Dear Friends
It’s 2pm on Sunday 25thAugust and I’m sitting in a park in Leith enjoying the sunshine; I’m also trying to figure out how to break the news that I’ve decided to make this the last instalment of my blog.
It was pointed out to me today that I now spend most of my time in Edinburgh when I’m not writing, so it feels a little silly to continue with a project that is called ‘My Glasgow Life’.
Back in March when I wrote my first post, I was newly single, I’d just moved country, and I’d finally (fucking finally) made a career breakthrough with the publication of my novel ‘Vicky Romeo Plus Joolz’. I was excited by all the possibilities that might arise from me being back in Scotland where my roots and my friends were, but I was also uncertain about my future and a little heartbroken at closing that last chapter of my life. I wanted to write an honest account of what it’s like to live as a queer, agender, neurodivergent Scottish vegan writer – and I think I achieved that to an extent. But, if I’m honest, I mostly just wanted to distract myself from the sadness that followed the break-up of an eight-year relationship and the gnawing doubts that my second novel wasn’t progressing as quickly as I expected.
I still haven’t filled the plot-holes in novel number two (Kingstreet) and I am only marginally closer to the elusive 100,000 word mark than I was months ago when I wrote the post ‘A Work In Progress’; I’ve not quite finished unpacking my things, and neither my CV nor my website are entirely up-to-date.
But I’m getting there.
Moving back home was a good plan for me because of several different reasons: for a start, I got to reconnect with the Scottish writing scene and go to friends’ book launches without having to involve myself in a cross-country adventure; if I hadn’t come back when I did then I most likely wouldn’t have gone to the ‘Now And Then: Queer Bookshops In Scotland’ event at the Scottish Parliament, which means I’d never have met my current girlfriend. And if I was still living in England, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to mow through the entirety of Serenity Now (vegan café in Great Western Road) ’s menu – true story.
Ironically, I am heading back across the border to Suffolk next week to take part in the Primadonna Festival. It’s been rumoured that ‘some of the biggest names in UK publishing’ will be in attendance, and I’ll be appearing alongside an amazing line-up which includes Danish comedian Sandi Toksvig and Scottish creatives Nadine Aisha Jassat and Gray Crosbie; I am particularly excited because my friend Kit De Waal (author of ‘My Name Is Leon’, ‘The Trick To Time’ and ‘Becoming Dinah’ will be interviewing me about my work.
So I guess that’s all folks. At least for the foreseeable future. I’m not saying I’ll never write another blog, but I realised recently that I’m probably better sticking to fiction… and maybe another memoir… one of these days… we’ll see ;)
Much Love
Ely