Six months in and the boundaries are blurring. Project Mirror started with a single conversation back in July. A client asking for “influencer hands” through surgery, not manicure. That moment opened something I couldn’t close, and now I’m deeper in this fictional world than I ever intended. The feedback on recent excerpts tells me I’m […]
Progress Report: Living Inside Project Mirror Read More »
Four days at Voices of Friends V taught me something unexpected about creative territories. Not the usual festival insights about networking or inspiration – something rawer. Watching Kazakhstani poets read alongside British writers, listening to Russian authors translate emotion into English in real-time, I realised we’re all performing translation. Not just linguistic—cultural, generational, personal. Every
Burabay Reflections Read More »
Four months into writing Project Mirror and I’m ready to share another piece. After the response to my first excerpt, several people asked to see more of how this world actually functions. This scene comes later in the book, when my protagonist starts noticing cracks in the system. A teenage client’s emotion package malfunctions, and
Project Mirror: Another Look Read More »
Yesterday’s research trip to Wellcome Library turned into something I hadn’t planned. I’d gone to explore their digital health archives for Project Mirror background material, but ended up in the kind of conversation that shifts how you think about your own work. A neuropsychologist studying identity disorders recognised the book I was reading about algorithmic
Unexpected Connections at Wellcome Read More »
Project Mirror finally has a face, and it’s haunting in exactly the right way. The ornate mirror frame feels deliberately anachronistic against the digital ghost floating inside it. There’s something unsettling about classical beauty containing a glitched reflection. The designer understood what I’ve been writing about for two years: we’re all performing for invisible audiences,
Literature Across Frontiers just confirmed a series of UK engagements for 2026 and I’m genuinely excited about this. June: LAF Intercultural Forum in Cardiff. Keynote reading plus workshops on writing across languages. Co-hosted with Literature Wales and Cardiff University. This is exactly the kind of work I want to be doing: practical craft sessions with
2026: What I’m Planning Read More »
I re-released Temporary Access because the psychological state I documented at pandemic borders turned out to be how everyone lives now. The collection follows twelve women navigating 2020-2021 when borders closed without warning and every permission was provisional. QR codes, visa applications, quarantine passes. I thought I was capturing an exceptional moment of uncertainty. Four
Temporary Access Re-Released Read More »
Literary Titan published an interview with me yesterday about The Influencer’s Canvas, and reading my own answers back felt strange. Like watching yourself on video and noticing all the gestures you didn’t know you make. The interviewer asked how the book came about. I explained what I’ve been observing for years: people drop their guards
Connection vs Performance Read More »
Woke up this morning to find Literary Titan had reviewed The Influencer’s Canvas and gave it four stars. Reading someone else’s interpretation of your work always feels surreal, like watching strangers discuss a conversation you thought was private. The reviewer called it ‘clever, biting, and unexpectedly tender’, which made me smile because that tension between
Literary Titan Review Read More »
Eurasian Creative Guild just confirmed I’ll lead a masterclass this autumn: “Narratives of Luxury and Identity in a Globalised World.” I’m excited and slightly terrified. The masterclass will explore how luxury industries shape contemporary identity formation. Using my five published novels as case studies, we’ll examine how brand management psychology, digital platforms, and global consumer
ECG Masterclass Announced Read More »
Dive into my latest novel that explores art meets algorithm in our hyperconnected world. Multilingual storytelling with visual elements—questioning what’s authentic behind perfectly curated facades.
