July Round Up
Consisted mainly of rewrites...
July started with me having to admit defeat and not be able to go north for Shetland Pride this year after all. Never mind - next year, with a bit of luck.
With having just signed with my agent at the end of June, though, I have been kept busy with rewriting parts of my manuscript in order to ready it for publication. The ending required a rewrite which I managed to complete and get sent on to my agent, so I’m waiting to see how that’s looking.
I also got to compere Speakin Weird again this month, which was good fun. The Wanderlust Women came up from Glasgow to headline, and of course the open mic performers were also excellent.
I also got to visit Glasgow again this month to go and see Red Hot Chili Peppers at Hampden Park. I’d previously had tickets for the Bellahouston Park gig which they had to postpone at the 11th hour, but it was good to finally get to see the gig. On support was King Princess, who was wonderful, followed by the Roots who were extremely energetic. It rained during the support sets, but this didn’t dampen any spirits.
The Chilis, therefore, had a lot to live up to, but they more than delivered, even if there were a couple of conspicuous absences from the setlist.
Next month my plans currently involve New Pitsligo Spoken Word Festival on the Saturday, as well as heading back to Shetland for a long overdue visit to family.
Books I've Read This Month
Heartstopper Vol. 1-4 - Alice Oseman
We had the first two volumes at my work, so I borrowed them to see what the fuss was about. I ended up devouring them in one sitting each and requesting the latter two from the library, after which I did the same. Charlie and Nick attend the same all-boys school, although Nick is the year ahead. Charlie came out as gay the year prior and was badly bullied as a result. They only meet for the first time when their maths teacher sits them together in class. The two strike up a friendship that begins to grow into something more - however Nick, who is the school's rugby team captain, struggles to figure out who he is, and both of them experience mixed reactions to their newfound closeness from their respective friend groups and families. The latter two volumes deal with darker themes, including eating disorders and mental health issues, but these are also handled superbly. A beautiful story told mainly through its gorgeous illustrations with sparse dialogue, it explores LGBTQIA+ themes in an accessible and touching way, and the leads are easy to root for. Looking forward to the fifth and final volume, and thinking to give the Netflix series a look too.