Emma

Some Union Jack flag-bearer on Threads replied to me and said “there is only one answer: the legal one” and I was like… how close you are to being right, my friend.

Additional joy: boyfriend and I have decided that we deserve midweek wine so he’s going to get some on his way home from work 😍

(NB: please don’t continue the debate in my replies, I am fully abreast of both the facts and the many and varying opinions.)

I can’t help but laugh when someone on social media innocently asks if NI is part of the UK or part of Ireland. Like… yes, there’s been quite some debate about that, Margaret.

2011 me would be so unbelievably tickled to know that 2025 me would cast That Guy From That Play I Watched Seventeen Times to read the audiobook of a book I edited. Tbh 2026 me is pretty tickled by it too.

Today’s tiny joys:
1. Wearing barrel jeans even though they’re not “flattering” because they’re comfortable and they make me feel great
2. Giant blueberries and strawberries with Greek yogurt and granola
3. Finally getting time to descale the coffee machine (I never said I was interesting)

where does it go?
where will it stop?

these are valid questions, Carol Sturka

House of Guinness is *so* ridiculous — almost offensively so — but also, it is *so much fun*.

Can’t wait to read this one!!

Thought the couple I was sitting next to at the airport were super-cute but turns out they’re COLLEAGUES HAVING AN AFFAIR 😱

Did this again, but had João Pedro as my captain, so am miraculously sitting on 86 sweet points and have risen to third in my mini league, 2 points behind first place. I am, indeed, a jammy bastard.

Aer Lingus’ new cabin bag policy (which is, essentially, no more 7kg cabin bags unless you pay a fee but you can check in a 10kg bag for free) is *delightful* to those of us who bloody hate toting around cabin bags. And have a total inability to pack light.

4. What a great book proposal looks like (and what to avoid)
5. Most of all, the question people really want the answer to: HOW DO I GET MY DARN BOOK PUBLISHED? And if we can answer that for you for the price of a cup of coffee and a bacon bap, you'll be on to a winner.

Some of the things we'll be talking about:

1. How a book goes from submission to the shelf
2. What we, as editors, do (I guarantee we'll see four wildly different answers on this one...)
3. How genre, current comparison titles and current trends influence your chances of getting published

I'll be at this panel on Saturday at Portsmouth Central Library, where we'll be attempting to "demystify publishing" (something which will be very useful for me, never mind the audience). Please do come along if you can – it would be lovely to see some friendly faces!

wegottickets.com/event/683469

(This was, to be clear, entirely accidental, so she may have a point)

Apparently this is “not very good Granny-ing”

I’m in the kitchen making dinner. My kid comes in and unceremoniously dumps her doll on the chopping board. “Can you look after my baby, Mumma? I’ve got stuff to do.”

I’ve seen the future, and I’m not going.

This is THIS WEEKEND, wtf. Please say hello if you come along!

Kind of feels like we’re living in the era of Finding Tiny Joys to distract us from whole The World Is Falling Apart thing (by which I mean I liked Harry Styles’ dance at the Brits).

Yeah, that rejection sensitivity thing is a Whole Thing, innit.

Imagine if we’d ever had to argue about an editorial decision! (Or maybe this is precisely why we never did… 🧐)

Ah that’s so kind, thank you Louisa x

Guess who forgot the FPL deadliiiiiine 🙃

I am super conflict-avoident and this week I have had arguments with two people, and honestly, it has shaken me up immeasurably. Do not recommend. (I should probably work on this.)

So good. SO good.

I see 90s heroin chic is back. And this time she’s brought buccal fat removal. Hoo boy.

Also I regret to inform you all that those spiky rubber balls you put in your tumble dryer to reduce creases and make things softer do, in fact, work.

I have finally discovered the perfume I love enough to make my signature scent (DS & Durga’s Debaser) and I absolutely cannot afford to do so 🙃

Forgot to do anything with my FPL team for the last two weeks, went up from 8th to 5th in my mini-league 🙃