10 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About Me

And how it relates to writing a nonfiction book

When I decided to start an online book-coaching business, I joined a business program to learn how to do it, and pretty much everything I learned pushed me out of my comfort zone. One of those things was having to talk about myself when I was bringing out something new or giving a workshop.

Because I had to talk about myself a lot.

All across social media. 

*gulps*

I know. It felt weird.

And it was really hard. 

It flew in the face of how I was brought up in Middle-Class England. Back then, talking about myself was called bragging or showing off, and I was always discouraged from doing it. 

So there’s that. 

Then the other thing was the question, why on earth would anyone want to know all that kinda stuff? Like what I ate for breakfast? I mean, who cares? (Um. It’s muesli. With yogurt. Then toast. With marmalade.)

But when you’re in a learning environment and you’re going for it there comes a time – at least five times a week in my first year of online business – I had to just DO it. 

So I’d swallow my fear, hover my finger over the Return button, the press really really quickly and RUN (I literally did) from my desk to the kitchen in a state of total mortification with fingers crossed that nobody would say anything mean about me, or worse, not see or care at all!

Oh, my DAYS… 

I’m a bit cooler about that stuff now because I’ve learned that if I’m not making a lot of noise about what I do, nobody will find me. And if they can’t find me, I’m denying them the opportunity of learning how to write a nonfiction book. 

And exactly the same thing applies to you if you’re not writing your book: you’re denying people the opportunity of learning something that will help them. You’re standing in your own way instead of just making a start and DOING it.

So here are 10 things you don’t know about me. (And you can try this too if you feel like exorcising any demons you’ve got lurking about!) 

1. I’ve flown a seaplane and a Cessna and did you know you have to PEDAL the plane to make it go along the ground?

2. I’m an award-winning actress. Yep, it was a short film at the Granada Film Fest and when I got the call from the director I didn’t even know I’d been nominated. I was at home in my slippers, watching TV with my now ex-husband. 

3. My favorite color is blush. And if you’re like me and you love interiors, it’s gorgeous as a neutral on walls. Try Farrow and Ball’s subtle and romantic Pink Ground in the bedroom and earthy Setting Plaster in the kitchen. Yum. (This is not an affiliate link, I just love the colors).

4. I hate boiled carrots. Ever since I was tiny. I had a teacher in primary school called Ms. Urdley (we used to call her Miss Ugly) who made me eat them. When I was 5, she pushed them under my mashed potato and told me I wouldn’t notice them. I felt angry that a) she thought I was stupid, I mean how would I NOT notice them? and b) she’d ruined my mashed potato.

5. I love fun facts so check this out. Did you know the formation of the universe as we know it happened 13,800,000,000 years ago? But recorded history only goes back 5000 years? And guess how humans did that? With texts, in writing. (And I can’t even conceptualize nearly 14 billion years, it just blows my mind…)

6. I’m really lazy about getting my hair cut. I only get it done about twice a year. I intend to do it more often but never get around to it.  

7. I swear a lot. But rarely in front of my children.

8. Things that fuck me off include littering and not recycling properly and the way every food item is wrapped in REAMS of plastic. Which end up in the ocean. Grrrr…

9. I’m not crazy about wine but I love a G&T. And if temperatures rise above 20 degrees, I’ll have a Campari and Orange with lots of ice, please. 

10. I speak Dutch. (Ta-Dah!) I  love dogs and dancing and I’ve taken all my grades in soprano singing. And I know that’s four things but I felt like sharing.