In the days following the attempted execution, Court was abuzz with gossip and laughter. I had redecorated much of the Palace, lining portraits with silver and gold leaves and placing bouquets of lilies, peonies, and roses in all pastel colours throughout the Hall of Ancients. Bouquets of midnight blue roses were flown in from the … Continue reading Chapter Ten: A Power Unknown
So I logged onto social media this morning as most of us do, and saw the usual barrage of 'I hate Monday' tweets. Everybody hates Monday. They hate it so much it's a meme, and a GIF, and probably has its own parody YouTube channel. Worse yet, we always start the week on this godforsaken … Continue reading Five Reasons Why Monday Doesn’t Have To Be Your Most Hated, Or First, Day Of The Week
The chamber walls croaked with the uproar from the gallery. Feet stomped and loud voices shouted liar and crook. Whispers uttered conspiracy theories and guards closed in on myself and Griffin. Sebastien was red with outrage, he shouted and pointed, urging my father to see Griffin in the image he had painted. "Order." My father's … Continue reading Chapter Nine: A Poor Execution
I was in a slump. A big one. The only thing to blame was myself. Why? Because I had the audacity to doubt myself. I doubted my ability, I doubted my choices, and I doubted my strength. I do this almost monthly but this time it had a lasting effect. I didn't read or write … Continue reading Remember That You Once Dreamed Of Being Where You Are Now
Two weeks ago, I had objected to being forced to marry a man I did not love. I was now about to face a court to defend an innocent stranger against the heir of the most powerful family at Court, all because I had refused to give myself the chance to marry for love. All … Continue reading Chapter Eight: Reputation and Life
So, as some of you may be aware, I am currently enjoying my holiday in the South of France. Today I took a trip to Cannes, a famed location for les artistes. Among the luxury of designer shops, seafront hotels, and lines of yachts, was a certain ambience. For some reason, whenever I visit the … Continue reading A Day Out In Cannes (for a writer and stationery addict)
I recently finished reading The Belles and came across an interesting concept - that our novels can come from somewhere deeper. They can come from our personal 'monsters'. Clayton tells us that The Belles was conceived from her adolescent struggles to understand something I doubt we will ever have the answer to; what is beautiful? … Continue reading What’s Your Monster?
Psychosis is something we hear a lot about, especially in the context of schizophrenia or when labelling people as 'crazy', or more obviously, 'psycho'. Do you know much about what it means to experience psychosis and what a psychotic episode might involve? Spoiler alert: it isn't split personality disorder Symptoms of psychosis Hallucinations Delusions Disordered … Continue reading So, what is Psychosis?
This Mental Health Awareness Week you will have most likely seen a lot of statistics thrown around (such as here). In case you need a refresher, here are three key ones: 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem in their life. 1 in 6 people in the UK are experiencing a mental … Continue reading 6 Ways to Support Someone Who is Struggling
If you've got as far as the title of this post, you're doing great. Accepting that we are struggling and voicing it is the first, and often hardest, step to doing something about it. It can seem impossible to find somebody who understands or knows how to help you. We can be surrounded by the … Continue reading I’m Struggling With My Mental Health, What Do I Do?
