Yasmin Selena Butt's Blog
June 17, 2017
KCTMO – Playing with fire!
I am an author not a politician, but this horror IS the result of change. What’s happened to the residents of Grenfell is nothing less than manslaughter. I’m sorry I’ve not blogged all year, but this post deserves to be reblogged. I am desperately sad and angry about the horrific and 100% avoidable deaths of countless people that happened streets away from Westfield shopping centre, and the crass way it’s been handled. We put our faith in elected leaders to look after us. We deserve so much better. £5000 spend would have potentially avoided this. £5000. It’s sickening. Don’t forget about this. Don’t let these deaths be in vain. Things MUST change.. X
It is a truly terrifying thought but the Grenfell Action Group firmly believe that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord, the KCTMO, and bring an end to the dangerous living conditions and neglect of health and safety legislation that they inflict upon their tenants and leaseholders. We believe that the KCTMO are an evil, unprincipled, mini-mafia who have no business to be charged with the responsibility of looking after the every day management of large scale social housing estates and that their sordid collusion with the RBKC Council is a recipe for a future major disaster.
Unfortunately, the Grenfell Action Group have reached the conclusion that only an incident that results in serious loss of life of KCTMO residents will allow the external scrutiny to occur that will shine a light on the practices that characterise the malign governance of this non-functioning organisation…
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Filed under: Uncategorized
July 10, 2016
Gunshot Glitter Meets Blue Monday live – 11 July 2016 at the Boogaloo @8.15pm
Hello you,
I’m prepping for the Allergy Fair at Olympia like a mad thing BUT I have some news. If you are in London or can get to Highgate/Archway in London tomorrow evening, I’m going to be doing a short reading & Q&A/interview for Gunshot Glitter at Blue Monday, a regular, Monday night event run by musicians Miri and Lydia Nicolaides Rosered and the Butterflies). I will be on at 8.15pm.
Miri[image error]
Both women have had their music used in films and Miri has also acted. They champion a night that promotes music from the LGBT community but everyone is welcome to attend. I’ve gone along several times in the past to the Boogaloo and always had a good time. So come if you can make it, I’m going to be hanging around for the rest of the evening. Oh and the event is FREE[image error]
Lydia has been a HUGE supporter of Gunshot Glitter and helped me format the cover for the print edition. She also designs websites and runs her own PR agency, Online PR Pixies; if you’re wondering why it’s called that, come in and meet her!
Lydia Nicolaides
Ten years ago we used to drive past The Boogaloo on our way to Stoke Newington and the name of the place always made me chuckle, it’s incredibly sweet that I’m actually going to be sat behind a mic talking about the behemoth to a fabulous audience in about 36 hours.
Come[image error]
Right, I need to:
1.Get in the bath
2. Get dressed
3. Eat a minute amount of food, anyone who goes to the Allergy Fair knows why you only eat a minute of food
4. Grab Steven’s hand.
5. Then get our sweet hineys in gear.
Have a good one!
Love Yasmin
P.S. The Boogaloo is on 312 Archway Road, London, N6 5AT
Highgate is the nearest tube and it’s near some really interesting shops and Jacksons Lane theatre. It’s a fab bit of London. Me and Trevor managed to park close by there several years ago, so you never know if you fancy trying your luck driving in
June 24, 2016
Game of Thrones, Goodreads Giveaway and THAT Referendum
Hello You,
It’s been a while but it’s certainly NOT been uneventful. Life has changed a lot here in the Castle.
My gorgeous new love has moved in with me and we’ve both had our heads’ down building a life together.
And it looks like a lot has changed outside the Castle. 52% of the country voted to sever tie with Brussels yesterday. I am shocked at this to be honest, deeply shocked. And if you voted to leave the EU for positive reasons then I sincerely hope when the dust settles the UK thrives in the new position it finds itself in. I love being British and I loved being a part of the European Union and I see myself first and foremost as a citizen of the world; but how will other Europeans now regard me when I holiday in their country? That as a Brit I am happy to go there but not want to be part of their community?
In tandem with David Cameron’s resignation, the £120 billion that’s been wiped off the FTSE 100 this morning, I feel as I am having an out of body experience to be honest. We Taureans aren’t brilliant with change. How do you feel about it all?
I planned to write a VERY different blog this afternoon, but because of such unexpected news it no longer feels right. BUT the ONE thing I do want to do is let you know that I am running something very lovely on Goodreads that I would like you to know about. And also help me spread the word about and participate in if you wish to, which of course I hope you do. Tweets, social media shares would be all be greatly appreciated and welcomed.
It’s my first ever Goodreads giveaway for Gunshot Glitter!
It closes on July 1st 2016 and two copies of Gunshot Glitter are up for grabs, signed by yours truly.
So get yourself over to Goodreads and hit ‘Enter Giveaway’ after adding Gunshot Glitter to your To Be Read list as you could be lucky enough to win a beautiful, limited edition signed copy if you are based in the UK.
And if you are not, I deeply apologise; one day when I am truly minted, I will be posting signed copies to far flung places such as the United States of America, as I hate leaving interested folk out, but you can still enjoy Gunshot Glitter as an eBook and buy the novel in print if you like what you read.
I wrote a guest post yesterday for fine Scottish crime author Seumas Gallacher’s site ( to be published shortly) where I wrote ‘Five Reasons Why You’ll Love Gunshot Glitter,’ and one of those reasons was if you were a fan of the TV series Game of Thrones. I don’t know about you but I am addicted to the show, and after what felt like an uneven Season 5, I feel the show is back blazing bright this year. Seeing Sansa Stark bloom and embrace her power has been especially thrilling. I can’t believe the last episode is already upon us. Watching the show this year I could see so many parallels with the feelings the show elicited and what readers have told me they felt on reading Gunshot Glitter.
I wrote this passage which I wanted to share with you before I go and pack to spirit myself away:
“Peter Dinklage once described the jewel in HBO’s crown as ‘Stabby-stabby-stabby, sexy-sexy-sexy, stabby-stabby-stabby and…a couple of jokes.’ If you’ve seen the magnificent adaptation of George R.R Martin epic fantasy series, you will know exactly what Dinklage who plays the witty, erudite Tyrion Lannister is talking about. This is the show where no one’s favourite characters are safe, there are characters you love to hate, nothing is black and white and multiple storylines run rife. If you enjoy that dizzying sensation of wondering what you just witnessed and needing, craving, being desperate to know what happened next. You will love Gunshot Glitter, it’s a tale where crimes are committed, and your sense of right and wrong are sorely tested. You have been warned. And there is definitely a bit of sexy, sexy, sexy to it.”
My study has been revamped and the audio book is pending and Velvet Devils is coming along. I’ve had my head down wrapping myself around the change in my personal life, but I am pretty excited. Steven and I went to see Kinky Boots at the Adelphi theatre on The Strand on my birthday and the message of the show about self-acceptance and the celebration of diversity reminded me again how strongly we should strive for authenticity.
When I heard about Prince’s death in April and David Bowie’s in January I was strongly reminded of this again. I was huge fans of both men and shocked at losing them. I’m going to leave you with this vignette, which I hope gives you food for thought about the value of remaining true to yourself during a period of upheaval and instability, and then let you know how you can enter the Goodreads giveaway to win yourself a copy of Gunshot Glitter. Don’t forget to add the novel to your To Be Read list too.
“We’re losing iconic, self-made, creative originals who threw away the cookie cutter and inspired us all growing up. As an author who is insane for music, I owe them a debt of gratitude. #Prince on paper back in 1981 would probably have been rejected by the likes of the Cowell if he was starting out today. 5ft 2″ tall with a penchant for high heels and eyeliner and soaked in sex. But look at his legacy, his crazy phenomenal output and he never compromised for anyone. Didn’t give a shit. His audience found him anyway.
Musicians, artists and writers create the thing you love most that pleases you, whoever you are and wherever you come from. It’s what I intend to keep on doing. RIP Prince xxx”
Add Gunshot Glitter to your Goodreads list HERE
Enter to win a print copy of Gunshot Glitter HERE, click on ‘Enter Giveaway’.
GUNSHOT GLITTER is available worldwide as an eBook on many platforms including Amazon UK and Amazon.com
If you would like to buy Gunshot Glitter in print at £9.99 get in touch with me HERE on Facebook or leave me a comment.
Good luck!
Yasmin xxx
Your name is Celine Silver. But no one has called you that in eight years.
You’re a classically trained musician and an Honours graduate.
You come from a nice, middle-class family.
You kill people for money.
And no one knows you anymore.
Fate throws the man you abandoned right back into your path – the man who knew you before you got blood on your hands, before you changed your name.
And he’s demanding answers.
But is there a way back to the path of normal?
What price do you have to pay when you realise you no longer want to be monster? And who are the real monsters and victims anyway?
And what about the incinerated boy who will never quite go away…
Filed under: Competitions, Gunshot Glitter, News, What do you think?
February 7, 2016
Jan Brigden Talks Footballers and Choc Lit
Hello you
Happy New Year peeps! Yes, I confess, Iike a cheeky guest making a dramatic, late night entrance to a party I’m about 6 weeks late, but hey I am HERE. And I’m not here to blow my own trumpet, but rather blow it on the behalf of a new author who really deserves it. I’ve interviewed Jan Brigden for you. If you’re regular reader of my words you will have seen comments from Jan on my posts, she has been extremely supportive of me while all the while she was working on her own debut, As Weekends Go. She worked on it through backache, through proof reading other novels, through redrafts and submission for critiques to the Romantic Novelists Association New Writer’s Scheme. She’s testament to hard work, tenacity and taking risks. And the icing on the cake? She won the Choc Lit Search For a Star Debut Novel Award. How awesome is that? I am so pleased to present her to you! So sit back and enjoy and there’s a wee bit of Yasmin news at the end, but this one’s for Jan
Yasmin xx
YSB: Hello Jan; finally I get to grill you here. Tell me about your writing journey, how did you become an author? Have you always loved writing or did the passion develop with time?
Jan: Oh, Yasmin, I’ve written for pleasure for as long as I can remember; short stories at school, odes for workmates, fun quizzes for family and friends. It was whilst doing one of the Writers Bureau’s creative writing course assignments that the idea for ‘As Weekends Go’ first came about. I had to create a tense scenario involving two characters only. I picked a husband and his wife’s best friend. He’d secretly invited her round to his house on the pretence of discussing his wife’s surprise 30th birthday present. Instead, he confronted her about some gossip he’d heard regarding a recent weekend trip the two women had taken together. Which afterwards begged the question in my mind: ‘Well, what did happen during that weekend?’ And so I was off and running …
Jan signs her life away!
YSB: I remember following the evolution of that novel with you. Congratulations again on landing Choc Lit! For those who don’t know the background, can you tell me how your publishing deal with Choc Lit came about?
Jan: Yes, my novel won the Choc Lit and Whole Story AudioBooks Search for a Star Competition back in March of last year which led to my contract offer. It was a magical feeling, especially as there had been times I thought I’d never get the book finished. I still pinch myself like crazy when I see its cover and blurb.
YSB: I know you’re a big reader, Jan; who are your Top 3 favourite authors and why?
Jan: Lisa Jewell for her observational strengths, she never fails to penetrate the deepest layers of her characters’ personalities. She’s also not afraid to be controversial. Maggie O’Farrell for her ability to make me cry which rarely happens when I read books and to capture the rawness of emotional situations. ‘After You’d Gone’ is still one of my fave reads. Stayed with me for days. I love so many different authors for different reasons, so it’s hard to choose just three. I’d probably say Maeve Binchy for the fab Irish settings and warmth and spirit of her characters.
Jan with Lisa Jewell
YSB: I remember us bonding over our love of the Jewell! She’s awesome. Who was your favourite author as a child?
Jan: Enid Blyton. I especially loved the St Clare’s series, seeing what all the schoolmates got up to and imagining I was there. Loved The Magic Faraway Tree too.
YSB: My own faves were the Mallory Towers books, I read a whole bunch of them in hospital. When you were writing your novel, did you have a vision of your ‘reader’ in mind, who do you feel would enjoy your novel and why?
Jan: Not particularly. I’d hoped, given the multi viewpoints including both male and female, that it might appeal to anyone, really.
YSB: Thumbs up from me on that score. Did any personal experiences creep their way into your book?
Jan: Well, I worked a season in Spain with my best friend many moons ago and witnessed all sorts of carry ons, so that’s where the Spanish connection comes in for my character Nick’s story. I’ve also met several footballers over the years – at both ends of the personality spectrum – and enjoyed the challenge of portraying a player who wasn’t the stereotype we so often hear and read about.
Spain looking lush
YSB: I had no idea you’d met footy players?! We’ll have to have a proper chat about that sometime. What advice would you give to would be scribes picking up a quill in 2016? What qualities do they need to succeed
Jan: I’d say read as much as you can, fiction, non-fiction, all genres to get a feel for what flows and sounds right. If you can get to any author events or sign up for any creative writing workshops, go for it, the variety of info and expertise offered is invaluable. Qualities needed, I’d say are mainly passion, patience and persistence.
YSB: Definitely on the persistence score and learning as much as possible. As you know, I am huge on music. Does music play a part in your writing routine?
Jan: I love music with a passion and can listen to anything from Michael Jackson to Nina Simone, but NOT when I’m writing. I need it as quiet as possible. I do associate certain songs with certain scenes though. When I’m editing though I have music on. Loud! J
YSB: I was the same with Gunshot Glitter with scenes and songs, good to know I’m not alone on that score. I wish I’d seen Nina Simone live. What does Jan Brigden love doing most in her free time?
Jan: Reading, walking, catching up with all those friends and family members I’ve neglected when I’m writing or camped in my editing cave. Listening to music. Dancing. Meditating. Exercise. Spending time with Dave (my husband) who makes me laugh every single day.
YSB: You missed existential dilemmas over chocolate off that list ;) What does 2016 hold for you as an author, Jan?
Jan: Well, obviously with ‘As Weekends Go’ being newly published, to hopefully see that do well and, in the meantime, crack on with Book 2 which is a sequel, although a standalone too. To enjoy more writerly events and continue to grow the group blog I belong to ‘The Romaniacs’ where we try and offer a good balance of writerly news and chats. To say Yes and No more in equal measures.
I still maintain Jan and The Romaniacs sounds like the name of a band
YSB: That sounds brilliant, as you know I’m a huge fan of The Romaniacs blog too. I wish you lots of luck and success with all those aspirations. Let’s finish up on a quickie session of word association. What pops to mind when I say the following, Jan? And be honest!
Language: French
Chest rug: Ryan Giggs when he whipped off his shirt and ran from one end of the pitch to the other after scoring a wonder goal in an FA Cup semi-final.
Moist: If I say so myself, my Victoria Sponges
Rug: Roaring fire.
Pipsqueak: Annoying
Tinkle: Cow bells
Red: Blushing
The Oxford Comma: Debatable
Flipper: Dolphins
2016: Happiness, good health, prosperity and lots more writing.
Piqued your interest? Here’s a bit more about ‘As Weekends Go’. Read on!
As Weekends Go
What if your entire life changed in the space of a weekend?
When Rebecca’s friend Abi convinces her to get away from it all at the fabulous Hawksley Manor hotel in York, it seems too good to be true. Pampering and relaxation is just what Rebecca needs to distract herself from the creeping suspicion that her husband, Greg, is hiding something from her.
She never imagined that by the end of the weekend she would have dined with celebrities or danced the night away in exclusive clubs. Nor could she have predicted she would meet famous footballer, Alex Heath, or that he would be the one to show her that she deserved so much more …
But no matter how amazing a weekend is, it’s always back to reality come Monday morning – isn’t it?
Here’s where you can buy ‘As Weekends Go’
As Weekends Go– Amazon.co.uk
Keep in touch with Jan here:
Jan Brigden (Author FB Page)
@Briggy44 (Twitter)
The Romaniacs (Group Blog)
A touch more about Jan Brigden
En route to publication, Jan attended many author talks and literary events and connected with writers and readers on Facebook and Twitter, where she learned of and subsequently joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme. An avid reader and all round book devotee, Jan is also one eighth of the on-line writing group The Romaniacs (www.theromaniacs.co.uk) who in 2014 released a charity anthology ‘Romaniac Shorts – Fashionably Brief’. The Romaniacs also received in November 2015, the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Industry Media Star award.
Jan lives in South East London with her husband & motley crew of cuddly toys.
*
I hope you enjoyed meeting Jan Brigden.
How has your year been so far? What have you been doing?
Drop me a comment and tell me?
Can you believe it’s already February? So what have I been doing? I’ve been enjoying showing my new honey around London. I’m partway through a prequel series of novellas to Gunshot Glitter, collectively titled Velvet Devils, the first of which is entitled ‘Kissed By Fire’.
This month, I’m also embarking on the recording of an audio book of Gunshot Glitter. I’m primed with a headset, pop shield and everything! Last week I went to a Kingsbury High School reunion organised by two determined friends. It was seriously inspired and inspiring seeing peeps after twenty five years. That’s crazy; a quarter of a century, if I really want to rub it in! I took along copies of Gunshot Glitter and it was really special signing them for folks who’d known me at the tender age of sixteen when the notion of being an author was a gentle dream of mine. They were really psyched for me.
Here’s a very late night pic from the evening. Until next time, I really will try not to leave it so long. I feel bad that I missed out on telling you about meeting Marlon James, the Booker prize winner, last year, the day after he won with ‘A Short History of Seven Killings’, that was really cool. The dude likes Mogwai! Okay, now go and check out Jan Brigden’s book and click her links above ! Stay safe and out of this grim wind. Big love to you all, thanks for reading, Yasmin Selena Butt xxx
Gunshot Glitter. Thanks to Harshita
Filed under: Gunshot Glitter, People you should know about
September 13, 2015
Come Meet Five Fine Folk From Ryedale
Hello you
The winner of the Scarecrow Festival
I hope you had a REALLY great August bank holiday weekend. Put your hand up if it already feels like too long ago? Because that’s how it feels to me. I’ve been crazy busy since then, but in a good way. And in Ryedale and the surrounds of North Yorkshire I had a lovely time. LOVELY. The best UK break I’ve had since my week of amazing Cornish scones and punishing inclines for my 39th thanks to my friend, Steve.
Good things happened to me in Ryedale; I faced down fears that have held me fast ever since experiencing anaphylaxis in 2013, and, finally did the unthinkable and bit the bullet and contacted journalists about Gunshot Glitter. I’d first visited Pickering ten years ago when I went to see Margaret, and now I was going back to the land that had birthed the Griffin family in my head. And I wanted to tell them about it. How did it feel doing that? Absolutely shit scary to be honest!
But Margaret was so steadfast in her support it gave me the self-belief to get past that frustrating psychological barrier and write/tweet them. And was it worth it? Yes, it was. The day after my arrival, I had a call at 9am on Friday morning. We listened to the voicemail three times, it was Hannah Bryan from the Gazette and Herald, she’d read my email and wanted to interview me. I was delighted as I’d enjoyed her pieces in the paper that Margaret had posted me. Once I’d drunk a protein shake I rang her back.
Anna snapped this for us on my phone :)
I had a good chat with Hannah and a photoshoot in Margaret’s home a few hours later with a lovely, freelance photographer with the brightest blue eyes, named Anna Gowthorpe. And it resulted in THIS splendid little piece < Click ME NOW >
Hannah tweeted me to tell me she’d read the opening chapter and the novel was on her TBR list which delighted me. In due course it should be featured online in York Press too, which is fantastic. There were a few teeny glitches, the book is very much out, but in November I hope to launch a print on demand edition and give it a BIG push, but the push is now underway.
It’s definitely given me the confidence to do more. I feel I now have this green light to reach out, ask, contact and offer. It’s been a LONG time coming. I worked out I’ve had a bonus life of 1000 days, it’s time to wake up to that. A friend gently tried to suggest I look at what happened to me that way, now I see what I means.
Back in July, when my Facebook friends Vicky, Tina and drummer extraordinaire, James Garnett heard I was visiting Yorkshire they were effusive with their recommendations. Vicky and I met up in York on Bank Holiday Monday and went to the legendary Betty’s for a swish tea and cake experience, and she showed me her fave hometown spots, including these two buildings in The Shambles, built so closely you could reach across and hold hands with someone (Aw!)
And I saw Whitby, Scarborough, Filey Bay, Malton, Pickering, Thornton le Dale, the gorgeous purple heather in Rosedale, visited the Stained Glass Centre in Cayton,all thanks to my lovely host, Dr Margaret Linton.
Stained Glass Centre
A woman I’ve had the privilege of calling my friend for over twenty years. Margaret, I love you. She also showed me you could bake plaice with a coating of mayonnaise and matzo, try it, it’s tasty. And she has a budgie called Toby. I was insanely excited to hold him. She’s taught him to say: ‘I speak Yiddish, Spanish and Chaffinch’.
And I thought the people I met were incredibly chilled out, relaxed and easy going. I met just one grumpy person the entire time I was there and that was because she wanted to go and have her lunch and had a load of stuff to do.
So, today, I decided I want to tell you about the five peeps who crossed my path who made my trip especially memorable. And I’ll begin with David Thomas. . . :)
David Thomas at the Thornton Scarecrow Festival aka Dashing Captain with a Conscience
David and the Black Pig
While Margaret was off getting her hair done, I checked out Thornton le Dale’s rather fabulous Scarecrow Festival. Walking down a hill, I saw a silver-haired man stood in front of a fetching boat parked on a grassy bank, he was wearing a pirate’s hat. I asked if it was okay to have my photo taken in front of his fine vessel and he said he’d only let me do it if I wore his hat! He plonked it on my head and began talking.
David asked me to snap this for your viewing pleasure
He was an adventurer and an actor who’d lived and traveled in Africa, but on hearing his beloved mum was struggling, had come home to look after her. He’d also experienced something dreadful which had left him so unwell he’d been admitted to Scarborough Hospital for three months. He told me he’d never found himself in a position where his life was in the hands of strangers, but the staff at the hospital had been so amazing, he’d decided to take his boat, Black Pig, and sail it to Venice in May 2016 to raise funds for them. For his confidence and bravado, I could see he was actually a pretty humble man. I told him I’d take his picture and tell other people about him. So David Thomas, this is for you. I’m a woman of my word.
Melanie aka Goddess in an Office Chair, Pickering
I wish I’d taken Melanie’s photo, but it might have freaked her out. So here’s one of me with the behemoth as hardcore evidence that the book got to see Pickering :) We took this outside Pickering Gifts.
Outside Pickering Gifts
Getting back to Melanie, she was a beautifully made up blonde woman I met, sat in an office chair in the Pickering Tourist office; my first port of call. I felt Gunshot Glitter belonged in her sale stock, especially with the story having local connections, but did I feel confident about presenting my case? No, I did not! I am the Queen of Championing Things for other people if I have the courage of conviction, but it’s way harder championing myself, even though I do believe in my novel. (That’s why I would dearly love your word of mouth support, dear Reader). Margaret dropped me off outside and feeling a tad trepidatious, I went in and spoke to this smiling, attentive blonde and she listened and nodded, turned my novel over and over in her hands, told me it looked beautiful and she would have loved to stock it, but, and there was a ‘but’, but it was a good very fair ‘but’, she said their office was being closed down in a week.
Their existing stock was being split up and distributed to the local post office and the Scarborough tourism office.
Noooo!
But Melanie sat me down and went through places nearby, looked up phone numbers, addresses, websites, names of people. She was really kind and assured me people would be receptive to a conversation. And I felt so, so much better after that. And she told me she was a big reader and that my book had completely intrigued her. She was also a big Lisa Jewell fan, so the cover endorsement hadn’t escaped her notice. They were selling off stock and I was bummed I didn’t have my purse on me, as I saw a Pickering branded pencil on sale, but she was extremely sweet and insisted I take it. Melanie, I hope it works out in the new job. Thank you for being so generous to a London author and putting her at ease.
Scarecrow Festival Ladies aka the Women Who Don’t Do Smartphones
Scarecrow Festival ladies!
Bless!
I’m not a fan of selfie sticks. They rob you of one of the most valid excuses to break ice with a stranger. I like offering to take photos for peeps, especially folks on hols or just passing through. My friends are extremely used to me doing this!
I was enjoying the Thornton le Dale Scarecrow Festival, when I came across these two middle-aged women cooing over this fallen Scarecrow Punk. One lady was amazingly made up. We three stood there and admired the fabulousness of his mohawk and the attention to detail, and the lady with the make-up on, crouched down and gave him a cuddle. I asked her to take a photo of me with Scarecrow Punk and she panicked a bit and confessed she’d never used a smartphone or taken a photo on one. I told her I’d show her.
She was really nervous of getting it wrong and eventually when she took it, I didn’t have the heart to tell her she’d stuck her finger over the lens! I asked her if she and her friend would like a photo with him, that I’d be happy to email it to them when I got home. She burst out laughing, thanked me, and said she didn’t use email. I told her I’d take one anyway. So I did and they were both thrilled with the photo when they looked at it with me. So this is for the ladies who are having a blast in Yorkshire and eschewing the seductions of cyber technology and doing very happily without it. I hope they see this one day. It was lovely to meet you.
Les aka the Man Who Runs a Bookshop out of his Home
Les with two Fiona Gibson faves
When I was brooding about Gunshot Glitter stockists in Pickering, Margaret suggested that I talk to a man she’d heard of who ran a bookshop out of his home. I felt a bit shy about approaching him, but she said he’d have local knowledge and might be able to make suggestions. She couldn’t give me an address, but told me the house was opposite the Pickering Railway and I’d know it when I saw due to the piles of books on display. The lady was right. I walked in and was surrounded by a library’s worth of tomes, all priced at £3 and under.
And the dude I clocked stood in the middle of the room was equally intrigued at me as I was at him. He told me his name was Les. Margaret later told me I’d been gone for almost half an hour. But to me, the time flew by. He was fascinating, friendly and effusive. I also made him a sale by convincing a teenage, home-schooled girl browsing for a classic read to try John Steinbeck’s of Mice and Men. I’d read it earlier this year.
The loveliest thing about Les was how comfortable and ease he was at his love of chick-lit, especially Fiona Gibson’s books. When I told him I knew her on Facebook ( she was my fave columnist in my teens) he was quite excited, so I insisted on taking his photo for them both. He also wrote poems, wanted to write a chick-lit novel of his own featuring characters from his generation, and, to the bemusement of his girlfriend, loved scented candles and Wright’s Coal Tar Soap. I felt so much empathy with this man it wasn’t true! He told me all bright eyed, that he’d found the latter on a fantastic promotion and bought almost a hundred bars. I asked him if he minded giving me one, I’d only ever seen the handwash. He chuckled, vanished upstairs and returned to proudly present me with a twinpack. When I went back to Margaret clutching a pack of soap she burst out laughing. Les, you rock. And anyone reading this who is on a budget or looking for a hard to find read please visit his shop. He has great stock. He’s a star.
Rachel at Hoppers in Malton Marketplace aka Woman Who Sent Me Back to London Smiling
Rachel with Gunshot Glitter in Hopper in Malton
I saved the best to last. It was Melanie in the Pickering Information Office who told me about Hoppers in Malton. She was really enthusiastic about the shop. Margaret was too. When I rang the store and told Rachel about Gunshot Glitter I was pleased at how interested she sounded. I decided to visit on Tuesday morning before I caught my train back to Kings Cross. Margaret drove me to Malton, it was a gloriously sunny day. I was also keen to get a Page a Day diary (I get the diary ‘itch’ around September and bang on time on September 1st it kicked in).
I approached a slender, young woman in store and asked her if they had any in stock, she showed me the selection and we got chatting over them. Then I asked her if she could introduce me to Rachel and it turned out I was already talking to her! And then she realised I was Yasmin and we went on to have a really good conversation about Gunshot Glitter: the narrative, it’s relevance to the local area and it all went beautifully.
She looked at a copy of the paperback novel, viewed the reviews and agreed there and then to stock it. We agreed a discount to the store and I sold both the copies to her – numbered, kissed, personalised and signed. We went outside to take photographs and she warned me she often had her eyes closed in pictures, she wasn’t wrong! And Hoppers is a great store. It’s large and situated in a great spot in the Marketplace. Margaret later told me she’d been served by Rachel and thought she had a lovely attitude and found her extremely helpful. Heading back to the car, Margaret took one look at my glowing face and said ‘Tell me EVERYTHING!’ Having Hoppers stock Gunshot Glitter was the perfect way to end a positive visit for myself, for Margaret and for the behemoth.
Spread the word in Yorkshire! The print is on sale HERE!
And I want to say a HUGE thank you to Margaret for having me in her amazing home, and, for her generosity and wisdom. For treating me to a delicious cream tea at Botham’s of Whitby in Pickering ( who told me they’d be happy to carry promo for my novel, thank you, Botham’s!) and revealing beauty spots such as the Quaker Meeting House and the most serene view of Scarborough.
Botham’s tearoom garden in Pickering
Anna from the Gazette & Herald was entranced at all the unique spots around her home that held photographic potential. I told Margaret her home should be featured in Psychologies magazine. Every meal we ate was in a cosy, lamp-lit conservatory filled with books, orchids and sprawling plants. It was a very special experience.
How beautiful is this?
Margaret saw me off at Malton railway station with a hug and I had an easy journey home. I felt incredibly relaxed. The most I have in years to be honest. The Yorkshireman sat next to me was such a gent he insisted on hoisting my trolley-case at both ends of the train ride. Back in London, in the crowded, rush hour chaos that is Kings Cross, I was still all chilled out smiles. And even when the heavens parted in Hayes Town and the rain fell down on me as I was walking to my flat, I didn’t really mind. Because that’s how good a time I’d had in North Yorkshire.
I’m in Scarborough! :)
Filed under: Gunshot Glitter, News, People you should know about
Fancy Meeting Five Fine Folk I Met in Ryedale ?
Hello you
The winner of the Scarecrow Festival
I hope you had a REALLY great August bank holiday weekend. Put your hand up if it already feels like too long ago? Because that’s how it feels to me. I’ve been crazy busy since then, but in a good way. And in Ryedale and the surrounds of North Yorkshire I had a lovely time. LOVELY. The best UK break I’ve had since my week of amazing Cornish scones and punishing inclines for my 39th thanks to my friend, Steve.
Good things happened to me in Ryedale; I faced down fears that have held me fast ever since experiencing anaphylaxis in 2013, and, finally did the unthinkable and bit the bullet and contacted journalists about Gunshot Glitter. I’d first visited Pickering ten years ago when I went to see Sheila, and now I was going back to the land that had birthed the Griffin family in my head. And I wanted to tell them about it. How did it feel doing that? Absolutely shit scary to be honest!
But Sheila was so steadfast in her support it gave me the self-belief to get past that frustrating psychological barrier and write/tweet them. And was it worth it? Yes, it was. The day after my arrival, I had a call at 9am on Friday morning. We listened to the voicemail three times, it was Hannah Bryan from the Gazette and Herald, she’d read my email and wanted to interview me. I was delighted as I’d enjoyed her pieces in the paper that Sheila had posted me. Once I’d drunk a protein shake I rang her back.
Anna snapped this for us on my phone :)
I had a good chat with Hannah and a photoshoot in Sheila’s home a few hours later with a lovely, freelance photographer with the brightest blue eyes, named Anna Gowthorpe. And it resulted in THIS splendid little piece < Click ME NOW >
Hannah tweeted me to tell me she’d read the opening chapter and the novel was on her TBR list which delighted me. In due course it should be featured online in York Press too, which is fantastic. There were a few teeny glitches, the book is very much out, but in November I hope to launch a print on demand edition and give it a BIG push, but the push is now underway.
It’s definitely given me the confidence to do more. I feel I now have this green light to reach out, ask, contact and offer. It’s been a LONG time coming. I worked out I’ve had a bonus life of 1000 days, it’s time to wake up to that. A friend gently tried to suggest I look at what happened to me that way, now I see what I means.
Back in July, when my Facebook friends Vicky, Tina and drummer extraordinaire, James Garnett heard I was visiting Yorkshire they were effusive with their recommendations. Vicky and I met up in York on Bank Holiday Monday and went to the legendary Betty’s for a swish tea and cake experience, and she showed me her fave hometown spots, including these two buildings in The Shambles, built so closely you could reach across and hold hands with someone (Aw!)
And I saw Whitby, Scarborough, Filey Bay, Malton, Pickering, Thornton le Dale, the gorgeous purple heather in Rosedale, visited the Stained Glass Centre in Cayton,all thanks to my lovely host, Dr Sheila Shinman.
Stained Glass Centre
A woman I’ve had the privilege of calling my friend for over twenty years. Sheila, I love you. She also showed me you could bake plaice with a coating of mayonnaise and matzo, try it, it’s tasty. And she has a budgie called Toby. I was insanely excited to hold him. She’s taught him to say: ‘I speak Yiddish, Spanish and Chaffinch’.
And I thought the people I met were incredibly chilled out, relaxed and easy going. I met just one grumpy person the entire time I was there and that was because she wanted to go and have her lunch and had a load of stuff to do.
So, today, I decided I want to tell you about the five peeps who crossed my path who made my trip especially memorable. And I’ll begin with David Thomas. . . :)
David Thomas at the Thornton Scarecrow Festival aka Dashing Captain with a Conscience
David and the Black Pig
While Sheila was off getting her hair done, I checked out Thornton le Dale’s rather fabulous Scarecrow Festival. Walking down a hill, I saw a silver-haired man stood in front of a fetching boat parked on a grassy bank, he was wearing a pirate’s hat. I asked if it was okay to have my photo taken in front of his fine vessel and he said he’d only let me do it if I wore his hat! He plonked it on my head and began talking.
David asked me to snap this for your viewing pleasure
He was an adventurer and an actor who’d lived and travelled in Africa, but on hearing his beloved mum was struggling, had come home to look after her. He’d also experienced something dreadful which had left him so unwell he’d been admitted to Scarborough Hospital for three months. He told me he’d never found himself in a position where his life was in the hands of strangers, but the staff at the hospital had been so amazing, he’d decided to take his boat, Black Pig, and sail it to Venice in May 2016 to raise funds for them. For his confidence and bravado, I could see he was actually a pretty humble man. I told him I’d take his picture and tell other people about him. So David Thomas, this is for you. I’m a woman of my word.
Melanie aka Goddess in an Office Chair, Pickering
I wish I’d taken Melanie’s photo, but it might have freaked her out. So here’s one of me with the behemoth as hardcore evidence that the book got to see Pickering :) We took this outside Pickering Gifts.
Outside Pickering Gifts
Getting back to Melanie, she was a beautifully made up blonde woman I met, sat in an office chair in the Pickering Tourist office; my first port of call. I felt Gunshot Glitter belonged in her sale stock, especially with the story having local connections, but did I feel confident about presenting my case? No, I did not! I am the Queen of Championing Things for other people if I have the courage of conviction, but it’s way harder championing myself, even though I do believe in my novel. (That’s why I would dearly love your word of mouth support, dear Reader). Sheila dropped me off outside and feeling a tad trepidatious, I went in and spoke to this smiling, attentive blonde and she listened and nodded, turned my novel over and over in her hands, told me it looked beautiful and she would have loved to stock it, but, and there was a ‘but’, but it was a good very fair ‘but’, she said their office was being closed down in a week.
Their existing stock was being split up and distributed to the local post office and the Scarborough tourism office.
Noooo!
But Melanie sat me down and went through places nearby, looked up phone numbers, addresses, websites, names of people. She was really kind and assured me people would be receptive to a conversation. And I felt so, so much better after that. And she told me she was a big reader and that my book had completely intrigued her. She was also a big Lisa Jewell fan, so the cover endorsement hadn’t escaped her notice. They were selling off stock and I was bummed I didn’t have my purse on me, as I saw a Pickering branded pencil on sale, but she was extremely sweet and insisted I take it. Melanie, I hope it works out in the new job. Thank you for being so generous to a London author and putting her at ease.
Scarecrow Festival Ladies aka the Women Who Don’t Do Smartphones
Scarecrow Festival ladies!
Bless!
I’m not a fan of selfie sticks. They rob you of one of the most valid excuses to break ice with a stranger. I like offering to take photos for peeps, especially folks on hols or just passing through. My friends are extremely used to me doing this!
I was enjoying the Thornton le Dale Scarecrow Festival, when I came across these two middle-aged women cooing over this fallen Scarecrow Punk. One lady was amazingly made up. We three stood there and admired the fabulousness of his mohawk and the attention to detail, and the lady with the make-up on, crouched down and gave him a cuddle. I asked her to take a photo of me with Scarecrow Punk and she panicked a bit and confessed she’d never used a smartphone or taken a photo on one. I told her I’d show her.
She was really nervous of getting it wrong and eventually when she took it, I didn’t have the heart to tell her she’d stuck her finger over the lens! I asked her if she and her friend would like a photo with him, that I’d be happy to email it to them when I got home. She burst out laughing, thanked me, and said she didn’t use email. I told her I’d take one anyway. So I did and they were both thrilled with the photo when they looked at it with me. So this is for the ladies who are having a blast in Yorkshire and eschewing the seductions of cyber technology and doing very happily without it. I hope they see this one day. It was lovely to meet you.
Les aka the Man Who Runs a Bookshop out of his Home
Les with two Fiona Gibson faves
When I was brooding about Gunshot Glitter stockists in Pickering, Sheila suggested that I talk to a man she’d heard of who ran a bookshop out of his home. I felt a bit shy about approaching him, but she said he’d have local knowledge and might be able to make suggestions. She couldn’t give me an address, but told me the house was opposite the Pickering Railway and I’d know it when I saw due to the piles of books on display. The lady was right. I walked in and was surrounded by a library’s worth of tomes, all priced at £3 and under.
And the dude I clocked stood in the middle of the room was equally intrigued at me as I was at him. He told me his name was Les. Sheila later told me I’d been gone for almost half an hour. But to me, the time flew by. He was fascinating, friendly and effusive. I also made him a sale by convincing a teenage, home-schooled girl browsing for a classic read to try John Steinbeck’s of Mice and Men. I’d read it earlier this year.
The loveliest thing about Les was how comfortable and ease he was at his love of chick-lit, especially Fiona Gibson’s books. When I told him I knew her on Facebook ( she was my fave columnist in my teens) he was quite excited, so I insisted on taking his photo for them both. He also wrote poems, wanted to write a chicklit novel of his own featuring characters from his generation, and, to the bemusement of his girlfriend, loved scented candles and Wright’s Coal Tar Soap. I felt so much empathy with this man it wasn’t true! He told me all bright eyed, that he’d found the latter on a fantastic promotion and bought almost a hundred bars. I asked him if he minded giving me one, I’d only ever seen the handwash. He chuckled, vanished upstairs and returned to proudly present me with a twinpack. When I went back to Sheila clutching a pack of soap she burst out laughing. Les, you rock. And anyone reading this who is on a budget or looking for a hard to find read please visit his shop. He has great stock. He’s a star.
Rachel at Hoppers in Malton Marketplace aka Woman Who Sent Me Back to London Smiling
Rachel with Gunshot Glitter in Hopper in Malton
I saved the best to last. It was Melanie in the Pickering Information Office who told me about Hoppers in Malton. She was really enthusiastic about the shop. Sheila was too. When I rang the store and told Rachel about Gunshot Glitter I was pleased at how interested she sounded. I decided to visit on Tuesday morning before I caught my train back to Kings Cross. Sheila drove me to Malton, it was a gloriously sunny day. I was also keen to get a Page a Day diary (I get the diary ‘itch’ around September and bang on time on September 1st it kicked in).
I approached a slender, young woman in store and asked her if they had any in stock, she showed me the selection and we got chatting over them. Then I asked her if she could introduce me to Rachel and it turned out I was already talking to her! And then she realised I was Yasmin and we went on to have a really good conversation about Gunshot Glitter: the narrative, it’s relevance to the local area and it all went beautifully.
She looked at a copy of the paperback novel, viewed the reviews and agreed there and then to stock it. We agreed a discount to the store and I sold both the copies to her – numbered, kissed, personalised and signed. We went outside to take photographs and she warned me she often had her eyes closed in pictures, she wasn’t wrong! And Hoppers is a great store. It’s large and situated in a great spot in the Marketplace. Sheila later told me she’d been served by Rachel and thought she had a lovely attitude and found her extremely helpful. Heading back to the car, Sheila took one look at my glowing face and said ‘Tell me EVERYTHING!’ Having Hoppers stock Gunshot Glitter was the perfect way to end a positive visit for myself, for Sheila and for the behemoth.
Spread the word in Yorkshire! The print is on sale HERE!
And I want to say a HUGE thank you to Sheila for having me in her amazing home, and, for her generosity and wisdom. For treating me to a delicious cream tea at Botham’s of Whitby in Pickering ( who told me they’d be happy to carry promo for my novel, thank you, Botham’s!) and revealing beauty spots such as the Quaker Meeting House and the most serene view of Scarborough.
Botham’s tearoom garden in Pickering
Anna from the Gazette & Herald was entranced at all the unique spots around her home that held photographic potential. I told Sheila her home should be featured in Psychologies magazine. Every meal we ate was in a cosy, lamp-lit conservatory filled with books, orchids and sprawling plants. It was a very special experience.
How beautiful is this?
Sheila saw me off at Malton railway station with a hug and I had an easy journey home. I felt incredibly relaxed. The most I have in years to be honest. The Yorkshireman sat next to me was such a gent he insisted on hoisting my trolley-case at both ends of the train ride. Back in London, in the crowded, rush hour chaos that is Kings Cross, I was still all chilled out smiles. And even when the heavens parted in Hayes Town and the rain fell down on me as I was walking to my flat, I didn’t really mind. Because that’s how good a time I’d had in North Yorkshire.
I’m in Scarborough! :)
Filed under: Gunshot Glitter, News, People you should know about
September 9, 2015
First Radio Interview for Gunshot Glitter
Hello you
Positively teeny post as I hoped to include this in a biggie post on Yorkshire but that’s still baking. But did you know that I used to be a radio DJ fact fans?
Yes, I spun discs for the best part of three years in my teens and twenties. I loved it. Getting to play tons of alternative music, classics and have intimate tete a tetes with the denizens of Hillingdon when I was a student.
BUT
This is the first time I’m going to be in the hot seat. Sorry for the short notice. Hopefully there will be a podcast or suchlike for playback. I know there will be a You Tube video. But just in case you see this, listen in on DAB, or SKY or 87.7FM to Panjab Radio, I’m on after the news at 1PM being interviewed by Surjit about GUNSHOT GLITTER
Gunshot Glitter has a REAL melting pot of a cast and will be of definite interest to any who loves reading contemporary fiction that reflects the reality of the diversity of our fine country.
Panjab Radio is a well established, local Asian station in the thick of expansion, which recently celebrated a milestone birthday and features a mix of Asian and English language shows. Has a lovely reputation in west London. I met with a talented man named Mukesh last week and we had a fantastic chat about books, Gunshot Glitter, culture, radio, the advertising industry, food and music.
Here is a link to the station online. Click on it and tune in if you can. I would love that
And how could I post a blog without a few photos to accompany it? I decided to stick with local interest for this one in honour of Panjab Radio and the colourfulness of Southall nearby.
Where I’m heading in half an hour!
and also an amazing bike I saw stood randomly in the street in Southall
Only in Southall!
Do you get anything as crazy and colourful and random like THAT where you live?
I had better go! More soon :) It’s been very, very busy in the Castle lately. But happy busy. Long may it remain that way!
Yasmin xx
Filed under: Gunshot Glitter, News
August 21, 2015
Who Stole My Year?!
Hello you ;)
Yesterday I was staring at the 10 tog duvet in disbelief because I was contemplating swapping it with the 4 tog lightweight thing I’ve been using this summer. Where has the year gone?! Tomorrow, I’ve been told it’s going to hit 29 degrees in London, it looks like we’re going to have our whole Indian summer in a prim 24 hour period before it makes a swift exit. But more than that I’m aghast at the speed the year’s flown by.
How was your summer? Do you feel as if you’ve had one?
This is a shortie, just like my hair is right now.
I had about a foot of it cut off at the start of July.
A few hours before the shearing..
And it felt fantastically liberating to be honest. I was chuffed, chuffed, chuffed with the result. I had this intense Iraqi stylist tackle it with a rare confidence after examining the four photos I showed her on my mobile, nodding her head and then get cracking. I’ve started running recently and it feels REALLY good feeling the wind on my neck when I move. Just lovely. The only drag is that I know it’s going to really cost me to keep it this length. In the past I’ve been guilty of letting it go unattended for a year at a time. It’s only been six weeks and I’m already itching for a trim! I’m amazed at how versatile short hair is. It’s a graduated bob, gets shorter towards the back, so it can look quite fierce which makes me feel equally so, but then i can also go for sleek ala the shot above. Promise the below is the last vain glorious shot, I’ve not had such short hair since 1998 so it’s a big thrill for me to be honest.
grrrr
The summer has been hectic, I’ve had an overhaul on the inside and out AND in The Castle and have also squeezed in some writing, a lot of study, as well as reading some great books: ‘The Girls‘ by Lisa Jewell was my most compulsive read of the year. The kind that hijacks your agenda for the day. I posted a snap of myself on Lisa’s Facebook clad in a Cath Kidston floral towel clutching my copy, as the postman had got me out of my candle lit bath to deliver it! It was worth the interruption ;) My biggest slow burner but most rewarding read has to be Antipodean author Kate Forsyth’s The Wild Girl. Her writing is beautiful. I want to get a copy of Bitter Greens.
If you ever want to talk books with 4000+ enthusiastic souls come find us here on Facebook at The Bookshop Cafe. It’s my baby and I’m really proud of how positive our members are about their experience of it.
And in other News, because I honestly didn’t just come back to blog about my haircut, though you could be forgiven I had, in light of me posting three selfies featuring it, I kicked off a FANTASTIC month of posts for Rivka Spicer’s Diversity Month.
The blog posts have been generating a LOT of interest and discussion. I was very flattered and privileged to be chosen as the launch author by Rivka, who has a great ethos in embracing diversity in its every permutation. You can read my post HERE. I hope you enjoy the piece.
I talk about what it was like growing up as a bit of a black sheep in a strict family and what the concept of diversity means to me. If you’re looking for reading recommendations of the weird and wonderful ilk, you should definitely check it out. Plus, you also get to see what yours truly looked like when she was 18 and a newbie at Brunel University. Do leave a comment if you like the piece and give the others a good mooch too.
Next week, I’m going up to North Yorkshire to Pickering. I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks. I’m going to be staying with a lovely woman called Sheila, I’ve known for over twenty years. I visited her about eight years ago and thought the area she lived in within Pickering was so beautiful that I couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to anyone who hailed from there. It was the perfect spot to base a certain family in Gunshot Glitter. If you’ve read Gunshot Glitter you’ll know who and why.
It’s going to be good to go back.
Enjoy your Indian Summer tomorrow, where ever you are, if it happens ;)
Love
P.S. If you get the chance, go see Bend It Like Beckham – The Musical in the West End in London. It’s brilliant, I laughed and cried, I got excited when they said ‘Yeading’ and I got to see Jas Instruments facia replicated on stage. And the woman sat to the left of my companion, Terence Dackombe, got so excited grooving in her seat, her shoe flew off! If that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what is.
Filed under: Gunshot Glitter, News
May 9, 2015
An open letter to everyone who voted Conservative yesterday and why you should hesitate before you pat yourself on the back.
I honestly could not have put it better myself. And believe me I thought about writing a post too. That election result horrified me yesterday. I stayed awake until 6am watching history being made, engaging with people on Twitter and Facebook, who were as perplexed, confused and as bewildered as I was, for all the reasons this articulate post describes. I know for a fact a few of my friends voted Tory. In a democracy you have to accept that people will have their own ideological beliefs. But this incarnation of the Conservative party is NASTY, and, I am seriously scared of what will unfold in the next five years, unless something occurs to temper them. If things continue sans divine intervention I hope they finally rediscover some humanity. The one thing I would like to add though, is we are MANY… don’t ever forget that… Xx
Originally posted on wilsher 's Blog:
To everyone who voted conservative yesterday,
I hope you���re happy. Actually that���s a lie, I really don���t. But before you sit smugly down and give yourself a big pat on the back I���d like to ask you a few questions.
Do you think you haven���t benefitted from the system you are currently trying to break down? As a child, did you ever go to hospital? Have you had an education? Did you ever use a library? Have you ever been on a bus? If so, you have benefited from a system which subsidises facilities with taxes. And now you have, you are willing to take it away from everyone after you. Correct me if I���m wrong but that doesn���t seem very fair. You cannot have socialism and a support system when you need it but then be unwilling to support it for other people.
Now if you are someone who���
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Filed under: Uncategorized
March 28, 2015
Dying Man, 24, Leaves an Awesome Message That Everyone Should Read:
I don’t think I have ever reblogged a post, but sitting up in bed, reading this, I felt so strongly about this post and what he said, I felt I had to. He deserves a legacy and words are often all we have left for our fellow strangers, if like this 24 year old, the years we expect to live are stolen from us. Thank you to everyone who wrote such kind, supportive comments on my last post, I look forward to responding to them today. Lots of love, Yasmin xxx
Originally posted on Kindness Blog:
Soon I Will be Gone Forever, but That���s Okay as Long as Someone Reads This.I am only 24 years old, yet I have actually already chosen my last tie. It���s the one that I will wear on my funeral (above) a few months from now. It may not match my suit, but I think it���s perfect for the occasion.
The cancer diagnosis came too late to give me at least a tenuous hope for a long life, but I realized that the most important thing about death is to ensure that you leave this world a little better than it was before you existed with your contributions . The way I���ve lived my life so far, my existence or more precisely the loss of it, will not matter because I have lived without doing anything impactful.
Before, there were so many things that occupied my mind. When I learned���
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Filed under: Uncategorized
