Description: Sometimes we need our friends to help us find our feet… When Keira first receives her breast cancer diagnosis, she doesn’t want to have to tell her family, or step back from work. She doesn’t want to sit in a hospital, or be part of a group of fellow cancer patients. Cancer is not her club. But as she accepts that her health is no longer something she can rely on, Keira finds herself embracing running. And running in the company of a group of brilliant, funny women each going through treatment unexpectedly gives Keira the hope she needs....
Welcome to My Creative Notebook, I’ve always been fascinated by the creative process and believe that everyone has their own personal collection of skills and abilities, which just needs time and encouragement to develop.
Finding the time and space to be creative is vital to sustain creativity, one of the most important actions in any day is to seize the moments which sometimes occur when you least expect it; to simply stand and stare, to be inspired by a beautiful view, hear a bird singing, or to watch your family laughing together. Treasure these moments; they form the rich tapestry of living in a creative way.
There are so many amazing sources of inspiration and I hope in this space to share ideas, thoughts, words, books, resources, art, photography, events and interviews, which I hope you will enjoy and find inspiring.
Despite this space being rooted in technology, I see My Creative Notebook as a starting point from which to go and do things!
Summer Serendipity at the Twist and Turn Bakery – Helen J Rolfe
(Heritage Cove series, Book 3) Description: It’s summer in Heritage Cove, the picturesque village by the sea. Join some of your favourite characters and welcome new faces in this uplifting, romantic read brimming with character, community and friendship… The Heritage Bakery is finally getting the makeover it deserves, with sisters Jade and Celeste modernising the place and putting their own stamp on it while retaining all the charm of days gone by. But Jade has far more planned than a brand-new kitchen and fancy cake designs. She’s ready for an even bigger change in her life. It’s almost time to take the next...
Starry, Starry Night – Marcia Willett
Description‘ We’ll always be together, won’t we?’ Childhood friends and cousins Leo and Alice had imagined their whole lives playing out on their beloved Devon beach. But one night when they are teens, sitting on the sand beneath the stars, Alice tells Leo a secret that must never be shared with anybody else . . . then packs her bag and flees. Leo is left to build his own life – without Alice. He surrounds himself with other family and friends and on the whole is content and fulfilled. But he is left with a sense of what – or who – is missing. So decades later, when...
The Never-Ending Summer – Emma Kennedy
Description: Three women. Two unforgettable road trips. Wherever you are in life, it’s never too late to find yourself. Best friends Agnes and Bea decide to embark on one last adventure before their adult lives begin. For Agnes’s mother Florence, a fresh chapter is starting as her youngest flies the nest and her marriage settles into a new routine. But she can’t help feeling that something is missing. As Agnes travels to London and Florence follows her heart to Europe, both will discover a world of possibilities they never could have dreamed of… Full of warmth, wit and characters who will steal your...
Interview with Author – Emma Kennedy
The Never Ending Summer has such wonderful depth and rich detail, how long did it take you to research and write this book? Do you have any plans to write a sequel? There was a lot of research involved. I usually take my time with research as I want to get details feeling authentic. I think I spent a month on reading around the subject for NES. A first draft normally takes me three months with a fortnight for second draft and a week for a third. I’m a very fast writer which is helpful when I’m juggling other things. You...
Is it the camera, or is it the eye?
Many people are nervous about photography, doubting their own creativity, or believing they need special equipment; but the technology within many smartphones is such that you can take some really brilliant shots just because you are in the right place and you have the right way of setting up the shot so that you capture a fleeting moment in time. Going on holiday is a wonderful opportunity to relax and open our eyes to the world around us. In our increasingly frenetic lives being creative with a camera can be immensely soothing and absorbing. Standing and watching the waves rolling...
Miss Austen – Gill Hornby
Description: A wonderfully original, emotionally complex novel that delves into why Cassandra burned a treasure trove of letters written by her sister, Jane Austen – an act of destruction that has troubled academics for centuries. 1840: twenty three years after the death of her famous sister Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury, and the home of her family’s friends, the Fowles. She knows that, in some dusty corner of the sprawling vicarage, there is a cache of family letters which hold secrets she is desperate should not be revealed. As Cassandra recalls her youth and her relationship with...
Thoughtful Leadership – A Guide to Leading with Mind, Body and Soul – Fiona Buckland
Description We need good leaders now more than ever: people who step forward, step up, and develop themselves in the emotionally skilled art of leading others. In Thoughtful Leadership, expert Fiona Buckland offers a practical approach to authentic leadership: showing you how to lead with the mind, body, heart and soul. Drawing on her work as a life and leadership coach, and an embodied facilitator, Fiona offers clear principles, processes and practices to help you understand and master the act of conscious leadership. In this book you will explore: • Leading with self-awareness, and understanding your strengths and weaknesses• Leading...
Growing Season – Seni Glaister
After a life-saving operation leaves her unable to have children, Sam is tired of talking about what might have been. Could a rural cottage be the fresh start she needs? Or is she running away from her problems? For her husband Danny, this was never part of the plan. He likes order and predictability. The countryside is just a bit, well – wild. But he wants Sam to be happy, even if he isn’t. If only Danny could tell Sam what is going on in his head. If only he knew what was really going on in hers. If only...
My Kind of Happy – Cathy Bramley
Description ‘I think flowers are sunshine for the soul‘ Fearne Lovage has always believed that life seems brighter with fresh flowers. She treasures the memories of her beloved grandmother’s floristry and helping her arrange beautiful blooms that made everyone smile. But a family tragedy a year ago left Fearne searching for her own contentment. What she needs is a fresh start. Then a chance discovery inspires her to start a happiness list, and Fearne feels a spark of hope. Life is full of surprises, and soon Fearne is well out of her comfort zone and loving every minute of it....