Feeling the Fear February
First hotel bathroom selfie!
There was a famous advice book when I was in my 20s called Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.
This past month I’ve done that and really been out of my comfort zone. I did my first stand-up comedy gig in years. I used to feel nervous and excited, but this time, my older brain was mainly anxious. Luckily I got through it and had some laughs. I also got a hugely dry mouth half way through and my lips stuck to my teeth! My couple of friends there said you couldn’t notice… I’m hoping they were right…
A couple of weeks ago I was so chuffed to take part in an author panel. James from Optindiebooks organised the event to show all the different routes to publication and I really enjoyed it. Other authors sharing their stories were Katherine Livesey, Emma Whitehall, Mark Hammond and Yvonne Vincent. There’s a recording of it all coming so keep an eye open for it if you’re interested.
Some of you probably know I come from Sunderland and a famous son Baz Warne, a member of The Stranglers, did a fantastic talk at Pop Recs in the city in February. I saw The Stranglers on their first tour at Newcastle City Hall and it blew my mind - it was so punk and different. Baz talked about growing up and how he was asked to join The Stranglers and thought about it as he walked to pick his children from school, across a park right by my own childhood home. There were loads of lovely moments like that.
From one extreme to another…a few nights later I saw one of the world’s most famous burlesque dancers Dita Von Teese in Stockton on Tees – very apt. She was gorgeous and had some beautiful scenes including a famous one where she bathes in a giant cocktail glass. However, there was also an act by a very much older burlesque dancer, who bared quite a bit and had a lot of tasselled nipple action!
I was lucky to go to London last week and saw Bryan Cranston, the star of Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle. He was appearing in an Arthur Miller play All My Sons. His performance was very charismatic although the play wasn’t exactly my cup of tea.
Capping off February was a trip to Bay Tales, the crime-writing festival in Whitley Bay. I was a volunteer helping authors get from the stage to the signing tables and generally around the backstage area. This is quite the challenge as I have a terrible sense of direction. If any famous crime writer is missing, I suspect they will not have been murdered but will turn up in a dressing room cupboard that I’ve inadvertently locked them in.
If you love thrillers and crime I recommend going along. It is like a Who’s Who of that genre. The next one takes place Saturday 27 February 2027.
As part of a Bay Tales fringe event I got feedback for my new, draft political novel pitch by two literary agents. My line was Being Prime Minister is within her reach but so is the vodka. I had aimed for a tense thriller vibe but the whole room burst out laughing so it was lovely but not quite what I had planned! Maybe I need to stick to comedy…
Watching and Reading
I’ve watched some great TV this month and can recommend Small Prophets by Mackenzie Crook (Gareth from The Office). It was warm, funny and intriguing. If you like thrillers I also enjoyed The Gentlemen TV series created by Guy Ritchie. The script and acting were spot on. It was also very darkly amusing.
It’s been out a little while but I caught up with Black Doves with Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw. It has loads of tension and had me gripped.
It’s been a busy month so I’ve not read much but did finish Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley. It’s been a best seller and was an interesting love story based in modern life and one woman’s desire to find happiness. Highly recommended.