Vibrant Imaginative People

March 2024, Issue No. 25

Your VIP Newsletter from Soulla's Writing Room

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Hello dear friend and VIP,

How are you?

Spring is a time of new beginnings, looking forward and catching the magic of every little moment unfolding around us and with my next book THE MAGIC OF MIRAMARE with my publishers I can look forward to new projects and already have ideas percolating!

How are you planning on welcoming spring, or the turning of summer into autumn depending on where you're reading this.

It feels good to be sitting down at my laptop writing this... it's my first day back in London after a wonderful week's holiday on the Portuguese island of Madeira and it looks like I have brought the sunshine back with me.

Sitting back at my laptop writing this for you is a lovely way to ease myself back into writing and the work I have lined up over the next few weeks.

It's been a busy month (when is it never?) and I am full of the excitement that comes with embracing new possibilities, opportunities and ideas.

Whatever the last few days of March and the next 30 days of April bring, I hope that you look after your mental and physical well-being.

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VIBRANT ways to keep afloat when you are struggling with your mental health.

One of the biggest takeaways form London Book Fair this month was managing my health as a writer and not only my physical wellbeing but me mental wellness too.

I sat in the packed-out audience in Author HQ, one of the seminar spaces at Olympia, hosted by the incredible Society of Authors. I listened intently to four people who spoke passionately and openly about mental heath, and being a writer, and the ways we can tackle this and keep ourselves buoyant and happy and productive.

These are the 4 thoughts which resonated with me (either because I thankfully already do these, or which have reminded me that I am only human and there’s only one of me)

1.    “You do everything else for everyone else, but we need to stop and think about what we are feeling, what is coming up for us, what do we need to do to make sure we, too, are okay… a regular mental-health check in will signpost anything out of balance.” ~ Chloe Pierre, thy.self

2.    “Don’t make the mistake of keeping physical and mental health separately… we are human beings and need to take a holistic approach if we are to get the most out of our writing.” ~ Dr Richard Pile, Feel Good For Life

3.    “Think about what success means to you and understanding what matters to you will stop you from comparing yourself to other people.” ~ Anna Frame, Canongate Books

4.    “Rejection really stings at the time… success looks different to everybody and it’s so important to look at what you have created, you have done something which wasn’t there before… and do not focus on rejection. With every failure comes an attempt at success.” ~ Hannah Berry, Graphic Novelist 

Which of these resonates with you and how do you balance life's demands with your own care? How will you continue to shine your vibrancy and to keep on writing, creating and working on what you love? 

My secret is taking little breaks even a day off and remembering to give thanks for all that I have in my life. Gratitude goes a long way to keeping me happy, focused and productive.

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IMAGINATIVE LIVING, CREATIVITY AND OUR IMAGINATIONS

I’ve been working on a manuscript where the author is writing a fictionlised story punctuated with a series of disturbingly deep and traumatic life experiences. Our imaginations can take to the darkest of places and yet there is light in this story too.

The work is a contemporary story, and the author has woven parts of Alice in Wonderland into her work which makes for a beautifully enchanting and imaginative twist on her story.

And quite coincidentally a lovely publisher at London Book Fair gave me a copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Through the Looking-Glass, which is beautifully illustrated, and will be joining a host of other new books I was lucky enough to pick up for free on the last day of the fair. It got me thinking how so many of the books we read, or read as children, impact on us, often without us realising.

The author I'm supporting through editing and rewrite feedback, has a beautifully painful and haunting story to share but with the elements from Alice in Wonderland woven into it makes for mesmerising reading and I'm hoping to be able to shout about with lots more detail soon.

What book keeps pulling you back again and again into its pages or themes?

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PEOPLE AND THE THINGS THEY SHARE WITH US

I am blessed to have so many creative people in my life and most recently I connected with Sandra who produces beautiful postcard sets and prints; you may have seen her first set on my Instagram pages, which I helped promote.

Her beautiful website, says this and it is an invitation which is hard to resist...

"The Wild flower postcard subscription box... switch off, connect with others, be mindful and reduce your stress levels with the Wild flower postcard subscription box."

Sandra is an artist through and through and she loves photography and flower art and produces floral, fruit and veg flat-lay art using home-grown produce from her own garden and kitchen. says, 'You could say art and nature are in my blood! Ever since I was a kid, I'd be drawing in the kitchen or rolling down the grassy hills with my friends, surrounded by flowers. That feeling has never left me.'

Who would you send a postcard to and what would you say?

The last time I sent a postcard it was to a dear friend who was feeling low and she needed a little pick-me-up. I remember filling it with kind words and a few of my favourite quotes. She said it made her smile when it landed on her doormat. If that isn't a reason to send one, then I don't know what is.

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So, with spring in the air, postcards to be written and a little imagination, I hope you all enjoy the Easter weekend if you're celebrating and I wish you all a wonderful new month ahead. Remember to make time for you, for relaxing with a book and spending time with your loved ones.

Lots of love, chocolate kisses, Easter bunnies and chicks

Soulla xxx

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