November and December Update

What I've Been Working On

Most of my work over the last couple of months has been for a brand. This is a bit of a change from my usual work, so it’s good to get some different experience and it’s been a refreshing change of pace to work on lots of shorter documents rather than spending weeks working through one manuscript.
​
I’ve also done a couple of sample edits for self-publishing clients and am looking forward to getting those booked in. And a client whose novella I proof-edited over the summer sent me a copy of their book! It really made my day to see the finished book in print – it's brilliant to see it all come together.

What I've Been Reading

I’ve read a lot over the last couple of months – too many books to go through here, but I wanted to share some highlights:
​
I flew through The Stranding by Kate Sawyer before Christmas and it felt like a perfect book for the end of the year – so deeply hopeful.

I’ve been reading some longer fantasy books recently, and I’m enjoying being absorbed in the book’s world for such a long time. I thought Ava Reid’s The Wolf and The Woodsman was richly imaginative and picked up on several important areas really well – fantasy is such a brilliant space to explore big topics in.

I absolutely loved The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, and am kicking myself for being so late to the party with this one! Still, it means I now have a nice long series to catch up on. The Bone Season felt incredibly strong for a debut and I’m so excited to see how her writing develops over the next couple of titles.

I was totally fascinated by Katie Ives’ Imaginary Peaks and since finishing it have found my mind regularly drifting back to it.

What I've Been Doing

I’ve been busy checking the long-term forecast slightly obsessively, hoping for a hint of some decent winter conditions on the mountains. Although the snow hasn’t really arrived yet, we’ve been lucky with some stunning days in Snowdonia recently. One glorious mid-December weekend had constant inversions and T-shirt weather on the summits; it felt like such an absolute privilege to be up in the hills.
​
I’m also trying to stick to a sea swim once a week (when it’s not too rough). I’d love to be able to keep dipping all through the winter, but my feet are definitely struggling with the cold and last time I ended up with the worst hot aches I’ve had for years! Still, only a couple more months until the water temperature starts to warm up again…