Yay ‘Dwell’, Millie, and Pride!
Hi website journal!
Earlier this year I made some bookmarks/postcards/stickers/badges to send out with proof copies of my mother’s first published novel, Dwell! It’s a beautiful, beautiful story and… it’s released to the public on the 11th of June! She’s been writing it for so long, doing so much research and editing and planning on her office wall with cards and string. Her hard work has definitely paid off - the characters are so lovable and real, and the story is gripping. So immersive. The plot: it’s 1919, a 19 year old World War 1 veteran with (incredibly realistically written) PTSD falls in love with an 18 year old prefect at the all-boys school where he’s found work. They need to combat the period’s homophobia and laws, trauma, the return of an influenza pandemic, and their class divide. It’s also incredibly written (for example, “With no gardener here, ivy spent the war years invading and occupying Whitethorne. Now it camouflages the first two floors, twists round water butts, climbs drainpipes, and smothers windows. The next day, Monday, Albert braces himself to better it.” Ugh I love this book. Also her birthday is later this month, if you needed another reason to read it!
Pride was so fun and heart-warming, as always! I went with my sibling this time, and later than I usually go. It was fun to chat with everyone at their stalls, and as always seeing everyone be so visibly queer and confident is enough to keep me buoyed up for a long time.
My sister Millie graduates from her MA in Sequential Design and Illustration this summer! Here’s an article about her on the University of Brighton’s blog! She’s such a shining star, and her work on this MA is fascinatingly nostalgic and unique. I’m really looking forward to her graduation show in July, can’t wait to see her work in person (and her!). (She also runs a sewing alterations and mending company based in Brighton, if you need something fixed)!
I am: spring home organising; not replying to texts quickly; writing the script for a long comic; completing commissions; finally getting somewhere real with making my own sticker sheets at home (defeated the evil laptop-printer connection issue); trying to work up the courage to see a GP after having what I’m pretty sure is an ear infection(?) for 30 days now yikes; weekly therapy, and trying new ways of lowering my daily anxiety (more steps again, less sugar, getting out of bed quicker, listening to myself more, doing tasks, trying new places and foods). Huge wins, working through sickness, and missing opportunities. June so far feels like vertigo in the background and fresh air in bright green places under the sun with family members at the front of my mind. Long-term goals being met. Ticking things off. Focusing on the foreground!
(I’ve also been watching a lot of Airline after finding out it’s all on Youtube for free.)
Hope your June is going well too!
June! 6 months into 2026! 2026, we’re living in the future :O I have so much to be grateful for, it feels good to write it all down.