Last month, I was lucky enough to chat with J.J. Barnes and The Table Read, about my historical mystery novel, The Strangled Servant. 
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In it we talk about villains, inciting incidents, pantsing versus plotting, and social pressures in early 19th-century England. Have a read!

The other week I had the privilege (and terrifying, daunting, why ever did I think I could do this) experience of speaking to my local writer's circle on how I got my book published. 

I was super nervous. Clutching my lukewarm cup of too weak tea, I began talking about how I'd spent my Friday nights researching agents and publishers, then haltingly explained on Sundays I'd be querying and updating my spreadsheet, hoping against hope someone out in the ether would be interested. 

I only imagined I'd have enough to talk about for two minutes. But then the questions started, and I was wrong...

An hour and a half later, I finally stopped talking. Most of it was me answering questions on the process, what my publisher was like, the editing process. There were some funny questions in there and some serious ones like, 'What happens if you miss your deadline?'. 

All in all it was good fun and I'm grateful to the Hertford Writers Circle for putting up with me during their monthly session. It was great to talk shop and chat with the other writers there about writing, querying, revising, and publishing.

Big thanks to Kate Miller for organising it, and everyone else for listening and asking such great questions!

Cheers
ELJ

This past week has been a busy one. In one week, I've been featured in a national newspaper, done an author interview and talked for far too long about publishing.

Here's a snapshot:

I was one of a handful of creatives featured in a Metro article on creating the perfect environment for creative writing

I also gave a talk to my local writers' circle on how querying and how I got my book deal

And I was interviewed by J.J. Barnes at The Table Read, on plotting, research and what goes into crafting my mystery novel. 

Check it out!​

​This week I was delighted to be able to contribute to a conversation on Asian representation in Netflix's stunning period drama, Bridgerton. 

This was my comment:

E.L. Johnson, a historical mystery author, told Asian Voice, “Shondaland’s Bridgerton has been a pioneer in progress, in the sense that people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds are taking centre stage. Featuring actors from an Asian background in starring roles is a step in the right direction, and with any luck, we’ll be seeing more of this in the days to come.

“As viewers, we are there to be entertained and swept away by the costumes, the scandals and the lush romances of the ton in Julia Quinn’s portrayal of Regency England. Whilst some fans might question whether the depictions and cultural references are entirely historically accurate, it’s worth remembering that this is a period drama and is fiction at its best.

“What is great about this show is not the just the incredible romantic tension between Viscount Bridgerton and Miss Sharma, but the slight references to history, especially when it comes to the commercial relationship between the UK and India in the 19th century. The British East India Company was trading with India since the 1600s, so when Miss Sharma declares in the second episode how much she dislikes British tea, it may well be a subtle nod to the historical trade between those nations.”
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This week, I had the privilege of being interviewed by the talented S.E. Reed!

Have a read of her fabulous blog and check out our interview. In it we chat about my book, The Strangled Servant, why it's important for writers to take breaks, and my fav type of villain. 

For #WorldBookDay, this year's theme is 'You are a reader' and this got me thinking about childhood and looked back at the stories that inspired me to write.

Do you ever come across a book that reminds you of who you are? Who you want to be? For me, there are two stories.
 
At age 9, I read a story where I identified and admired so much with that character, now years later I still re-read that story about once a year, to remind myself of who I am.
 
For me it’s Princess Cimorene, who in Patricia C. Wrede’s Dealing with Dragons, batted off pesky princes whilst conjugating Latin verbs and learning fencing and magic, all while being a dragon’s princess. This story hit home for me and ever since, I read this book whenever I need to remind myself of who I want to be.

The second is Robin Mckinley’s The Blue Sword, where a young woman is transplanted from her homeland into a new country, and she doesn’t fit in. Being stolen away by a king with visions of the future is the cause that starts her road to self-discovery, and she learns who she is and just why her brother was reluctant to introduce her to a land known for its magic.

As an ex-pat living in a different country, feeling like an outsider resonates with me, and as a fantasy coming of age story, I love McKinley's work. 

​What books do you read that remind you of who you are? Leave a message in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

Cheers
​ELJ

This week, the Writer's Workout, a writing group I know and adore, very kindly let me contribute a blog to their website. 

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​In the post, I discuss three elements of storytelling I love, my own experiences as a newbie author, and waking up to 1 star reviews on my book launch day.  Check it out!

Cheers
ELJ

Nearing the end of last year, I saw a few people share how they're culling their twitter feeds, or cutting loose former friends they've lost contact with. It's also been the second year where London has faced serious COVID-19 restrictions, and only recently have rules been lifted where we're not required to wear masks everywhere.

Today I saw this poignant article about being ghosted by female friends, and it hit a chord. I'm pretty sure this has happened/is happening to me too. 

There's at least one person I know, let's call her Friend A, who I kind of think we're still friends. We certainly used to be, but she goes partying all the time, my instagram feed is full of her latest social outings and destination holidays and while they're lovely I feel like... Is she being safe, why on earth is she partying when people are dying (no judgment, people should take care of themselves) but also why hasn't she asked if I want to meet up for a quick drink? 

​We used to work together years ago and hang out and for a very very long time I was a poor student that could barely afford £3. I'm also a bit of a hermit and homebody, so my usual response is no thanks when getting an invite to things. The last time I saw her in person was before the pandemic, when we had agreed to go to a concert in Paris with another friend of hers (before the pandemic) and then I looked at my finances and realised there was no way I could afford it so had to back out. We haven't properly caught up since. 

But now that I see her meeting up and taking trips and socialising all over the place, and her thanking people for birthday gifts (and I'd forgotten it was this month, but then she's never remembered mine, ever) it makes me wonder if I'm the friend that's been cut out of her life, if we've just naturally gone different paths, or if I'm thinking about this entirely too much. 

I'm much more of a 121 kind of person, so if you need a loyal, steady listener whilst you share what's going on with you, I'm your gal. But for years now, I've gone to Friend A's birthdays where she's introduced me to the same people at least twice, and every time I see her she's surrounded by at least 5 people I can never get her alone to rekindle that connection, so I have a drink and make conversation with people I barely know, and then eventually leave as they're in South London and I'm wayyyy north (long commute home). 

Part of me thinks I should reach out to her and see if she wants to hang out but then I'm left thinking, she's made no overture to me, so... is there a point? In January I wished her a happy new year and asked how she's doing. I got a very basic reply, like, 'living my best life'. 

Am I jealous that she's travelling and having loads of cocktails in faraway settings whilst I work in my upstairs room near a cat scratching post? Yes, absolutely. Would I remember to hang out if my instagram feed wasn't full of her living her best life? I dunno. Do I feel like our friendship has pretty much faded? Yep.

What do you folks think?  Keep or cull Friend A?

In the Huffington Post article, it said that by the time you reach 40, you can pretty much count the number of close friends you have on one hand. At this point I can count about two. 
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Cheers
​ELJ