I took this picture when I was writing Hare Moon in 2021. It is one of the many apple trees at my allotment. This year the blossom is slower to come, and when I look back at photos taken from that year of moons, I notice small children in swimming costumes on the beach and a sun high in the sky. It is still cool in Northumberland, some days struggling to get into double figures. A couple of weeks ago I was taken by surprise during a trip to the city by a blazing sun and an absence of factor 30 suncream, but for now summer is on hold.
If you haven’t read Twelve Moons, it is structured so that it covers a year in my life, and each chapter is named after the moon I write under. This bookclub has been created as a way to connect with readers and writers and share some special extras and inside information about the writing of my book, as well as further exploring some of the themes within it.
Lots of readers have told me they are reading the book chapter by chapter, under different moons, slowly and intentionally. Others have gobbled it up in less than 48 hours. Many of you are enjoying the audiobook, recorded on two chilly days in a Newcastle basement. Others have written to me to tell me they are going to read it with friends in a book group. So many different ways to absorb one story.
When I really get into a book I want to delve deeper, try to understand where the story came from and consider why it has affected me. What is it about these words that has made me feel this way? This Substack bookclub offers you the opportunity to meet other readers and writers and dive into a different world. Get cosy with a drink and maybe a cat on your knee. Join me every month to think about the big stuff. Ask me questions, tell me your stories. Each monthly bookclub includes the following:
A video of me reading an extended extract from Twelve Moons
Written words about themes within the book
Background information about my creative process during the writing of the book
Writing prompts
Q&A opportunities
Creative recommendations
Archived book club episodes
Hare Moon is the fourth chapter in Twelve Moons. Even though the weather is colder this year, every day I notice visual clues that remind me of writing Hare Moon. The fields are filled with oil seed rape, and primrose clutter the hedgerows. When the sun peeks out from behind the clouds the whole landscape is lit up in a yellow glow. This month I’ll be writing a bit about first love and childbirth.
In this video I read to you about my conflicting feelings about the experience of giving birth to my first child.