What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write this book?
Keep Calm and Bollocks On was born somewhere between exhaustion, motherhood, and the realisation that so many women are quietly struggling while pretending they’re absolutely fine. I wanted to write the book I wish someone had handed me when I became a mother - something honest, funny, irreverent and completely free of the pressure to have it all figured out. Motherhood can be beautiful, but it can also be chaotic, lonely, overwhelming and utterly ridiculous. And somewhere between the nappies, expectations and endless advice, women can lose sight of themselves. So I wrote about the messy reality of being human - the moments we don’t put on Instagram, the identity crises, the exhaustion, the humour and the small victories. It’s essentially my way of saying: you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep going. And occasionally say bollocks.
If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of your book, what would they be?
For the exhausted mother: I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor. Because, frankly, sometimes survival is the achievement. For the woman having an existential crisis: Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine. For letting go of the guilt, expectations, and things that no longer fit. For the woman finally remembering who she is: Unwritten - Natasha Bedingfield. Because there is still so much life left to write. And for me, the author: Tubthumping - Chumbawamba. I get knocked down, but I get up again. It felt almost offensively appropriate.
What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?
I’m drawn to memoir, autobiographical fiction, and anything that tells the truth about being human without taking itself too seriously. I love books that make me laugh and then quietly punch me in the feelings five pages later. It’s very much the same territory I love to write in. I’m fascinated by people - our contradictions, our terrible decisions, our resilience, and the ridiculous things we do to convince everyone, including ourselves, that we have our lives together.
What books are on your TBR pile right now?
1. The myth of the perfect mom 2. Kind Companion. My TBR pile is less of a pile and more of an ongoing hostage situation. At the moment, I’m craving books that are beautifully written but still have something real to say - particularly memoirs, women’s stories, and books that explore identity, motherhood, relationships, and the wonderfully complicated business of being alive. I’m also the sort of reader who will happily abandon my carefully planned TBR because someone recommends a book to me with the words, “You HAVE to read this.”
What scene in your book was your favorite to write?
Many! My favourite scenes were the ones where I could take something that might ordinarily feel heavy or uncomfortable and find the absurdity and humour hiding inside it. There’s something wonderfully liberating about writing the things we’re all thinking but rarely say out loud. Those were the moments when the book really felt like me - honest, a little inappropriate, occasionally chaotic, but ultimately hopeful. If I can make someone laugh at something they thought they were the only person struggling with, then I feel like I’ve done my job.
Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)
My biggest writing habit is that I need absolute silence - which is particularly hilarious given that I’m a mother. So I tend to write whenever I can steal a moment, usually with a cup of coffee nearby and approximately seventeen interruptions. I also have a habit of writing down random thoughts, phrases, and observations the moment they occur to me. My phone is essentially a graveyard of sentences that may one day become something brilliant - or may remain evidence that I should probably sleep more.
Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?
“Life is too short to take yourself too seriously.” I believe we should laugh at ourselves, say the thing, make the mistake, get back up and keep moving. And, naturally: Keep calm and bollocks on.
If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?
That you are allowed to be a work in progress. You don’t have to have motherhood, womanhood, relationships, work, or life perfectly figured out. You are allowed to be exhausted, ambitious, confused, hilarious, angry, hopeful, and completely overwhelmed - sometimes all before breakfast. Stop waiting to become the “perfect” version of yourself before you start enjoying your life. You are already enough. Keep calm. And bollocks on.
