Short stories & moments of comfort and calm.

Behind the paywall of Once Upon A Bookshelf.

Hello dear friends,

Come on in to this new sub-section of The Adventure Started With You. I am so excited to be here writing to you and can’t wait to explore more of what this little space is about.

I have just finished my lunch of beans on toast. I haven’t been very well this week thanks to my children kindly sharing their 'back to school’ germs with me. So kind of them. For some reason it takes me so much longer to get over an illness than it does them. The main reason for this? Rest. Or lack of, in a parents case.

I have been fortunate enough to be able to work from my sofa as much as possible this week, getting up for the school run, clubs drop off, cook the tea and keep on top of cleaning the house and the wash pile. It’s scary how that thing grows after just a day of neglect.

So beans on toast is my choice of comfort food on this blustery autumnal day. My slippers are on and I am wearing an old hoody over my dress. Even if my head still feels a bit fuzzy, at least a part of me feels comforted.

I decided, now was a good a time as ever to write to you introducing “Once Upon A Bookshelf”. As I finally plucked up the courage to turn on paid-subscribers, I thought long and hard about what I can offer on the other side. After much reflection and dabbling with ideas, I have decided to stick to advice offered by many: “write what you love.” Initially this seemed a bit wishy washy. Who else is going to be interested in what I love?

But as the latest Autumnal catalogue dropped through my letter box, I opened it to find that, as it turns out, lots of other people love the things I do: cosy, calm, seasonal and storytelling.

And that, my dear friends, is exactly what you can expect to find here.

Every other Friday I will send out a short story; the first one is going out next Friday which is the 13th (let’s not dwell on that being an unlucky omen!) It is about an island off the north east coast and young lady called Hannah who is searching for something more than an adventure.

The Fridays in between, will be an invitation to find your inner calm, create your cosy space and join me in creating your pocket of comfort just for you. I spend 90% of my time surrounded by plastic barbies and footballs, very stereotypically, but I have learnt how to shut all that out when needed. I create my little pockets of cosy when I am craving them, writing my family meal plans and planning our days out. Or simply when I want to read more of my book and ignore my list of jobs for twenty minutes longer.

There will be seasonal recipes, cosy TV and book recommendations, home decor and tips for rest.

From my home in the wilds of Northumberland, I would love for you to join me on a Friday as we prepare for the weekend, clearing our minds and creating our cosy spaces so we can feel rested and inspired for the weekend ahead.

Starting next week, Once Upon A Bookshelf will only be available to paid subscribers so if you would like to join me, please don’t miss out and upgrade your subscription below.

For those of you who are happy to read my occasional newsletters, sent direct to your inbox, you are of course more than welcome to stay as you are as a free subscriber :) I am just happy to have found a community that takes me away from my day job on social media.

Hope to see you next Friday!

Beth .x.

I also write for Creative Book which offers marketing support to creatives. You can sign up here.

You will find me contributing to Culture Northumberland which offers opportunities, advice and stories from those working and living in Northumberland and are part of the cultural sector. You can sign up for those newsletters here.