Month: December 2019

2019 – so many thanks to give!

This year was so epic! Multiple goals were kicked including:

HEALTH – I’ve been alcohol-free for 14 months straight now.

WORK/LIFE BALANCE – Me and hubby took a dream 3 month sabbatical in Bali and Corfu this summer. We returned fully rebooted and raring to go!

SPIRITUAL – I’m still  meditating after 7 years and it continues to work. Anything negative just melts away after 20 mins of quietening the mind.

PHYSICAL – At 48 I’ve never been fitter. One of my biggest achievements this year was learning to do the headstand, as taught by a wonderful local yoga teacher in Nusa Lembongan Island, Bali.

FINANCIAL – It took a lot of hard graft over the years but we’ve now paid off our mortgage!

CAREER – My debut novel Chinglish took off in a BIG way. It couldn’t have happened without the support of the amazing team around me: my agent, publishers, PR, event organisers, family and friends. I sincerely thank you all.

So 2020 is looking super juicy with loads of events booked, discussions around various adaptations and talk of a sequel. I’m now fully rested up after a frantic book launch and tour and ready to face the New Year with excited anticipation. I hope you are too, whatever your own special personal goals may be.

Good luck and much love, Sue x

The Guardian Best Book 2019!

Holy crap! If ever I’ve felt like a gatecrasher it is well and truly now. Yesterday I got the news that I had been included in The Guardian’s Best Books of the year list (YA) alongside Philip Pullman(!) and Malorie Blackman(!) as well as others in the star studded list. I still can’t believe it a whole day later – somebody slap me please.

When I was writing Chinglish there was no way I imagined the response it’s getting now. I was a lowly, working class minority lacking what I felt anyway, the background or skills to ever achieve anything this grand. It was just me dumping my angst about being dragged up in a Chinese takeaway. What I enjoyed the most about it though was the serious opportunity to write comedy, I’ve always wanted to succeed at making people laugh and somehow I BLOODY DID IT!

I want to thank everyone who had faith in Chinglish when I didn’t, and cheerleaded me all the way to the bitter end: my agent, editor, publisher, husband, family, friends, my cats who doubled as stress balls against their will, the media who have been amazing and the hundreds of supporters on social media. What a fabulously surreal way to end the year!