Lemon Soul Slices - October 2023
My 'not a newsletter' insight into writing life and top recommendations of the moment
Where did those three months go?
Seriously - who ate September?
Welcome to my irregular round up of all things related to writing life, and what has been filling my brain and soul with inspiration in the last couple of months.
A HUGE thank you as always for your support - if you love what I do, please do share it. It really makes a difference 🙏💕
Writing Life - a big decision
Writing life is very much a moving feast. Many of us do it as a side hustle, however in the last few months I have committed to making it my number one hustle - so no longer really a hustle.
I’m all in.
I am not taking on any more coaching clients, not creating online courses or running retreats - all things that I have loved doing, but which take me away from this; my sole/soul purpose.
There, I’ve said it...and the world hasn’t collapsed! Eek!!
So what does this writing life actually look like? Well it’s really separated into Substack, my books, and...well...quite a lot of dogs.
Substack life
Writing on Substack is such a joy. I have never come across engagement and support like it - and without wanting to be too gushy - that is because of all of you - you are amazeballs.
I responded to a question this morning by one of my favourite Substackers
regarding our current short and long term goals as writers on Substack. I still struggle with words like goals/targets/objectives from my years in corporate life, and interestingly, my mind went immediately to ‘build subscriber numbers’ and ‘have ‘x’ paid subscribers by ‘y’ date’, but then I stopped myself. That is not my goal. That may be an organic outfall, but it is not my driver. That kind of thing never has been...so what is?I describe this publication, Lemon Soul as ‘refreshing perspectives, slices of life, from the soul’, and whilst I hope this is what it brings, the overwhelming feedback I have received is that my writing makes people feel less alone. That my words bring comfort. I could not want for anything more.
So my ‘goal’? Well it’s to really foster this as a place for people to connect and feel understood. Somewhere you can drop in for a cuppa and leave feeling heartened, perhaps a little inspired, and indeed know you are not alone. I notice that I currently write more about grief and chronic illness than I expected I would - perhaps it’s a phase - perhaps it’s just very forefront in my mind, although I am not intending to ‘niche’ in these areas, I intend to keep the subject matter diverse.
I’d love to know your thoughts on this. How does Lemon Soul make you feel? How would you describe it? Your insight on this really is invaluable 🙏
In itself, Substack is just wonderful pool to swim around in - (see some of my top recommmendations at the bottom of this post). What has blown me away, is seeing where and how people are engaging with Lemon Soul around the world - Namibia, Brazil, Norway, India!!!
I loves a graph, I do.
Three people have bought a subscription to Lemon Soul as a gift to others - that pretty much made my cry (and I do NOT cry #heartofstone). Someone valuing it enough to buy it as a present for someone else. Just incredible. THANK YOU 🙏
I think I might market it as a unique and meaningful Christmas present. And whilst the ‘C’ word might not be yet anywhere near your consciousness - just think what Aunt Flo could do with a subscription to a publication she’s never heard of on a platform she doesn’t understand. Beats fluffy socks any day of the week.
And as for the other stuff? Well...
Book life - Breaking Waves
Last time I wrote about how Breaking Waves is ‘under submission’ with publishers...well it still is! Nothing happens quickly, although there is a very real chance that hopes on this route are fading the longer it goes on. I actually feel very sanguine about this. If my book baby is birthed through the ‘traditional’ publishing route - brilliant (obvs!!)- but if it doesn’t, that’s ok. If I self-publish I will regain an element of control, particularly around timelines, which means I can actually get the book out to all of you who are asking for it!
I should know more soon...
Book Life - Little Tufts of Tea
I have started my interviews for my second book about tea - what it means to you, what significance it holds in your families/cultures/histories. This is my favourite part of the whole writing process - meeting people, sharing our stories, connecting over the moments that make life what it is. My first interview inspired this recent piece. It was a truly beautiful conversation and I can’t wait to share more.
On top of that, I just received this very exciting package in the post!!
The tea for my forthcoming Tea Sommelier course with the UK Tea Academy 🫖. About four years ago, I took a week off work (so random) to become a ‘Tea Champion’, just because I flipping love the stuff. It was truly wonderful learning about the origin and history of tea, the processes and manufacture, the geo-politics, the rituals and culture - everything! By the end of that week I was able to ‘blind taste’ tea and know where it came from, what blend and type it was - e.g. white/green/black/pu-erh, high mountain/low mountain, from India/China/Sri Lanka/Kenya - just so interesting.
As I write Little Tufts of Tea I have decided to continue with the next stage of tea training and become a fully fledged ‘Tea Sommelier’ so I can really immerse myself in the wonder and knowledge of it. I can’t wait to see what unfolds in this chapter.
Being a fairy dogmother
So whilst writing is 100% my number one priority; given that I am not a breathatarian, I still need some income, which comes from my role as a fairy dogmother. Since I started dog boarding in July, it has been an absolute joy, and my writing life is now accompanied by a variety of furry friends of literally all shapes and sizes. There might even be a future book in there - who knows?
A picture paints a thousand words - so I’ll just leave this one here!
My recommendations
Clearly all the above doesn’t keep me busy enough, so here’s what else I’ve been reading, watching, listening to over the past few months:
Reading:
I did indeed tuck into Without Warning & Only Sometimes by Kit de Waal. A sensitive, warm and funny telling of an unpredictable childhood, about the nuances and complexities of growing up with mixed heritage in 1970s Birmingham, the unexpected impact of her mother becoming a Jehovah’s Witness, and glorious snippets of life in those times. More on my insta here.
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See was next - and this is SO up my street. Historical fiction is my favourite fiction genre by far. I have read a few of Lisa See’s other books - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Island of Sea Women, and this one did not disappoint. To my unexpected delight (you’d think I might have guessed from the title), this book has a huge focus on tea!! Specifically pu-erh tea, which is a fermented tea originating from Yunnan Province in China - I will explain much more after my Tea Sommelier course... This book expertly blends (see what I did there) epic family history and maternal love within multi-cultural contexts, amidst the magical settings of mountains and villages from a different place in time. Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure. I absolutely loved it.
My Brilliant Friend has been on my shelf for years, and I finally tucked into it whilst on holiday in Italy - immersing myself not just in the streets of Naples, but in the intimacy of this gorgeous friendship. An acutely observed study of relationships, family and peer influence, societal persuasions, with all the accompanying depth, complexity and nuance. The backdrop is gritty, glorious and evocative, and I am utterly delighted that this is the first book in a ‘quadrilogy’ (my new word for a 4-book series) as I want to be back there as soon as I can.
Stop the World I Want to Get Off is a book I bought last week at a poetry reading by my talented Substack friend
containing, as she describes, ‘words for when you want to leave the planet but don’t have billions to build a rocket’. It’s a real treat and I’m rediscovering my love of poetry.Currently, I am reading the simply wonderful Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. A retelling of sorts of the Dicken’s Classic David Copperfield, with the setting juxtaposed to the Appalachian mountains and the backdrop of the U.S. opioid crisis. More on this when I’ve finished it, but so far the writing is sublime - sharp, funny, caustic, warm, breathtaking.
Watching:
On which note - I recently watched Painkiller on Netflix - a brilliant dramatisation on the origins and ongoing impact of the aforementioned opioid crisis (there is a theme building here). I will talk more about this in another post, along with Disney’s very non-fairytale Dopesick, and the astonishing book Empire of Pain, but for now, it’s a must watch.
I have just finished When They See Us (also on Netflix) - the brutal, harrowing and heart wrenching dramatisation of the wrongly accused ‘Central Park Five’. Young boys aged just 14-16 who were jailed for a brutal crime they didn’t commit in New York in the late 1980s. I watched this with my teenage daughters which led to some truly insightful discussions about injustice, race, inequality, abuse of power, hierarchical society, forgiveness, family and friendships. Soon I’m going to show them In the Name of the Father about the equally wrongly accused ‘Guildford Four’...
I have somehow found myself watching Hijack on Apple TV, although my expert opinion as a former air traffic controller, is that it is a total crock of shit. Just when I though Idris Elba could do no wrong...he did this. The cast are brilliant - Archie Panjabi superb as always, as well as Eve Myles (both serious girl crushes), but even Eve can’t convince me that she knows what she’s talking about in front of a radar screen - and she keeps getting up and walking away from it!! That’s not ok!!! 🤣🤣🤣. That said, I can’t stop watching it...
Listening:
Suffice it to say my podcasts haven’t become any less intense recently.
I am ploughing through the The Teacher’s Trial, which is a follow up to the superb original series The Teacher’s Pet - about a young mother who goes missing (presumed dead) after her husband allows the (school girl) babysitter to move in - not just into their home, but into the marital bed. The original presented a complex web of grooming, betrayal, lies, deceit and mystery, however I’m finding the Trial series episodes a bit too long at about 90 minutes each. I want to get to the end, but it’s a bit like when a film is over 3 hours long - it really could do with being a whole lot more concise. (The irony of the length of this post is not lost on me!!)
I have, however, come across some excellent ‘bite size’ podcasts: The Retrievals is a shocking story about women undergoing egg retrieval for IVF, and not being believed when the painkillers don’t appear to be working - I won’t say too much, but it sharply highlights the dismissal of women’s pain, the disbelief of their experience, and again brings the U.S. opioid crisis into stark focus. Utterly gripping.
Burning Sun is part of The Immortals series - and is a mesmerising yet exceedingly dark expose of the underbelly of the shiny, glittery beast that is K-Pop. Sexual assault, slut-shaming, societal taboos, trolling, media complicity - so much to be aghast at, but it is quite, quite brilliant.
I really must commit to something a bit lighter for next time!!! I think I’ll start with the fabulous Gavin Sisters Wellness Show - especially as they are about to release a very special interview with a writer/tea sommelier/fairy dogmother/wild swimmer. Who could it be? Listen to this space.
Substacking: (new adjective from the verb ‘to Substack’)
Here are some of my recommendations for people to follow/subscribe to/engage with on Substack. There are many more, but these are my highlights of the moment:
by - Suzy is an incredibly generous and insightful writer. On Heart Leap, not only does she host writing hours twice a week (which I’d love to keep secret as it’s such a brilliant space, but it’s too good not to share), she also sets up accountability partners, is running a guided group through Julia Cameron’s ‘The Artist’s Way’, and also inspiring us to join her through 100 days of meditation. This is alongside a whole series of brilliant guest interviews from her ‘day job’ as a journalist! Her energy, thoughtfulness and community ethos are quite wonderful. by - ‘a newsletter that bears witness to the grief of chronic illness’. Emily explores this hugely relevant aspect of life with chronic illness, with honesty, sensitivity and intelligence. Combining interviews, essays, and discussions, she has created a highly collaborative and welcoming space. It’s really quite special. (And I came across this through the brilliant publication by - more on this soon). by Elizabeth - a weekly book recommendation newsletter covering such a variety of genres there truly is something for everyone. I love her style - engaging, entertaining and personal.My best bits
Last but not least...
Much as I try to stay away from algorithms and all such wizardry, it is interesting to see which have been my ‘most engaged with’ posts since I started writing on here, so I’ll leave you with a couple you may enjoy from the archives 💕 (sshh don’t tell, but a ‘trial’ will let you past the paywall)
Phew!!! That’s it for now!!! More later in the year, but I hope you enjoy this round up. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Love & lemons 🍋
Em xx
I definitely feel excited when I see one of your shares land in my inbox! Always a must read right away🍋
Thanks for the podcast recommendation, I’m going the Teacher’s Trial, I love those kinds of podcasts. I don’t know you well yet (new subscriber) but from the photo of those cute fluff balls I know we’d get on! How’d you like Naples? I was there this summer! From Sheila, a fellow chronic warrior (yeah just a chronic warrior I’m going to cut out the illness part haha 😂).