Welcome to another monthly check-in friends!
June brought the beginnings of a slower pace, some big creative decisions, a few techy deep-dives, and more brilliant debut authors to cheer on. With summer now in full swing (and the house doing its best impression of a greenhouse), I’m leaning into rest, reflection, and recharging ahead of our Europe trip. Here’s what I’ve been reading, writing, sketching—and quietly unravelling—this month…
“June is a love song written by nature.”
- Patience Strong
June Musings
Two more brilliant debut authors joined me on the Behind The Debut podcast this month to share their journeys to publication. Rocio Carranza, a multi-genre writer who spent most of her youth with her nose in a book (fantasy and horror were her favourites), is now the author of the dark fantasy novel Blood of the Blackthorn. Michelle J., a fantasy author from upstate New York, published her young adult debut The Divide That Binds Us, inspired by the storytelling in a video game she played when she was just eight years old—how cool is that?
I also shared two more instalments of my Dear First-Time Author series. One breaks down the latest Amazon KDP changes that all indie authors need to know about (don’t panic—there’s a plain-English explanation and a handy checklist too). The other is for any writers quietly panicking about All The Tech Stuff and wondering if “just writing the book” was the easy bit after all. I rounded up some of my favourite free and low-cost tools that can make the indie author journey a little less... rage-quitty.
And finally, in an effort to soothe our slightly frazzled creative souls, I uploaded the latest in my series of 60-minute ambient writing videos—this one’s a Summer escape to a peaceful cabin by the sea, with waves lapping at the shore. It’s split into two 30-minute sessions, perfect for a gentle dive into your novel, journaling, sketching, or simply pretending you’re on holiday without the packing.
If you missed any of these, do pop over and take a look—and if you have time, I’d love to hear from you. You can always leave a comment or just hit reply to any of the emails I send from Substack.
Personal Moments
We’ve had a bit of a heatwave here in the UK recently (I know it’s nothing compared to other parts of the world, but British homes are basically designed to trap heat like it’s treasure). I always seem to slow down in the summer months anyway—it’s as if my brain knows it’s time to ease off the pedal a bit. Summer feels like permission to drift a little… to spend time with family and friends, and just be. More thoughts on that at the end of the newsletter.
Much of June was taken up with my eldest sitting her GCSE exams—taken in year 11 here in the UK—and planning for our Europe adventure in July (I really need to get my packing list under four pages). We did manage a lovely day trip to Bury St Edmunds though, which is about 30 miles from Cambridge. Charles Dickens twice stayed at the ivy-covered Angel Hotel opposite the abbey gate, which felt appropriately literary. If you ever get the chance to visit, the cathedral—dating from the 11th century—and the ruins of the ancient abbey (built to honour the martyred Anglo-Saxon King Edmund) are both well worth a tour.
Creative Moments
I’ve been loving the co-drawing sessions in Helen Stark’s Time Forager’s Club—this month we sketched the charming Île de Ré in France. The warm-up exercises were a bit of a challenge (my sketchbook definitely has a few ‘what was that meant to be?’ moments), but I really enjoyed playing with the soft, summery colour palette.
I’ve also been prepping for our Italy trip by doing some pre-sketches of the Colosseum and Pantheon—there’s no way I’ll have time to paint them in situ (my hands will be far too busy holding gelato). Consider yourself fairly warned: there’s likely to be a flurry of Italy-inspired art when I get back!
Writing moments
Despite the impossible (and let’s be honest, slightly bonkers) deadline I set myself to finish the first draft before our Europe trip, I only managed to add a few more chapters to the final book in the Rescue Quest series in June. Definitely less than I’d hoped. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned the hard way, it’s that when my headspace is off, the words just don’t flow—and this month has been full of other life things (see: personal moments, above).
So, after a bit of internal wrestling, I’ve decided to officially press pause on this WIP until at least August and give myself permission to enjoy the summer with my family. Tom, Aarna and Lev will still be waiting when I get back—probably rolling their eyes and muttering about being left in the story void 😆
Reading moments
I’m currently savouring an advance copy of the upcoming non-fiction gem by my pal Kate Tremills; Joyful Creating—and yes, it really is as lovely as it sounds. Kate’s kind, calming words have been a gentle nudge to step back from my own creative hustle and notice where I might be pushing a bit too hard. I’ll share more once I finish it, but so far, it’s like a cosy chat with a wise friend.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum, my guilty pleasure this month (and spilling into July) is the Gifted Academy series by Michelle Hercules. Dark supernatural romance? Strong female lead? I’m in. These are the perfect easy reads for long car journeys—and they’ll definitely be joining me on holiday.
I’ve also got Death Valley by J.F. Penn lined up—a dark thriller set in the desert, which I backed on Kickstarter earlier this year. I may or may not have sneakily read the first few chapters already... and let’s just say I can’t wait to dive back in properly.
More on all these books next time.
Some of the Substack articles I’ve enjoyed this month:
I really enjoyed these reads in June – I’m so grateful to all these writers for sharing their words so freely here, isn’t it just fabulous? I hope you find something here to inspire you:
In Quiet Quitting, Jennifer Louise talks about ‘the slow, deliberate decision to no longer pour every last drop of yourself into places that don’t see or value you’ and ‘a shift from survival mode to self-respect.’ I just loved this.
I also really enjoyed her post Eat Like You Love Yourself, which has some sage advice, particularly because like her I absorbed the idea as a child that food was something to manage rather than enjoy.
Rachel Conner’s wisdom in Your whole self is your superpower really spoke to me as I struggle to share the bits of me that I don’t like, but as she says; ‘when we hide our allegedly ‘weakest’ aspects, we miss rich opportunities to connect more deeply with others—and to feel more whole in ourselves.’
If you’re feeling a bit stuck creatively, read Take the Next Brave Step by Kate Tremills and just move one step forward. As she says ‘I believe in little moves. The shifts that give you just enough perspective to see the next step. I’m not sure that we’re ever meant to see the whole path. Otherwise, why would we need courage? Or faith?’
Sketch First. Think Later is a poignant post from Lynn Hardin considering my upcoming travels and an important reminder to show up ‘as I am, not as the artist I think I “should be” by now.’
Finally, the White Tee Shirt Rules by Stevie Martin. You must read this if you’ve ever struggled to keep a white tee shirt clean for more than five minutes. So funny and so damn true!
June Memories
And that was June.
A heads up: I’m going to be taking some time away from Substack over the sunny season to spend time with family and friends, and just enjoy all that these lazy days have to offer. There may be the odd post here and there but there will be no newsletter for July or August and I’ll be back with you all properly in September. In the meantime have a wonderful Summer friends, and enjoy all my archive posts for free.
Thanks for being here,
- Michelle 💙
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Have a wonderful summer break, Michelle 💕