Who am I?
You might know me as The Teenage Brain Woman, an award-winning author and speaker who has worked for many years to try to improve the mental health and resilience of young people and to empower and support the adults who care about them. I’ve written and spoken about teenage brains, how stress and anxiety affect learning and performance, sleep, screens and social media, body image, friendships and peer pressure, resilience, empathy, introversion an ways to build brilliant brains and strong humans.
I am more than that and now I want to flex the other parts of my life, work and experience. As I get older I want to do more, not less. So, read on for what to expect in this substack.
I’m still the Teenage Brain Woman so anything new that comes along on that I will write about here. If you follow me because of that work, you won’t be disappointed. Parents and teachers, I’m still here!
I’m writing fiction again - it’s hard after so many years away from it but I’m clawing my creativity back and I’ll share that with you. I’ll let you into what’s going on with the novel I am attempting to write - and it’s currently like getting the plasma from the blood from a stone so watching my pain could be fun for you.
The Crabbit Old Bat is back! Google that phrase and you’ll see what I mean. So, there will be writing advice for those of you who are trying to write and perhaps trying to be or stay published. My advice is strong and is not just based on my own experience: I have also chaired committees in the Society of Authors and am a Fellow of the Society, so I have a very wide network of authors who tell me how things are for them. And then there was my popular Help! I Need a Publisher! blog and the books that came from it. I used to run a consultancy and helped over a 100 writers through that.
The reading brain is still very much my thing. I’ve been writing and speaking about it for years and some of you know about readaxation. So there will probably be some of that here.
Why subscribe?
Everything on this website is free, for everyone. I had originally intended to have mostly free posts and then some just for paid subscribers. But I changed my mind and now everything is free but, because I know some people like to support me (and because good words are worth paying for!) readers can choose to contribute. If you click the button, you’ll see some options.
The site and what I do on it will evolve - it already has as I work out what I can best do here. I’d love to do some audio and video, too, perhaps some readings from my books. And when there’s enough of a community, there’ll be some Q&A sessions. Do ask me questions and do contact me with things you’d like me to write about.
Join me
Whether you’re interested in young minds and mental strength, fiction and the creative process, how to be (and stay) a published writer or just getting insights into a creative mind and life, you’re in the right place and I am here to engage with you on all that.
