’s do the same thing this year, from The Last Beginning! Here are Clove and Ella being flirty cuties in love.
(You can also read it on Wattpad)
C a r l i s l e , E n g l a n d , 1 7 4 5
When Clove finally went back downstairs, Mrs Samson scolded her for disappearing halfway through making breakfast and put Clove to work in the wash-house doing laundry.
“Did you find the ingredients which you need for your spell?” Ella asked, as she arrived an hour later with another load of dirty clothes for Clove. She dipped a hand into Clove’s bucket of fresh water and flicked her with it.
Clove leapt back, but the freezing cold water still splashed her arm.
“Hey!” she said, trying to be serious, but she couldn’t help the way her mouth just wanted to smile. She ducked her head, giving in to the urge to grin.
When she looked back up, Ella’s expression took her by surprise. She looked … awestruck. Like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, when what she was seeing was Clove. Just Clove. No one had ever looked at her like that before.
“What?” Clove asked, a little defensively.
“Nothing,” Ella said. “It’s just… I’ve never seen you smile before.” She sounded winded.
Clove swallowed hard, her laughter dying in her throat. It was true that she had been very stressed recently. But surely she had smiled before? She couldn’t remember, right now, when Ella was looking at her like that.
Flustered, Clove flicked her hand into the water. Ella skittered away and let out a giggle.
Clove chased her out of the wash-house and across the lawn. But by the time she had cornered the girl by the kitchen door, all that was left of her attack was two damp palms. She pressed them to either side of Ella’s neck as she tried to squirm away. Ella winced at the coldness of the water on her skin.
The two girls were standing so close that Clove could see droplets of water clinging to Ella’s collarbone and the goosebumps standing up on her neck. Ella’s cap had come off and her hair was falling out of its bun again, messy spirals curling off in all directions.
There was a moment when they just stared at each other, breathing in unison. Clove felt like every molecule of her skin was alert and attuned to Ella’s movements. Something had snapped their bickering into a meaningful tension.
She parted her lips. If she just leant a little closer, if Ella just tilted her head a little to the right, then— Ella stepped back. Then she lifted her arm, holding up Clove’s bucket of water – which she must have grabbed before running out of the wash-house. Clove didn’t have time to react before the water fell through the air in an iridescent arc, splashing Clove right in the chest.
It was so cold that Clove couldn’t catch her breath to speak, and when she did all that escaped was helpless laughter.
“Ella!” she gasped. Ella was laughing so hard she nearly fell over.
“Yes!” she screeched. “Got you!”
“I’m soaking wet!” Clove’s bodice was drenched, and her skirts were rapidly darkening as the water spread.
“I’m going to throw you in the pond,” Clove threatened, tugging the damp fabric away from her skin.
Ella only laughed harder. “You look like a drowned cat! All bedraggled and furious.”
Clove hissed at her, baring her teeth like an angry feline. “If I get a chill and die, it’ll be all your fault.”
Clove held a hand to her forehead, letting out an overly long groan of pain, which turned into laughter when Ella jabbed her in the ribs.
“I think you will recover, Miss Tabbycat,” Ella said. “Especially as the last time you were dying you managed to wander off and escape me.”
“The salad days,” Clove muttered, sighing to herself and leaning into Ella’s side. Ella tightened her arm around Clove’s shoulder.
FIN.
leahsburkes asked: this thing i hear about what ella and clove’s engagement would be like….i’m afraid i’ll need to know more
Anonymous said:Please write Clove and Ella’s engagement scene!
Okay guys. LET’S DO THIS. After school, Clove does a degree at St Andrews while Ella finishes her degree at her home uni. Then Clove moves to Ella’s uni for a masters in theoretical morality, while Ella starts a PhD in classical history control potentiality. They live together in a tiny terraced house with a back garden, which Ella turns into a vegetable patch. It produces approximately 3 Brussel sprouts and a cucumber every summer. That’s all.
When they both finally graduate with a million degrees between them, Clove goes back to St Andrews to start running tests on the time machine with Jen, who now runs the St Andrews Physics department. Ella moves back with her. She commutes using her skim to a theatre company, where she works to gather accurate details about ancient greece for their productions, using her Skim.
They adopt a rescue dog, who Matt babysits during the day, because he works from home with Tom (they started a business together. they argue constantly.) Alfie, kate and matt’s three year old son, cries every day when Clove picks up the dog after work. Alfie hates goodbyes.
When Ella turns 25 she gets really nostalgic for how she and clove met (she reads a lot of fic written about them. Clove kinkshames her. It’s a Thing.). They drop the dog off with kate and matt and alfie and go on holiday to 1745. They hang out with 1745 Katherine and Matthew, and then Ella takes Clove on a picnic by the river, at the exact place where they met. The picnic is the same as the one Ella brought then, except there’s smoky bacon crisps too, this time.
After they eat, Clove naps with her head on Ella’s stomach. When she wakes up, there’s a bouquet of violets resting next to her. She laughs when she sees it, hysterically, and Ella gets offended that she finds her romantic gesture funny. Then Clove reaches into her bag and pulls out a box. She hands it to Ella.
Inside, there’s this:
“I guess we both had the same idea,” Clove says, blushing bright red. “You gave me a violet once, a long time ago. I thought it was about time I repaid the favour.“
Ella’s eyes flick down between the ring and Clove. “Are you…?” she says.
Clove nods. “Elenore Walker. Will you marry me?”
Ella bursts into tears. “You weren’t supposed to propose for another two years!” she yells. “It’s in your autobiography!!”
Clove grins. She’s been planning for a while that when she gets around to writing her ‘autobiography’, she’ll include some lies. Gotta keep Ella on her toes somehow. “Surprise?”
Ella says yes, they get married the next summer, it’s very stressful for everyone involved. The wedding photos go viral on Ella’s social media. Obviously this is their wedding song.
#obviously as soon as they get home ella pulls out a ring she bought before she even officially met clove #she saved up her pocket money for it
#cute!! #they obviously get engaged by a river under a willow tree #over a picnic
14TH FEB 2017
I’m in love with this beautiful fanart of Clove and Ella from The Last Beginning done by @layaart! Thank you so much 😻
#the last beginning #clovella
13TH FEB 2017
simonlevvis: ∟ books read in 2016; the last beginning by @laurenjames
‘’all i’m doing is carrying you around, and making a fool of myself. i’m useless. i’m not helping anyone.’’
‘’clove sutcliffe, you are doing things no human has ever done before. you are groundbreaking. you are unique. do not cease to function due to inappropriate emotional weakness.’’
This is amazing! This is so amazing! I’m going to cry! Omg! OH MY GOD. Thank you thank you thank you!
#the last beginning
30TH DEC 2016
SOLGFDSLSLFSLDFKLADKDA
This song is in my TLB playlist because of this! It makes me laugh literally EVERY TIME. IT’S LITERALLY ABOUT THEM. GOD. GOD!
I really need to write a short story where Meg and Ella meet. That ancestral connection is SO FUNNY.
#the last beginning
30TH OCT 2016
Special edition of The Last Beginning!
Exciting news! Scholastic Book Clubs have commissioned a special edition of The Last Beginning, which includes the short story set at Bletchley Park ’Another Together ’ at the end.
Unfortunately it’s only available through schools, or online if you are connected to a school. You can also discuss setting up a teen book club with your school. It’s out today, and it’s a limited edition so if you want a copy, don’t wait around! Here are some pictures of the edition, to keep you going (or make you extra jealous if you can’t get a copy – I’m so sorry!!).
Just a little bit thicker than the normal edition!
In other news: There was a Bookseller article about my new book deal! Career goal achieved. My old school also said some nice things about me.
I have a Facebook page now. Like, if you wish.
The Brazilian version of The Next Together is out now! Someone posted this video review about it, which I obviously don’t understand – please don’t tell me if she’s saying lots of horrible things. I reached 50,000 words on my fourth novel. I think I’m going to do a writing progress update soon, if anyone is interested?
#scholastic book clubs #another together #the last beginning
24TH OCT 2016
FREE eBOOK + other bits & bobs
This week The Next Together is free on iTunes as their Book of the Week. It’s also free on Kobo and Amazon Kindle. (UK only, I believe, but maybe Australia too? I’m not sure.)
Amazon UK | Kobo | iBooks
It’s currently #400 in the Kindle charts – let’s see how high we can get it!!
Some more things that have happened this week: I did an interview with Jasmine at Wenlock books.
“The storylines of The Next Together and The Last Beginning are completely intertwined. Did you write both books together or did you write one first and then cross reference?
I actually didn’t know there was going to be a sequel until I finished writing The Next Together. When I got to the end I realised that there was this whole other story to be told, from the other side of things. I then wrote the first draft of The Last Beginning, and luckily it coincided quite well because I was working on the edits for TNT.
I was able to go back in and seed in lots of scenes and conversations and plot developments that I’d come up with while writing TLB. It was lots of fun, writing offhand mentions of certain characters in TNT, knowing that readers would glide over them without paying attention – and then the minute they read TLB, they’d be like “OH MY GOD. I’ve known them since the last book!””
Some of my favourite reader reactions so far:
“ page 290. thebestkissingsceneevertho. Omg.” – Grace Latter
“First of all, let my start by saying that this book is so CLEVER. Honestly, the way it ties in with the first book is brilliant and well thought out. I had to grab my copy of The Next Together from my shelf and go back to certain parts now that I understood it more. There were so many ‘OOOOHHHHH’ moments and I need to praise Lauren James for her wonderful brain.” – Queen of Teen Fiction
“Unique, funny, chaotic and full of adventure, The Last Beginning picks up with a new heroine. A passionate knitter and whiz-kid programmer, Clove is smart, impetuous, hot-headed and prone to making slightly disastrous and immature decisions, but her heart’s (usually) in the right place.” – The Paper Alchemist
“The Next Together was left on a cliffhanger that had me screaming for more, and The Last Beginning answered all of the questions I had and more. It was a perfect sequel! The Last Beginning picks up in a slightly different place to The Next Together but works better for it. Although the main characters of The Next Together are in The Last Beginning, this book is really Clove’s story. I don’t usually gel with new characters in sequels, but I fell in love with Clove from the get-go. I really would like to be best friends with her. Can it be arranged please?” – Queen of Contemporary
#the last beginning #alice
11TH OCT 2016
spacezeros: today is the release day of my amazing friend @laurenjames‘s novel THE LAST BEGINNING. please read it. it’s about time-travel and it’s so gay
#the last beginning #Alice
#go go go #another beginning #the last beginning
30TH JUL 2017
My memory loves you; it asks about you all the time.
— Jonathan Carroll
#Ella to clove #the last beginning
18TH JUL 2017
So….a piece of embroidered fanart for my books exists now. Clove, the best knitter in Scotland, would definitely approve of her branding. •
I love Clove’s rainbow wristband from Tom (with an S for Spart!) and Kate’s fox figurine. Clove’s knitting needles are the perfect touch too. It’s so well thought out!
This #TheLastBeginning art is by @readsewscarlett, who is my new hero.
#the last beginning #lgbt #lgbt ya
14TH JUL 2017
Talking of art, some pretty outstanding pictures of my books have been popping up recently. Here are some of my faves. You guys are all so clever!
#the next together #the loneliest girl in the universe #the last beginning
14TH JUL 2017
#clove owns this #the last beginning
8TH JUL 2017
dragonwingsandtimetravel: book aesthetics / moodboard #2 / The Last Beginning by Lauren James (@laurenjames) / Ella x Clove
#the last beginning #look at this! #look at it!!! #omg #swooning
10TH JUN 2017
ma11ory: Jenny Holzer, Living Series
#the last beginning
7TH JUN 2017
Amal Clooney and her husband have named their baby daughter Ella, and now my headcanon of Clove’s Ella’s parents has changed DRAMATICALLY.
A human rights lawyer and a sassy actor? Sounds about right for Clove’s girlfriend.
#the last beginning #Honestly though imagine a girl with George Clooney’s voice. Clove’s got no chance. #this is what i offer you for pride month #you’re welcome
7TH JUN 2017
I am writing a scene with Clove and Ella for something exciting…and I’ve missed them SO MUCH. I’m getting emotional.
#the last beginning #another beginning
4TH JUN 2017
#a Tom look #the last beginning
29TH MAY 2017
The Fear Paralysis
I just hit 40,000 words on my WIP, which is a miracle because I’ve belatedly hit The Fear Paralysis. It usually hits around 20k, when I can’t write because I become convinced it’s all terrible.
Things I usually worry about during The Fear Paralysis:
1) By this point in the book, I should really know more about the characters than I do! Am I a fraud?
2) All the “plot twists” I’ve included are REALLY OBVIOUS & everyone is going to guess what happens immediately and get bored. Am I a fraud?
3) I’ve worked out what novels/films/tv shows most heavily inspired the story in my sub-conscious. It’s all been done before! Am I a fraud?
4) I don’t have enough plot to keep this going for a whole book/I have TOO MUCH plot to fit in one book/I have no plot. Am I a fraud?
5) I’ve reread it so many times that its not funny anymore. Everyone is going to find my “humour” lame and embarrassing. Am I a fraud?
I could carry on…. I guess the point is that I’ve done this five times now, and I think this stuff every single time. But in the end it always works out fine & I’m really proud of my drafts. So you’ve just gotta wrestle your self doubt into submission.
And no writer is ever a “fraud”. All you have to do to be classified as a writer is WRITE.
“Here’s a brutal truth: Career novelists aren’t the most talented writers. They’re adequately talented writers who finish what they start. I mean, artistic genius is fun and messy and cool. But grit is the secret ingredient in any creative industry.” – Maggie Stiefvater
25TH MAY 2017
#the first is ella replying to cloves selfie #the second is clove replying to ella #also Victor and yuri #who I am just realising have the exact same relaysh dynamics as Ella and clove #Ella is even more Extra than victor though and travelled across time to court her crush #clove/yuri getting flustered and confused by the whole thing yesssss this is my jam turn it up 👌👌👌👌 #the last beginning #yuri on ice #that feeling when you look hard at the similarities between your OTPs and feel Known
2ND APR 2017
Anonymous asked: just finished reading tnt and tlb omg i love them so much! is ella gay or bi/pan/etc? she is amazing and i rlly want an ella in my life i love her so much
thank youuuu!!! ❤
Ella is bi! And she’s my fave too!!
#the last beginning #Anonymous
28TH MAR 2017
#that time clove and Ella have a massive fight and split up for a few weeks and clove goes Full Emo #this is that #the last beginning
16TH MAR 2017
#this is giving me phd student ella vibes #the last beginning
25TH FEB 2018
fleamontpotter: day 95839: i still don’t know what bitcoin is
milliemylesie: That’s more than 260 years
fleamontpotter: don’t ever do maths on my post again
#this is an AU between ella (op) and clove #the last beginning #laugh rule
3RD FEB 2018
jessiebellafreckle: A Series A Month 2018 – January – The Last Beginning by Lauren James
My January read for A Series A Month was Lauren James’ time-travelling romance duology, The Next Together and after reviewing the first book in the series here, I dove into The Last Beginning straight away. So without further ado, what did I think?
The Last Beginning is the story of Clove, the daughter of Matthew and Katherine, our protagonists from The Next Together. After the events in 2039 lead Matt and Kate to disappear, Clove is raised by adoptive parents Tom and Jen, and upon finding out about her birth parents, she begins her mission to find out what happened to them. The story is just as twisty and mysterious as the first book, keeping you hooked all the way through, and somehow manages to answer all the questions we were left with at the end, as well as simultaneously creating a whole load of new ones. It’s chock full of confusing, mindbendy, paradoxy stuff, and usually I get switched off to that sort of thing pretty easily because I don’t understand it and it just hurts my head, but this was so fun that I didn’t mind it being too clever for me.
The series continues with the successful format established in the first book, of using different types of media to help tell the story. I loved seeing the whole picture build up more and more as the story went along, and seeing things relating to Katherine and Matthew with fresh eyes and new knowledge, so I kept getting to have these ‘ahhh that’s why that is’ moments. One piece of evidence I really liked was the textbook with a picture of Clove on the cover, where the illustration was done by Alice Oseman, which was a lovely nod to the wider world of UKYA.
Another thing that links beautifully back to the first book, is how we see the events of 1745 unfold again, but this time from Clove’s perspective rather than Katherine’s. Again, this time around we have a whole load of new information, so I was able to understand things more and see it all in a different light. I loved how that made it like a completely new scene, but there was still that familiarity there tying it in to The Next Together and with every new bit you read you were making more and more sense of the first book.
Lauren James drew a really cute venn diagram of similarities and differences between the two books, which you can see here, but obviously one of the big differences is the characters. Katherine and Matthew had such strong personalities and voices, that you’d be forgiven for being wary about carrying on the story with a new protagonist. There’s no need to worry though, because Clove is a brilliant character. She has some of the more lovable qualities of her parents, so yet again there’s familiarity there, but she’s also so individual and interesting in her own right.
One of the things Clove seems to have picked up from her biological mother is her love of sarcasm. In fact, humour seems to be much more of a prominent theme in this book than the first. Whilst Katherine and Matthew were very funny and there were some great light moments in The Next Together, the earlier time landscapes were pretty serious thanks to the propriety of the times, so as The Last Beginning is set mainly in the future rather than the past, I felt there was more scope for comedy. This was helped out as well by Clove’s AI, Spart, who was so sassy! He was such a great character and, along with Ella, provided some excellent comic relief to the, at times, tense, confusing and serious storyline.
Another thing I loved about Clove was how authentically teenage she felt. She was so full of angst, but not in an annoying, whiny way, just in a way that felt so incredibly real. The reader is introduced pretty early on to all the things she’s going through – some of which are huge deals, like finding out she’s adopted, and others may seem fairly small, like her best friend getting a boyfriend – and we get to see how all of these things weave together and create this whole mess of feelings in her head making her act out. Throughout the start of the book there are moments when she says herself that none of the individual issues are what’s bothering her, she just can’t pin down what’s wrong, or she starts crying ‘for no reason’, and the whole time she’s struggling with the frustration of being somewhere between childhood and adulthood so she can’t ever figure out exactly when she wants to be looked after and when she wants to be treated as an equal. It’s all so relatable and gives the book a nice contemporary feel even though it’s a mind bendy sci-fi set in the future.
This just wouldn’t be a Jessie review if I didn’t mention the gay would it? I’m pretty much of the opinion that ladies loving ladies makes anything better, but I was particularly happy to see a queer protagonist in this, because I know underrepresentation is a big problem in the SFF scene, so seeing a positive F/F relationship taking front and centre is a huge thing. And it is such a lovely relationship too! Clove and Ella are such a sweet couple, with a realistic relationship packed with cute, intimate moments, plenty of teasing and in jokes, the odd argument, and some really healthy depictions of communication and mutual respect. And there’s no Kill Your Gays! You can tell that this is really lovingly written by somebody who has their own experience in the area and appreciates the importance of good representation.
The Last Beginning was, on the whole, one of the weirdest things I’ve ever read, but utterly perfect. As I mentioned, it answers questions from The Next Together and creates new ones too, taking place both before and after events of the first books, and creates this confusing and wonderful sort of loop; it’s like a prequel and a sequel at the same time! By the end of the book, in more ways than one, it kind of felt like the story had come full circle and it just made me smile so much because it was such a lovely way to finish it. There’s definitely scope to tell more stories about these characters – and I’m looking forward to reading the two novellas, Another Together and Another Beginning – but this particular story arc definitely feels complete and I’m really satisfied with how it wrapped up.
So that’s it for now! Technically, that’s the end of the series, but I’m intending to read both of the short stories as well and whilst I won’t do a full-on review, I’ll probably post a short wrap up about them, so keep your eye out for that. As always, be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more bookish content, and if you’ve been inspired to challenge yourself to read A Series A Month, head to Dani’s blog to find out more.
As with The Next Together, this book meets my requirements for my other two reading challenges this year as well. If you want to find out more about those, and get involved yourself, head to Chelley’s blog for British Books Challenge, and Austine’s blog for Beat the Backlist.
#this is just the best ahhhhh #the last beginning #thank you!!
23RD JAN 2018
boethiah: enough is enough. i’m going to weave a fucking tapestry
#clove #the last beginning
19TH JAN 2018
#the last beginning #tom and clove
11TH JAN 2018
bushwasright: even in the 19th century BCE people we’re complaining that there was no originality left
#ella #the last beginning
9TH DEC 2017
alwaysbuythebook asked: Have you ever seen a picture of Kathryn Newton? She’s almost exactly how I picture Ella! (I reread The Last Beginning in the uni library today and really really struggled not to make excited noises out loud. Thank you so much.)
Ahh, yes she really does!
I’m glad you liked it! There’s also a free short story, if you haven’t read that yet. 🙂
#the last beginning #alwaysbuythebook
5TH DEC 2017
wunkolo: I had a dream I was able to time travel and I went like 10,20,100,1000,2000 years into the future but the instant I went to 4,000 I got stuck in a time dilation jail set up by the American government in the year 3,877 in which anyone that tried to time travel back or forth across May 23, 3877 while on Earth would end up stuck in this time dilation chamber trap to stop time travelers but like it was so crazy and mismanaged because it was legit capturing like every single time traveler ever and the place had only been open for 12 minutes and was already getting overpopulated with nonstop multiple recursive instances of this one other guy trying to break previous versions of himself out of this god damn time traveler jail
kaylapocalypse: that is fucking hysterical and absolutely sounds like something the American Government would set up.
#ella #the last beginning
26TH OCT 2017
Anonymous asked: are you making more books of the next together? i love the books including the last beginning and was wondering if your making more books because i would love to read them.
no more books, but RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT I’m writing a little last beginning story set in st andrews, because i just went there and it gave me lots of clove/ella and tom/jen feelings. it’s genderbent for a bit of fun, so….send me your best boy names for clove and ella, and if they’re better than mine i’ll use them in the story 🙂 🙂
#the last beginning #Anonymous
12TH NOV 2018
I’ve been watching Sabrina and Lachlan Watson has SUCH a Clove vibe going on, wow
#the last beginning #please netflix make a tv show of my books and cast them i need it in my life!!!! #lachlan watson
26TH OCT 2018
I made a little Venn diagram to show you how The Quiet at the End of the World fits in with my other books. This is really interesting for me, because it’s basically like looking at how the inside of my own brain works. I didn’t know I was super…
I made a little Venn diagram to show you how The Quiet at the End of the World fits in with my other books. This is really interesting for me, because it’s basically like looking at how the inside of my own brain works. I didn’t know I was super interested in those things in the centre, but apparently I am. I wonder if my next book will be about war or IVF treatment too. 🤔r
#the next together #the last beginning #The Loneliest Girl in the Universe #the quiet at the end of the world
24TH OCT 2018
#the next together #the last beginning #the loneliest girl in the universe
22ND OCT 2018
Happy #nationalpoetryday to every poem, but most especially to this nursery rhyme I wrote for The Last Beginning. I have no poetic talent at all, and I’m pretty sure I wrote an early version of this and my editor @ajgraingerauthor was like ‘this is….not good.’ and proceeded to rewrite the whole thing. So this was an ACHIEVEMENT. Also, when I was looking for this page I ended up just reading my own book for a bit. I love this one so much. I think it will always be one of my favourite things I’ve ever written.
#the last beginning
4TH OCT 2018
jamie-kaga-ricci asked: Standard Deviation by Danny Schmidt is a Clovella anthem and no one can convince me otherwise
I just listened to this five times in a row because you are absolutely right
#The Last beginning
1ST OCT 2018
The @chronicintrovert art prints should have started arriving today! Has anyone got theirs yet? (Buy here)
#alice #the next together #the last beginning #the loneliest girl in the universe
13TH SEP 2018
Happy LGBT STEM day from my favourite grumpy gay computer programmer, Clove Sutcliffe!
(Clove and Ella are characters from The Last Beginning, an LGBT time travel YA novel by meeee)
#the last beginning #lgbt stem day #lgbtstemday
5TH JUL 2018
9 LGBTQ+ British Books Perfect For Film Adaptation Because They Deserve The Big Screen → bustle.com
ByEMMA FLYNN
June 15 2018
Stocksy
It has been a brilliant couple of years for diversity in cinema, with so many incredible movies with LGBTQ+ representation hitting the big screen. Hollywood has started to approach queer relationships and queer characters with the multi-dimensional approach that has long been afforded to cis and heterosexual couples. Some of the inspiration for this has come from the world of literature, and so here are nine LGBTQ+ British books perfect for film adaptation that I think producers should jump on next.
So what great examples have we already seen? There was surely not a dry eye in cinemas anywhere when Call Me By Your Name came out. Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by André Aciman, Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer’s performances were widely lauded, and earned the former a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars. Then there’s Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s The Price Of Salt, which as well as being a bracing portrayal of love, intimacy, and heartbreak, is also possibly the best Christmas film ever (don’t @ me).
There is a wealth of British writers who have been writing about LGBTQ+ issues and presenting queer characters in their work for years, providing ample material for filmmakers and producers to draw from. The following list is made up of the best books by UK writers, dealing with characters and issues from across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, that would make incredible films.
1’Girl Meets Boy’ by Ali Smith
Cannongate
Ali Smith is a genius. Her books are incredible. And if you haven’t read anything by her before, Girl Meets Boy is a great place to start. Anthea’s relationship with queer anarchist Robin is the backdrop to this short but lively novel that is a modern retelling of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
Buy the book here
2’Orlando’ by Virginia Woolf
Penguin
This list would be woefully incomplete without Orlando, which Woolf wrote for her rumoured lover Vita Sackville-West. The book spans across centuries, jumps between genders, and examines identity, love, and sexuality with subversive wit and wry prose. It needs a film adaptation NOW.
Buy the book here
3’The Well of Loneliness’ by Radclyffe Hall
Penguin
Marguerite Radclyffe Hall’s novel is seen as a landmark for British LGBTQ+ writing. It’s a doorstop of a book, coming in at just under 500 pages, but the story of Stephen and Mary is a page turner, examining not just lesbian relationships in the ’20s but also the social isolation so many women faced because of their sexuality.
Buy the book here
4’Boys Don’t Cry’ by Malorie Blackman
Penguin
Blackman is the author of the Noughts and Crosses series which pretty much everyone devoured as a teenager, and Boys Don’t Cry has that same intensity that makes you want to stay up all night reading it. Though Dante’s story is the centre of this book, it’s his gay brother Adam who readers will want to focus on. The drama and emotional upheaval in Boys is pretty much written for the screen.
Buy the book here
5’Tipping The Velvet’ by Sarah Waters
Little Brown
Sarah Waters is the award winning author of some of the best books with queer protagonists ever written. Tipping The Velvet was her first novel and is now seen as a must read for fans of LGBTQ+ fiction. Yes, it was adapted into a miniseries, but the coming-of-age story of Nancy and her life in London deserves the big screen more than anything.
Buy the book here
6’The Last Beginning’ by Lauren James
Walker
The Last Beginning is the sequel to James’ must read The Next Together. The author herself has summed up the book as “Lesbian romance with MANY JOKES,” so if that doesn’t sell it, nothing will. The story of Clove and Ella is full of twists and turns and the nature of the book itself, replete with time-travel and kick-ass action scenes, makes it such a strong contender to be adapted into a film.
Buy the book here
7’Eating Cake’ by Stella Duffy
Hodder & Stoughton
Lisa technically has it all, but once boredom sets in, it’s hard to banish it. And so in Eating Cake we see not just one but two affairs. It’s been described as incredibly raw look at infidelity and the complexities within modern relationships, and the relatability of Lisa’s story and frustrations would make for the perfect film.
Buy the book here
8’Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit’ by Jeanette Winterson
Penguin
Winterson’s novel tells the story of 16-year-old Jeanette who decides to leave the church, her family, and everything she knows behind, for the young woman she is in love with. It is a must read and comes with so much praise, and though has been adapted for radio and a mini-series in 1989, it still hasn’t gotten the big budget film version it deserves.
Buy the book here
9’Brighton Trans*Formed’
Queens Park
Brighton Trans*Formed is not a novel but the stories that make up this collection of writing, memories, oral histories, and photography is so fascinating. It chronicles the lives and experiences of Brighton’s Transgender community, and provide a snapshot of gender expression and diversity that would make as essential a documentary as it has a book.
Buy the book here
The UK has such a rich history of LGBTQ+ writing, both contemporary and older, that it can be difficult to narrow it down to a list without excluding some incredible books. Seeing novels like Girl Meets Boy or The Well Of Loneliness make it to big screen would be immense as books like this present the diverse set of voices and stories the public is crying out for.
#The Last Beginning
23RD JUN 2018
Anonymous asked: Hi! Are any of your books been translated to any other languages? ❤
Yes! Here are the ones published so far:
První konec (“The First End”) – Czech Republic (CooBoo)
Em Nossa Proxima Vida (“In Our Next Life”) – Brasil (HarperCollins)
Bir Sonraki Hayatımız (“Our Next Life”) – Turkey (Yabanci Yayinlari)
Любовь И Другие Катастрофы (“Love and Other Catastrophes”) – Russia (Ripol)
Forever Again: Für alle Augenblicke wir (“For all our moments”) – Germany (Loewe) | Audiobook
Poslední začátek (“The Last Start”) – Czech Republic (CooBoo)
Son Başlangıç (“Last Start”) – Turkey (Yabanci Yayinlari)
Forever Again – Wie oft du auch gehst (“How Often You Go”) – Germany (Loewe)
#the next together #the last beginning #Anonymous
13TH MAY 2018
A beautiful book was waiting for me when I got home today! I’m so glad this series is finally complete in hardback. I’m really very proud of it.
#the last beginning
25TH MAR 2018
Wren James