Fi Phillips

Every year, September marks a fresh new start for me. The teens return to school. I've had a rest and change of scenery over the summer break, and I approach my workload with a new level of enthusiasm. After submitting my novel to a literary consultant at the beginning of the summer, I received the resulting report while I was away in Corfu with my family. Yay for roaming data! I spent the next few days (in between cocktails, losing at pool to my son, and boat trips) constructing a plan on how to approach the next draft of my novel. The report was provided by the Faber Academy and I have to say that they hit the nail on its well-worn head with their advice. They flipped my indecision over the way forward for my novel into certainty over what path I should take. Thank you, Faber Academy - you are my heroes. I'm therefore setting myself a NaNoWrimo-esque self challenge in September to complete the redraft of my novel. I've set myself a daily chapter-count (1.7 chap...

It's going to be a busy month with two family birthdays, Father's Day, client articles to write and a murder mystery to finish off for another client. Add to that the fact that we won't be having our normal June getaway because my daughter has exams and I don't think there'll be much of a chance for a breather this month. Having said that, I like busy. Busy pays the bills and keeps away the boredom. All that 'busy'  means that this month, more than most, I'll be planning like crazy. Here's my tick-list for June: Buy presents: For my son that'll probably be Overwatch related. Zenyatta is his current favourite character to play, plus he's now got a bank account and is very keen to earn interest on his money. My husband has had his main present already so we'll be looking for a selection of smaller offerings for his birthday and Father's Day, but nothing gimmicky so I'll be steering the teens away from the comedy socks. ...

This last weekend, I persuaded my family to head into Chester to watch a local parade. The Midsummer Watch, obviously linked to midsummer's day, is one of Britain's oldest festivals apparently, dating back 500 years to medieval and Tudor Chester. You can find out more about it here . Accordi ng to an extract from the  Book of Days, The pageants became general in the reigns of the Tudors and Stuarts .. and have, like their predecessors the mysteries, their relation to English drama; not only were they composed for the purpose of flattering and complimenting their princes, but a moral end was constantly kept in view; virtue was applauded, while vice was set forth in its most revolting and unpleasing colours; and the altercation between these two leading personages often afforded the populace the highest amusement. The day was sunny and the square outside the town hall wasn't as busy as I thought it would be, although there was a cheerful, family crowd waiting for th...

This month's photo inspiration is a snapshot from my family life. I saved this photo on my computer as 'shopping trip' but it could be so much more. What do you think? What clues can you find to a new story?

This month I shall be running round like a headless turkey, or rather a stressed out mother trying to remember everything that needs to be done before the twenty fifth of December. There are cards and letters to be written, presents to be bought (half done already thankfully), people to catch up with, schools events to be prepared for and attended, and writing to be done. Note how writing comes last on the list. I 'will' write this month in the way that my family 'will' enjoy the Christmas season. I'm determined (if a tad frazzled and fraught at the thought of it all). Oh darn, I have to put the tree up too. I need the husband home to get it all down from the attic first. I also have to figure out how to puppy-guard the tree. I don't want Christmas Day ruined by a toppled tree or a pile of chewed presents (unless it's a present for the puppy of course). Joy to the world and all that. I think I need a strong coffee and a mince pie.

Summer arrives this month in the UK, with its warmer days (mostly and not necessarily without rain), vibrant colours and the chance to unwrap from winter woollies (or is that just me?). As a mum, this season is dominated by the summer break and amusing my children. What new adventures and fresh horizons will the long break from school bring this year? For the last couple of months, my life has felt chaotic with new interests and the latest addition to our family, puppy Bailey devouring a large slice of my time. Now she's settled in and I've got my head around the additional activities in my life, it's time to reorganise. Catching Up I've let a lot slide over the past few weeks so June and the summer will be all about catching up with the tasks that I've pushed to the back of my mind and only touched on recently. Along with the housework and my health regime, I desperately need to carve out a daily niche for my writing. I managed last month's writing t...

Spring starts this month (20th March in the UK) but there are already daffodils and crocuses in the garden, and birds chasing each other around in an amorous fashion. I like spring. Seeing the buds on the trees and petals poking through the earth makes the world seem a happier place to live in. With the milder winters in the UK, I'm not sure if any of our animals hibernate anymore, but spring always feels like the land (and my motivation) is waking up. Writing Not a great deal to report here except that I'm getting on with what I was doing in February. I initially had a plotline for the whole trilogy but after making so many changes to novel 1, I had to rethink the entire story arc. I discussed part of the process of doing this in Cut, Paste, File Away and now I'm dipping back into novel 1 to make sure all the clues needed for the big reveal at the end of book 3 are in place. Literary Agents I'm still waiting on hearing from a couple of agents. The latest ...

After the build up to Christmas and the day itself, my family and I are having a few days at home together. It's all very relaxed and with no real plans to keep to. Late nights, family games and good company. My husband and children are taking advantage of the lack of routine to have lie-ins so I'm usually first up, enjoying the quiet with my morning coffee. It gives me time to think and reflect on the year that's almost over. It's been generally a good one, in some ways quite magical, and definitely a year I want to remember. Back in January, I posted my 2015 reading list and my goals for the year . I didn't do very well with the reading list, only completing three of the fifteen (even worse than in 2014). I must read more next year. I did better with my goals. I revised and polished my novel and began the search for an agent. I returned to the partial first draft of my second novel which now requires a massive rethink because of changes to the first novel. Du...

Have you made a Christmas list this year or are you just hoping that your family know you well enough to buy the right gifts for you? I've probably left this list a little late to be of any use to my family but just in case... Firstly, I'd like a peaceful Christmas Day. Not peaceful as in alone, or with the family tied to their beds, but peaceful in that there are no cross words or bad feelings, towards anyone, just good cheer and lots of laughter. Secondly, for my family to remember that when I'm tidying away the torn-off wrapping paper and fussing over some aspect of the food, I'm not being a kill-joy. I'm simply attempting to quieten my anxiety and keep on top of things. I'm enjoying myself, really I am, even if I'm frowning. Thirdly, wouldn't it be wonderful to have a day without war, or murder, or cruelty? This is a long shot, and incredibly naive. Still, fingers crossed for that one. I'd like a day without pain. I'm still sufferin...

On Sunday night, my children, my husband and I sat down at the dining table to play a game of Cluedo. We try to make a point of having a family board game most weekends. Sometimes it might be Scrabble, other times Monopoly. It doesn't really matter what we play. The main value of the experience is in coming together, away from gadgets and TV, to concentrate on spending time with each other. Most of the conversation will be centred around the game but we'll also swap stories about the week that has just passed and discuss what might be coming up in the days ahead. As a child, board games, card games, and family gatherings were a regular event. Sometimes it would just be me and my parents (I'm an only child). On other occasions, the neighbours would come in, or for a special night like New Year's Eve, there'd be a party of friends and family filling the house with laughter and chat. Whether there were few of us or many, the gathering would always lead to the tel...

This week and next, I'm on holiday. Or rather my children are on holiday from school and I'm organising (although school holidays do release me from ironing school uniform and making packed lunches so I get a bit of a break too). For me, holidays have always been a time of family coming together. There are days out, days in, maybe travel to another country. The majority of my most memorable holidays have involved the beach - ice cream on the Yorkshire coast with my parents, my first taste of 'abroad' at a beach barbecue on Majorca, my one year old daughter's widening eyes as she dipped her toes in the sea in North Wales (her first holiday). The photograph above reminds me of a holiday to Canterbury with my family. My husband was working there and for a week, my children and I joined him. While he worked, we would spend time in the city, visiting the Cathedral, the museums, the ceramics cafe, and the park. When he was finished, we would drive out of Canterbu...

I've followed the usual Valentine's Day routine - present and card for my husband purchased from a store heaving with hearts, chocolates and romantic rhymes. We swapped cards and greetings this morning and there'll hopefully be some couple time this evening, if we can bribe the children to go to bed early. For the past twelve years, it's been the same, cards and pressies and romantic meals. I'm not complaining. I love my husband dearly - he makes me chuckle and inspires me to be a better person - but there were years before that dozen when I was single and the one love that I always clung to on those days was my love of writing. It's still there, although it now has to share me with a demanding family, but it gets its fair share of my time. I love to write for many reasons. Meeting new characters who come to me in the weirdest places. Seeing adventures in the most mundane circumstances. Moulding a story from the bare clay of 'what if' and '...

Okay, this is as much as I can raise to such a celebration at the moment as it's a tad too early to crack open the bubbly but I wanted to join in with the fun. Although the Chinese New Year is officially tomorrow, 31st January, apparently the festival begins today so 'Happy new year'. This is the year of the horse. My daughter comes under this Chinese Zodiac sign and it seems a good match for her. "...energetic, bright and intelligent." "...cheerful, popular, talented and enjoy entertaining. They are associated with success and cannot stand failure." That last part is certainly true but we've found ways to cajole her out of a sulk (usually incorporating the term 'blinky trout-face' - you have to be there to appreciate the relevance). If you're interested in the Chinese Zodiac, the rest of my family incorporates a snake (that's me), a rat and a monkey. Apparently a horse year will bring "health and prosperity" and...

Today, I'm taking part in ' What I Live For ', an online event organised by author Satya Robyn. People like me all over the world will be sharing what gives their lives meaning. In Satya Robyn's novel, ' Thaw ', Ruth gives herself three months to decide whether she can find a reason to carry on living. When I initially thought about what gives my life meaning, I instantly thought of my family. My children and my husband are what I live for. That seemed like the right answer and yet something was missing. Life carried on as normal, school runs, family meals, bills to pay, and still that 'something' eluded me. During a writing session, the 'something' tapped me on the shoulder with a cheerful 'ta-dah' and I wondered why I hadn't seen it in the first place. What I live for is not only my family, those three souls who have dragged me through a roller coaster of house moves, tantrums and laughter over the last decade, but for what ...

I've spent this month talking about the kind of Christmas's that I was brought up with, the traditions and the memories that shaped the way I approach the festive season with my own children. The one thing I haven't mentioned is that this time of year always holds a gem of sadness. You might think that it's odd to team up the word 'gem' with the concept of sadness but to me it's a very fitting description. The sadness comes from the memories that this time of year conjures up. The people I've told you about, the Brinkmans, the Halls, our neighbours and my parents, are nearly all gone now. Only two of them remain, one of the neighbours who has remained a firm friend and my godmother, both of them in their eighties. I firmly believe that life constantly throws a hotch potch of good and bad into our paths so I welcome this sadness along with the enjoyment of Christmas. As I watch my children open their presents, I remember doing the same with my own p...

My parents had what I see as a traditional marriage. My father was in charge of the money. My mother was in charge of the house, and me. She was one of those people who tended to just put her head down and get on with things.Of course she had a good moan about all the work she had to do, from time to time, but for the most part she was very good at looking after us both. My father and I always had clean clothes and food on the table. Everything we needed from packed lunches to polished shoes to appointments made was provided for us. One task she did hand over though was decorating the Christmas tree. When I was a very small child we had a green tinsel tree. That's the best way I can describe it. It's branches were adorned with what seemed to be green shredded paper. It always looked rather threadbare when we removed it from its box. The magic came when we added tinsel and baubles. I don't know where the baubles came from, whether they had belonged to my grandparents o...

Christmas is peering around the corner. This year especially, it seems to have come round quickly for my household. I feel almost ambushed by its sudden approach. I'm not a religious person but I do believe in the magic of life. It's in my sack of greatest gifts along with health, children, choice and imagination. Putting aside the shopping and materialistic side of the festive season, Christmas has always held a magic for me. Maybe it's because my parents made a big effort to set the day apart as something special, hiding even the decorations until a week before the big day. Christmas Day was one of the few times of the year when my family would spend the whole day together without the thought of preparing for the next day. We would sit around in our pyjamas, giving and opening gifts, eating things that probably weren't very good for us (nuts and raisins, mince pies, chocolate), and watching our fill of festive TV. My mother would cook up the traditional lunch, ser...