#85 A Slow Sunday Scroll ☕️
it's officially autumn 🍁 and a NYC book tour!
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I once heard an author describe how she prepared to get ~match ready~ before a book tour (a combination of good diet, sleep, exercise and filling up the creative well). Writers aren’t singers, athletes, or boxers—but in our own way, we still need to prepare. We have to protect our voices, conserve our energy, and take care of ourselves. This applies to everyone, no matter your profession or lifestyle.
In my twenties, I didn’t prep for my book tours. I’d toss underwear and a packet of crisps in a tote bag, hop on a train/flight, and wing it. Now, I understand my needs better—and honour both sides of creative life (public and private). Most days I’m tucked away in my cosiest space at home, writing or reading in solitude. But when a book comes out, I step back into the world to meet people and talk about the work. These are two radically different modes of being, and shifting between them takes practice. It’s weird to be ‘perceived’ on a stage, after months and months of quiet solitude.
Right now, I’m getting “match ready” for my first U.S. book tour: ten packed out days in New York. I’ll be filming in bookstores, speaking at events, going for dinners with industry contacts. (I’m over the moon that Table For One was picked this week by People magazine’s ‘book of the week’! Genuinely very surprised/delighted—I’m a very TINY fish in terms of the American book industry and A LOT of people read that magazine! Wow!)
I’m currently writing this from the sofa in London, wrapped in a big heavy blanket. I no longer feel guilty for resting. I know that soon I’ll be wearing my Dr. Martens, a new coat, and stomping through the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It’s all about balance, the yin and the yang. I can’t bring my best self to the tour without first giving myself some very slow days.
If you’re based in NYC, please come! There’s still tickets left for two of my bigger events at The Strand and Books Are Magic! I’m excited for my trip. I adore New York, especially in autumn, especially October. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I “manifested” this, but I have watched more than my fair share of Nora Ephron films, and I often find myself in bed scrolling through photos of pumpkins perched on stoops. My favourite trees are the tall purple Sweetgums that brighten the streets of Williamsburg. I love the crisp, sunny days. I love Trader Joes. I love CVS. I love Nordstrom Rack. I love the big McNally Jackson at the Rockefeller Centre. I love the Union Square Barnes & Noble. I love walking around with an oversized takeaway coffee from somewhere utterly unglamorous, like Dunkin’ or Starbucks. And I especially love the way people say “fall.”
For me, preparation for an upcoming busy ten days in NYC looks like this: resting my voice. Gently moving my body. Saying ‘no’. Choosing early nights over weeknight catchups. Turning down last-minute deadlines. Reading, relaxing, and getting on top of emails and admin before I leave. Taking long walks for fresh air. Going on a retreat for a few days. Seeing and phoning my friends. Pulling tarot cards and trusting that everything will unfold as intended.♥
I just got back from a trip to Malta! I wrote a separate post about it below as a little bonus read! Spoiler alert, we ate a LOT of great food. ↓
Come and join me at one of my NYC events! I’d love to say hi & I’ll sign your book! 🇺🇸
If you live in New York, or nearby, I’d really love to see you at two of my main events at The Strand or Books Are Magic. <3
THE STRAND, Thursday October 23rd: Join Glynnis MacNicol and I in conversation 🎇 Tickets HERE 🎇
BOOKS ARE MAGIC, Friday October 24th: Join Aminatou Sow and I in conversation 🎇 Tickets HERE 🎇
Slow Sunday Scroll Picks
The best things I’m reading, listening to, watching…..
— Is the Talk Show Dead?
— On being more analogue
— Ann Patchett on glowworms
— The dawn of the post-literate society
— The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem
— Why self-help might be making you feel worse
— The Outrun film, one year on
— Substack is a social media app
— The Art of the Impersonal Essay by Zadie Smith
Check out an interview I did this week with the wonderful 88-year-old author Sophy Burnham:
Below the paywall today are some books recommendations, a gorgeous house tour on YouTube, a TV show I can’t wait to watch, podcasts that I’ve found eye-opening and a really good Halloween mug (plus more). These round-ups take me hours to compile, so I appreciate paid subscribers keeping the lights on! A year’s subscription works out as £4 a month.
