A Day In the Life by Rosie Nixon Author of The Stylist and Editor-in-Chief of HELLO!

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Margaret Graham

I’m woken up from dreaming of the gentle rustling of palm leaves in the sea breeze, by the muffled sound of – no, it’s definitely not a seagull – it’s a baby squawking in his cot. My sleepy husband next to me mumbles, ‘Your turn’. I haul myself up on to my elbows and peer at my iPhone: 6.30 am. Thank God it’s past six. Clever Rex! You slept through! The day is off to a good start. Some mornings I’m bleary-eyed if I’ve been up in the night with him, cuddling, administering Calpol, soothing him back to sleep with a warm bottle. Those nights are less regular now he’s nearing age one, and I’m actually missing them a bit. They are babies for such a short time. I pad downstairs and he greets me with open arms and a big giggle, standing up in his cot, raring to go. Now I can hear chatter coming from the adjacent room. Heath is awake too. We go in and collect him before going down to the ground floor for breakfast together.

Fifteen minutes later, mushy bits of museli, Cornflakes, Oatibix, strawberries, banana, blueberries and milk all over a highchair, breakfast table and four people, we’re done. I put Rex back in his cot for his morning nap and go back upstairs to get myself ready for work. I like to look reasonably smart during the week – a patterned dress, sandals and a combination of Monica Vinader jewellery, is a staple look.

Credit Kate Gorbunova

Just before 9 I rush off to drop Heath at nursery on my way to the station. I’m lucky it’s only a short train journey to Waterloo and then a five-minute walk to HELLO! HQ on the South Bank.

The day flies as soon as I reach my office – morning conference is a chance to catch up with the HELLO! magazine team on the content for this week’s issue, we discuss features, news stories and look through the latest photos. This will be followed by management meetings discussing strategy for the brand, perhaps lunch with a showbiz PR or a star themselves to discuss an exclusive or new idea, then more meetings about online, digital and video content. HELLO! is a multi-platform brand, so there is always so much going on. Sometimes I’ll have brought my party frock and heels in to work where I’ll quickly change and head off to an awards ceremony, launch party or press event.

If I’m not going out, I’ll rush to get home for bath and bedtime with my boys. I try to switch off my phone for that precious time. We are avid readers in our house, so bedtime stories are a must and then, all going well, both boys are tucked up asleep by 8pm.

I’m back catching up on emails once they are down, and my husband and I will cook dinner together, have a glass of wine and catch up on our days. Currently, I’m having fun mapping out my third novel in The Stylist series. Although life is busy, creative writing has become a part of my life – sometimes ideas will have been swirling around my mind all day, so I need to get them down. This is theraputic for me, and when it’s flowing well it’s a lovely way to relax.

I will try to get in to bed by 10pm, but 99% of the time it will be gone eleven. The last thing my husband and I will say to each other is ‘Please let them both sleep through.’

The Stylist by Rosie Nixon is out now (HQ, £7.99)

A Day in the Life of Rob Sinclair

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Margaret Graham

One of the hardest parts of my life as an author is actually finding the time to write. As I struggled with this realization while putting the finishing touches to my newest book, Rise of the Enemy, I wrote a blog post that was clearly tongue-in-cheek (see here). Again, on the day I’m writing this, I’ve just returned from a two week holiday so have a backlog of other tasks, starting with work in my garden which has turned into something of a jungle in the space of 14 days…

My life has changed immeasurably since I caught the writing bug some six years ago. At that time I was still working full time as a forensic accountant, but on the flip side I had no kids. Life was really quite straight forward, comparatively speaking. I drafted my first book, Dance with the Enemy, early in the morning before work, at lunch times, in the evenings and at weekends. It took a lot of dedication and commitment – I was spending every spare minute drafting and editing. Then something happened. I had two boys and my life was turn upside down – as was my house…

Both of my boys (they’re 4 and 2) go to nursery three days a week, so once they’re out the house at 7:30am it’s time for breakfast then exercise. By the time I’ve showered it’s usually about 9am before I start work. I do all of my writing sat on the sofa in the lounge with my laptop. Yes, that big dent right there is where I sit. Every day I feel like I’m a little closer to the floor.

It’s that first session, in the morning, when I always feel most productive and creative. I’ll generally blast through until about midday, with a couple of five minute breaks to make a coffee with my beloved Nespresso machine (every coffee-lover should have one)…

I break off at lunch and do a bit of housework before I get back to writing. By that point I generally feel a bit less enthused. Writing can be a mentally draining experience, particularly when you’re drafting and coming up with new ideas. The afternoon session ends about 4pm, then have an hour spare before I pick up my boys – generally more housework or checking my Twitter and Facebook accounts.

By the time the boys are in bed and my wife has come home and we’ve had tea it’s about 8pm by which point I’ll look to do another hour or two of promotional work; social media largely but also blogs/interviews if I have the mental strength left (which is rare!).

Then it’s in bed safely tucked up with a book for ten minutes (if I’m lucky) before lights-off between 10pm and 10:30pm – what a rock n’ roll lifestyle, eh?!

A Day In The Life of Author Frances Colville

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Margaret Graham

I’ve always been an organised sort of person; writing lists, making plans and generally achieving whatever I set out to achieve. Then I took early retirement and expected to devote hours to writing. But… But… There are, suddenly, all kinds of people making demands on your time. And there are so many things of interest calling to you.

All of this means I no longer have a typical day. But there are some typical elements.
I always make time to read. Have you ever worked out how very few books you can actually get through in a lifetime? A scary thought when there is so much wonderful stuff on my list and in my teetering pile. Then, if it is at all possible, I make time to walk down to the sea.

It takes me twelve minutes to reach my local beach of Seatown. I like it best when it is wild and stormy, when the waves crash in along the shore line and the cormorants have to battle to stay airborne. But whatever the weather, there is inevitably something different to see, something to provide writing inspiration.

And that is the other constant. I try each day to make time for whatever writing project is uppermost in my life This year there have been several main threads. I’ve organised a Story Slam in my local town of Bridport,

I’ve taken part in various performances and competitions, and I’ve been working on my Sixty List ( a project to do sixty new things in my sixtieth year and to write about them). But the biggest project and for me, the most satisfying, has been working on a local First World War story. I’ve researched it thoroughly, curated two exhibitions, talked about it on radio and TV, written about it for magazines and papers.

It’s the intriguing story of a young woman who contributed fresh eggs to the National Egg Collection for wounded soldiers and who decorated those eggs with paintings, poems and her name and address. In return she received thank-you letters from many soldiers. Now, as well as dealing with the factual aspects of the story, I’m trying to develop it as fiction.

So far, a couple of short stories have been successful and I’m working on a novel. But there’s a long way to go yet. And never enough hours in the day!

A Day in the Life of author Rosie Jackson

Posted on January 26, 2017 by Tracy Baines

A prize-winning author, Rosie Jackson is widely published. Her books include The Glass Mother, The Light Box, Mothers Who Leave and What the Ground Holds.

Rosie is a Hawthornden Fellow 2017. She is a member of Arts and Health South West.

My days vary depending on where I am with any writing project. When I’m in the middle of something big – my memoir, say, or putting together a collection of poems – it’s easy to be disciplined. I can happily sit at my desk six or seven hours each day and sometimes into the night as well, writing, editing, re-writing, re-editing… But in the fallow periods in between, I’m more self-indulgent, going for long walks, to see galleries, films, friends, travelling, rather like a camel stocking up on culture for the dry patches.

I live alone, so can be as flexible as I like with my time. But my 17^thcentury cottage and its demanding garden always find some job to tempt me away from my study, especially in the summer, and I have to be strong-willed to keep the writing going. It’s important to me not to get isolated. I belong to a couple of monthly peer groups – in Frome and Bath – for my poetry work, and am collaborating on my next project – a book of poems about the English artist Stanley Spencer and his first wife Hilda Carline – with Devon poet Graham Burchell. Exchanging poems with him by email for critique every few days helps sustain the momentum. I go to poetry readings and cafes, and also run writing groups, on memoir and poetry, which all add to a sense of creative community. Next month I go to Hawthornden Castle in Scotland for a fellowship – a whole luxurious month of nothing but writing, all meals provided. Thank you, Mrs Heinz!

Like most of us, I spend a lot of time on the Internet – there are so many excellent sites, blogs, tips, research, resources available at the click of a mouse- and I feel tempered use can really improve one’s work. I love receiving messages from people I don’t know who’ve suddenly discovered my books.

I make sure I exercise every day, even in the midst of a project. Nothing too fanatical, but for an hour at least I walk, cycle, or do yoga, and swim half a mile each week. I’m very impractical – oh, for a DIY husband! – and have to gear myself up to do jobs like checking car oil and tyres, buying replacement hoover bags, let alone decorating. I’d far rather be inside a book, whether my own or someone else’s.

What tends to get squeezed out is reading. If I’ve cleared time to be at my desk, I’m more likely to be writing than reading, and I need to find more time for that. It’s all about balance really – alone time and being with others; living enough to have something to write about; sitting and moving; being with words and in a space of silence.

I do try to carve some time out each day to do without words altogether. They are not, after all, as important as what we do, as the life we actually live.

A Day in the Life of Victoria Fox

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Margaret Graham

I wake up, wondering why I’m not on a beach in the Seychelles. Where is the sound of the ocean, the gentle sway of my hammock? This is the life a bonkbuster author ought to have: glamour, cocktails, lazy mornings spent penning a chapter in my satin bathrobe, all elegant turban and painted nails… Or maybe a gilded office in an LA mansion, surrounded by glossy ornamental panthers, à la the late, great Jackie Collins.

The reality is neither of these things. Instead, it’s downstairs in my Bristol cottage to warm a bottle of milk for my one-year-old. She’s already singing to herself, talking to her toys Michael, Jean and Trudi (I have to give proper names to every toy she owns, I don’t know why: she has a Duncan, for heaven’s sake). It takes us a long time to get dressed, interspersed as this is with removing every book I own from the bookshelves and having a good rummage in my underwear drawer), and all the while I’m imagining what happens next in my book. This was a trick an author friend told me a while back: when time is tight and opportunities are few, write the story in your head. That way, when you do get a chance to sit down and get to grips with the word count, it’s all there waiting for you. (This is advice I’d give any aspiring writer, by the way. Whether you’re on the bus, doing the washing up or queueing at the supermarket, write it in your head. It makes that blinking cursor much less scary.)

We go for a walk in the morning, up the hill to look at the lake. It’s beautiful, sunny, and there are a few sailboats on the water. I’m hoping she’ll drop off to sleep so I can sneak back and do an hour’s writing, but invariably she’s still babbling about something or other by the time we get home. Perhaps we’ll see a friend before lunch, or build that tower of colourful blocks for the six hundred and sixteenth time.

Ah, a nap! Early afternoon and I sit down to write. It pours out – and, oh, it’s nice to think about something that has nothing at all to do with babies. For a precious forty-five minutes, I’m whisked away to Italy (where my next book is set), drifting through the grounds of a fragrant Tuscan villa and getting lost in the lemon groves. Maybe I’ll answer some interview questions on my latest novel The Santiago Sisters, and immediately I’m transported back to Argentina, where the story begins and where I went on honeymoon. It seems a world away, before I even knew my daughter. In Patagonia, we rode horses and camped beneath the stars. I was always destined to know her, I realise: she was always in my stars.

Speaking of which, there she is, a squeak from upstairs. I’ve missed her a little and scoop her up for a hug. We decide to go to the zoo. She enjoys pointing at a gorilla, who is not impressed, and then she talks all the way home in the car: there are important messages to communicate but I have no idea what they are. I make the most of playing my music, because before long I’ll start getting requests from the crowd.

My husband comes home early evening. He asks me about my day. Judging by the washing up in the sink and the remnants of supper on the high chair, it looks like any other day. But I did get a mini-break to Italy, and to South America…and maybe tomorrow will be the same.

Victoria Fox’s The Santiago Sisters is out now.

A Day in the Life of Camilla Grebe – author of The Ice Beneath Her

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Frost is delighted Camilla has found the time to write A Day in the Life for our readers. Her books is excellent, and her advice to aspiring writers, is too. Read on.

I’m equally fascinated and amused by the misconceptions about life as a writer. You know, all the talk about creative anxiety, the booze and the glamorous lifestyle. To be honest, my life is nothing like that, although I consider myself extremely privileged to be able to work with what I love. And yes, I get to travel a lot and meet really cool people.

As a mother-of-two (and a dog owner), I wake up quite early to prepare breakfast and walk my nine-year-old Dalmatian, Ella. We live by the sea in downtown Stockholm – a beautiful location. As we walk pass the old ships we often stop for a coffee on one of the piers and watch people (me) and bark at dogs (Ella).

I mostly work from home, although I sometimes visit the Royal Library to write, surrounded by thousands of books – the library’s collection includes all works published in Sweden since 1661.

Before lunch I’ll go for a quick run or hit the gym – sitting in front of a computer all day can be really tough on your neck and back, so I need to work out. Also, I’ve discovered that the best way to solve a creative problem is to go for a run, as it really clears your thoughts.

I usually have lunch with a friend. Writing is solitary work, so I need to socialize during lunch or dinner, or else I fear I might turn into a hermit.

After lunch I spend another four to five hours working. Apart from the actual writing, I work on plots and do research into all kinds of strange subjects. For The Ice Beneath Her

I talked to a medical examiner about beheading (!), read articles on Inuit mythology and had a long e-mail correspondence with a man in Greenland to find out exactly how one would dig a grave when the ground is frozen solid. If someone should overhear me on the phone when I did research, chances are they’d think I’m a serial killer.

I have dinner with my family and always end up watching TV on the sofa afterwards. I’m a big fan of British and Scandinavian crime series and movies. If someone disturbs me in the middle of a movie, I’ll calmly explain that, hey, I’m working, not just relaxing in the sofa (since I need to watch TV in order to be a good writer!).

It is, at least partly, true.

Before I go to sleep I always read for an hour or two in bed. When it comes to books, I don’t exclusively focus on crime. I try to read different genres – everything from historical novels to horror and biographies. In fact, that would be my best advice to anyone who wants to become a writer: Read a lot. Read all kinds of books, good ones and bad. And learn to tell the difference.
The Ice Beneath Her is available now. Published by Zaffre at £12.99 E-book available.

A Day in The Life – of B A Morton

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Margaret Graham

For the last seven years I’ve juggled my writing around my job at the village GP surgery. Snatching early morning sessions when the household was still sleeping and late nights when a storyline just had to be written, but this month sees a great change in my daily routine. Sadly our much loved little surgery, the most remote in the UK, fell to NHS funding cuts and closed its doors to patients in August. Aside from the devastating loss of such a vital service in a rural community, I’ll miss the interaction with patients and colleagues, the community spirit and support and the frantic note-scribbling when eureka moments occurred, mid-surgery.

Harbottle Surgery

Now, for good or bad, I’m a full time writer and I’m both enthusiastic and a little daunted. I’ve written nine novels against the backdrop of stolen minutes and ridiculous deadlines, how will I adjust to this new freedom? Will my imagination and creativity fail me when presented with a nine-to-five regime? Will my, eureka moments, become contemplative, more eu and less eek? and will the lack of stimulus from the real world and its wonderful, larger than life inhabitants, negatively affect my writing? Only time will tell.

I have a new publisher, two new books to promote and four works in progress. Plenty to keep me busy and I suspect I will set my own ridiculous deadlines and snatch stolen moments as before, however in deference to the fact that I’m the least organised person I know, and I have chickens to feed, a dog to walk and a garden to tend, I decided to begin gently with a daily word count.

First day – minus 1,500. Oh well, lean and mean, those cuts were needed. Tomorrow, I’ll just write twice as much … And then there’s the book signings to arrange and the blog posts to write, oh and books to post and reviews to write…and all before coffee. I’ve banned the internet when I’m ‘working’ and cheated twice today. I don’t answer the phone – unless I forget – oops. And I don’t do ‘lunch’ unless I’m persuaded that it’s not merely lunch but a research trip – I’ve managed lots of research lately…

Ah, a writer’s work is never done.

Babs Morton was born in the North East of England, and as B.A.Morton writes across a number of genres including crime, romance, horror and historical fiction. After a twenty year civil service career, she and her family escaped the rat race and relocated to the remote beauty of the Northumberland National Park. She now lives in a cottage built on the remains of a medieval chapel.

A member of the Crime Writer’s Association and the International Thriller Writers, she is a self confessed crime fiction addict. In 2011, her debut novel “Mrs Jones” a crime thriller set in New York, took second place in the international literary competition, The Yeovil Prize, and launched her writing career. 2015 sees the release of two North East psychological thrillers Bedlam and Twisted with Caffeine Nights Publishing.

Website: http://bamorton.weebly.com/

http://caffeine-nights.com/

A Day in the Life – Martin Etheridge

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Margaret Graham

In September 1982, my life changed. I was in the Royal Artillery on a small arms exercise. The vehicle I was in veered off the road and went down a ravine. Five of my mates were killed outright and the driver broke his neck. I was 20 years six months at the time; the first I knew of my accident was when I came out of coma on my 21st birthday. A lot of my family had gathered at my bedside and that’s what brought me round. The guys in the beds round me had come back from the Falklands (but I didn’t even know it had all kicked off!)

The injuries I sustained have proved a major limitation to my mobility (I use crutches and a tricycle to get about) and to my speech; I make myself understood, but long conversations prove difficult, However, you can’t ignore me (I rather overdo the volume to compensate for a lack of clarity in my speech!) WHAT, YOU DIDN’T HEAR THAT?

Although verbal communication is a challenge, I have always had a bit of a talent with words – I used to act (with Graeae) and sing (before the accident). In recent years, I have got into writing and have recently completed my first novel, which has just been published.

The book features the tale of a street cleaner who overcomes adversity – drawing on some of my own experience, although his period of “rehab” was a lot shorter than mine. The book is aimed at young adults and upwards.

Although my mobility has been severely limited, I pride myself on my independence, and get out and about round my local community in Isleworth and Twickenham, as well as taking overseas holidays under my own steam. I don’t usually read my book when cycling, but nevertheless the local drivers steer well clear…:

I’m always working on my general fitness. It’s not like army training now, but I’m a regular at the local swimming pool (Pools on the Park in Richmond). The staff are always on hand to support me:

Although my first book is only just out, I’ve already written a sequel (“Malcolm’s Mediterranean Misadventure”) and hope to keep developing as a writer. I’m doing some local book signings to support the sales of my first book, even though writing with a pen is difficult for me and I often slip back into using the typewriter that my uncle gave me when I was recovering in hospital.

What a Load of Rubbish by Martin Etheridge (published by Clink Street Publishing 29th September 2015) is available to purchase from online retailers including Amazon.co.uk and to be ordered from all good bookstores.

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Tag Archives: A Day In The Life

A Day In the Life by Rosie Nixon Author of The Stylist and Editor-in-Chief of HELLO!

A Day in the Life of Rob Sinclair

A Day In The Life of Author Frances Colville

A Day in the Life of author Rosie Jackson

A Day in the Life of Victoria Fox

A Day in the Life of Camilla Grebe – author of The Ice Beneath Her

A Day in The Life – of B A Morton

A Day in the Life – Martin Etheridge

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: