LGBT Book Recommendations

Hey guys! So in this week's blog I'm going to be giving you some LGBT book recommendations!

I think it's brilliant that more LGBT books are being published and they're all I read! So without further ado, here are some of my favourites!

Non Binary and Transgender Books

Every Day by David Levithan

Every Day is about a person called A who wakes up in a different body every day. A could be descried as non binary and this book is one of the most unique I have ever read.

A wakes up one day inside Jason and his girlfriend Rhiannon thinks he's acting strange because he's never this kind or romantic. Now A has to figure out a way of staying in one body...

I can't wait to read the sequel, Another Day since the last book was left on a cliffhanger...

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

If I Was Your Girl is about a transgender girl called Amanda. She moves in with her dad and she hopes no one will find out who she used to be...

Even though there are some unrealistic aspects in the book, it was a heart-wrenching and lovely book about acceptance, friendship and family.

The Art Of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

David Piper is transgender but his family think he's gay and he gets bullied at school - until he meets Leo. Leo stands up for David and they soon become friends when Leo reveals his past and invites David on an adventure.

This book reminds me of Jacqueline Wilson's writing and is by far one of my favourite reads. It is heartwarming, real and unpredictable - everything that a good book should be.

Books on sexuality

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On is like Hogwarts but with two wizards who fall in love and defeat the bad guys. Simon Snow is a wizard and Baz, his vampire roommate can't stand him for being the 'chosen one.' However, as they battle together, they soon realise their feelings are more than just magic...

Carry On is fan-fiction from Fangirl, another book by Rowell and I would recommend reading that first.

Girl Hearts Girl by Lucy Sutcliffe

Lucy is one of my favourite YouTubers and she used to date and live with her girlfriend Kaelyn Petras, another YouTuber. They both inspired me with their YouTube videos about anxiety, long distance and LGBT topics.

However, they broke up after being long distance for six years and Lucy finished her book before they broke up.

Girl Hearts Girl is about Lucy's journey to discovering she was gay and how she learned to accept it. Lucy also writes about her experiences with anxiety, school, friends and long distance. IT truly is a lovely book about self discovery and acceptance.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Geekerella is exactly what it says it is; a Cinderella story with a geeky twist. Danielle lives with her two evil stepsisters and stepmonster. Danielle loves Starfield, a sci-fi program her and her dad used to watch when he was alive.

Her father built a con for all types of fans and Danielle is upset that there's going to be a Starfield movie with an actor she hates called Darien Freeman. However, they accidentally start texting, not knowing who each other are and Danielle wants to enter a contest at her father's con to meet Darien and tell him what she thinks.

Sage, who Danielle works with, helps make her a costume and they go to the con together. It turns out Sage and Danielle's step sister hit it off and even though there isn't much mention of the LGBT community, it's still a cute story worth reading!

So there you go! These are some of my favourite LGBT books and I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did!

Don't forget to subscribe and also follow my Instagram for updates: neurotic.writer.ramblings

Twenty Facts About Me

Well hello there. I think I'm getting the hang of posting regularly! So I am writing this blog because I think it's good for you guys to get to know a little bit more about me and what I enjoy.

1. I eat way too much chocolate. I am seriously considering making my life ambition to help authors with their chocolate addictions and open up a rehab. 

2. My favourite TV shows are: Friends, Gilmore Girls,The Inbetweeners, Jane the Virgin, The Vampire Diaries and Gavin and Stacey.

3. My most annoying habit is picking my nails.

4. My favourite book right now is probably Every Day by David Levithan.

5. My all time favourite series has got to be the Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater.

6. My favourite authors are: David Levithan, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Huntley Fitzpatrick and Maggie Stiefvater (I spoke about this in a recent blog of mine).

7. I'm pansexual.

8. Apart from the UK I have been to Portugal, France, New York and the Spanish island of Ibiza.

9. Places I would like to visit: Italy, LA, Canada and Amsterdam.

10. My middle name is Leigh and my parents picked this because my aunt's name is "Kayleigh."

11. My favourite food to eat is chocolate (obviously) and burgers.

12. My favourite drink is probably a latte (none of that complicated crap like strawberry, raspberry and watermelon frappe or decaf soy latte).

13. My favourite number is 13.

14. I have an unhealthy obsession with Taylor Swift and have been a fan since I was seven years old.

15. I am in a long distance relationship.

16. I also have a long distance best friend (all the best people live far away!!)

17. My favourite movie is Bridget Jones (all three of them).

18. I want to become a published writer and freelance editor/proofreader.

19. I love unicorns. I have a onesie, stationary, ornaments, clothes, slippers and even a night light that my partner's parents bought for me.

20. Three years ago I was suffering with crippling anxiety and couldn't leave the house. And thanks to the support of friends, family and most of all, Oliver (for pushing me when I just couldn't face it) I am now able to travel to London alone, go out shopping (I've nearly conquered shopping centres) and become so much more confident in myself as a person. Without Oli's help I wouldn't be able to do the things I do today.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading 20 facts about me and don't forget to subscribe and follow my Bookstagram: @neurotic.writer.ramblings

An Interview with Huntley Fitzpatrick

I asked one of my favourite authors, Huntley Fitzpatrick if she would kindly answer a few questions about her books and writing. Amazingly, she agreed and here we have her answers! I hope you enjoy this week's blog.

Who/what are your inspirations to write?

I fell in love with words and stories when my father read me E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web when I was four. I loved the story of how a few words could change the world for the characters.  

How did you get into writing?

When my kindergarten teacher asked us all what I wanted to be when I grew up, saying “a writer” was affirming what I already knew. As for getting into writing, I just wrote…journals, stories, poems, everything.  The world often seemed mysterious to me until I translated it into my own words.

What would be your advice to someone who’s experiencing writer’s block? And what would be your advice to someone who wants to write for a living?

First off, writer’s block is real…there are moments when the words don’t come. Or at least the words in an order you experience as well done. Write anyway. I know that sounds like saying “work through the pain” the way people tell you with exercise. Actually, it is the same thing. Write anyway. Just don’t reread what you’ve written. Keep going.  As for writing for a living—that’s a much harder question. If you mean supporting yourself by your writing alone, that’s tricky and most/many brilliant writers don’t do that.  Write away but make sure you have enough money. Nothing dries up creativity like constant financial stress.

Of all the books you’ve written, who is your favorite character and why? 

It’s hard to have an answer for this—in fact, I’m not sure I have one. My favorite character is whichever one I’m empathizing with as I write. Not only Samantha and Jase, Gwen and Cass, Tim and Alice, but all the secondary characters. The lovely thing about writing is that you tap into everyone’s humanity. And once you do that—you love them all. Maybe not Grace Reed. I still kinda hate her.

Who is your favorite author? And what is your favorite book? 

I feel lame here, but I can’t answer either question. I love so many authors and so many books. I can’t even answer who is my favorite author in any genre. Pass on this one.

Do you have any future plans for books? And do you write frequently? 

I’ve never spent a single day without writing something. I always have future plans. There are so many books I still want to write, there will never be enough time in a lifetime. But I sure will try to cram it all in.

If you could choose any world or a fictional world, where would you want to be or travel to?  

After all these years, it’s still Narnia. So many moments that I remember with goosebumps. And I reread those books every year.

How long did it take you to write My Life Next Door?  

It took me two years from start to finish. When I was halfway through, I had this big health-crisis, near death experience. As I was wondering whether I would make it through this thing, along with the “I can’t leave my kids” thought was “I HAVE to finish this book.” I’m so grateful I did.

So there you go! I hope you enjoyed this week's blog. Please subscribe, share, like and all those wonderful things. Until next time. Vee. 

Living with Anxiety and Depression

I wrote a post quite a while ago about coping with anxiety but I would like to also share a post about what I'm currently going through and maybe, just maybe, someone else is going through the same situation and feelings and this can help you feel less alone.

I have a wonderful partner, a job that's going to further my career and a supportive family. But all these things don't stop the anxiety and depression that goes through me on a day to day basis. I don't always experience it - but it can be a constant feeling throughout the day or a niggling feeling I can't explain which only makes me MORE anxious.

Anxiety can occur in many different ways in lots of different situations. It could be anything from walking down the street to being in a busy shopping centre.

Going out of the house a few years ago was almost impossible until my partner encouraged me and soon I was visiting him in London and going out alone again. Since then I'm able to walk to work most days (some days I become anxious about walking in case I feel anxious - I know, anxious about being anxious) to work and I'm able to get a train and tube on my own to my partner's house.

I still can't set foot in a mall on my own and I become anxious about the smallest things such as calling someone, letting someone down or admitting how I feel.

Some days I struggle to get out of bed because I don't want to face a stressful day at work or I don't want to get up out of the safeness of my bed. Having anxiety and depression is like having two people yelling at each other. Anxious me: "Get out of bed! You can't be late! You are going to feel ill. You'll never feel better." Depressive me: "I don't want to get out of bed. It's unsafe outside. No one cares anyway."

The difference now is that I'm able to push myself further than I have before. I've just completed a journey through London I didn't think I would ever be able to do and little accomplishments such as that mean a great deal to someone like me with anxiety.

My advice to you would be to celebrate these little things - in the end they will be the start of you taking big steps. Not every day will be easy, but it's better to know there are other people going through the same thing as you.

At the moment I struggle to see when I will feel better, more confident in myself again. But it's there, in the not too distant future. Whether it's counselling that I need or just encouraging myself in general, I will get there and so will you. This journey may be hard but it's not impossible. Lots of people think anxiety is something you can't overcome, that it will be with you for the rest of your life. But that's not true; we are able to overcome great obstacles in life, including anxiety.

Believing in yourself will be a great resource to you. I know this can be hard when you have anxiety coupled with depression, but I hope one day you see you will be happy, you will overcome these obstacles. And if you can't see that yet, I can see it for you.