A question (or two) for you

I blame it on the time of year. The horse chestnut tree outside my window, the one that accompanies me throughout the year like a calender, is practically bare, the russet leaves mulched down on the pavement. I’ve been hoovering and dusting and taking books and clothes to the local charity shops, making space in my home for… I don’t know what yet. I think I just need the space. More room to breathe.

And I’ve been doing the same in my Google Reader — clearing out a few blogs to make space for new discoveries. Finding new inspirations on Flickr. Paring back my Twitter lists to open the way for new words.

And this autumnal cleaning has got me thinking about this blog. I don’t have the time to make any big changes in the design, but that’s not what’s needed. This morning I realised I simply wanted to check in with you guys and make sure you still enjoying coming here :) Because I’m in that in-between space of half writing for you and half writing for me. Private thoughts are kept in my journals, but my blog is where I get to share the stuff that’s in my head with readers — and in my five + years of blogging, this really has been the greatest gift of all. To be able to get a witness. To be able to share thoughts and theories. To be able to feel part of a tribe. Never for a moment do I take this (or you!) for granted — blogging is my happy place, even when I get the occasional rude comment.

I’m not big with the blog content planning — it never works when I do that. My blogging style is more talk-about-what’s-on-my-mind-today. So I wanted to ask you:

1. Why do you come here?

2. Are there any topics you’d like me to muse more on? More about blogging, perhaps. Or writing. Or healing. Or photography?

3. Are you digging my one-and-only blog feature, the Friday link posts? And the occasional interviews?

Looking forward to reading your feedback — thank you, loves! xo

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In other news, Photo Meditations sold out on Saturday (in four hours!) and because I was getting so many emails i have opened a waiting list — so email me if you’d like to join it x

Something for the weekend

Thank you so much for your lovely comments on the book cover and all your pre-orders! I felt ridiculously nervous about sharing it, so your kindness and enthusiasm was such a joy to receive ~ thank you thank you thank YOU!

Now for some linkie goodness…

Tomorrow I’ll be speaking at The World’s Biggest Summit — my very first podcast! The subject is Blogging From The Heart and it’ll give you a taster of my guidebook (coming early next year.) Also featured tomorrow is lovely Rebecca Leigh and… drumroll please… Leonie’s interview with Julia Cameron! So sign up for free today — you’ll be able to access all the other interviews/podcasts/videos too.

“You taste like punishment”

Steve Jobs’ hero was Edwin Land, the man who invented Polaroid cameras = my two favourite geniuses. I think the SX-70 and the iPhone are comparable in their brilliance.

I’m obsessed with butternut squash at the moment:: risotto :: crusted butternut squash

First ever Renegade Craft Fair in London

From sweet Jenny Bee: 6 fool-proof ways to make a difference

[VIDEO] “You can’t get to wonderful without passing through alright” (via Michael)

Do you know Amy? The four hungers that drive you

The 2012 Poladarium is a must-have (and these Kindle covers)

[DIY] Washi tape wrapping paper

Digging into Eric’s wonderful new (and free) book: 50 ways to Leave Your Karma (see also his interviews here and here)

Can’t wait to give this a try: how to make your own solid perfume

This video turned me into a Katy Perry fan. No really.

Okay, if that’s not your cup of tea, check out this fabulous music Looks like the tracks have been removed. Bummer. Try this instead

10 things you didn’t know about light & 10 ways to show yourself some love

I love it when famous people write their own blog posts — and write it from the heart

You can call me a geek if you like (it would be true) but how fantastic does this film look? RDJ + Thor = WIN

Loving these photos of Paul & Joanne (via Gala) and these post-apocalypic zombie-slaying family pics are inspired

Have you seen Marisa’s lovely new fabric?

And finally, registration for my first ever Photo Meditations class opens TOMORROW at 9am BST for aussies/kiwis/that side of the world and 4pm BST/11 EDT/8PDT for everyone else. I hope you can join me :)

Enjoy! xo

Every book needs a cover

So here, at last, is the cover of my book!

Had it been left to me it would’ve been much simpler — verging on minimal, even — but when my editor sent me the first version (what you see above is the third and final) I immediately understood what they were thinking. We needed a cover that was rich and luscious to draw prospective readers to it. It’s textured, colourful, layered and thoughtful — just like the words it contains. And truth be told, this is absolutely the sort of cover I would pick up in a book store.

Having my mug on the cover made me squirm at first — that old visibility thing rearing its head. But I remember the day I took that photo and it was full of calm and quiet. And the photo of my sister on the right is one of my favourites. Seeing us together makes me smile.

The cover also reminds me of the wallpaper that decorated the dining room of our house when we were kids. This wasn’t planned but it feels so meant to be:

(Can you see how much Noah looks like his mummy?)

We’re working on the insides of the book at the moment — after the richness of the cover, the insides are much more calm and simple, with Polaroids dotted throughout the text. We’re getting our zen on and I think you’re going to like it :)

Some stats:
The book will be 5.5 x 7.5 inches
Hardcover
Publication date: June 5th, 2012
Price: $21.95 (£14.31) but you can pre-order it on Amazon.com/Amazon.co.uk* right now for $14.93 (£12.78)

* Did you see what I did just then? I linked to my book on Amazon! There is a young girl dancing inside of me right now, the girl who spent entire weekends lying on her bed reading books. The girl who wrote stories about love and recorded the smallest details of her life in her notebooks…

Thoughts on a name

On Monday I changed my Twitter name to @SusannahConway. This might not sound like a big deal but, strangely, it felt like one. But it’s less about this happening on Twitter and more about me stepping into my name. I’ve been easing into this since I started blogging under my own domain last year. That felt huge. When I first started blogging in 2006 I only ever used my first name and was always worried that “someone” would find my blog. I couldn’t tell you who that someone actually was — it certainly wasn’t a real person — but for some reason i wanted to retain a smidge of anonymity in my online dealings.

Obviously that didn’t last long :)

I bought my own domain name back in 2005 — a friend had suggested I make a website to showcase my journalism and it’s thanks to her foresight that I snapped up susannahconway.ffm-01.clickwphosting.com when I did. I was still swimming in grief back then, but putting together that site was my first step on the internet highway and gave me something to focus on when my days were aimless, tearstained and, more worryingly, unemployed. A few months later I stumbled upon my first blog and the rest, as they say, is history.

So now here I am, more visible on the internets than i ever thought possible.

When I first joined Twitter it was just for fun– i had no idea that i would ever actually a) understand why anyone would bother with the site and b) come to enjoy it myself. @photobird was my user name and an alter ego of sorts. I tweeted as myself, of course, but i quite liked having a nickname i could use in different ways.

When I’d finished writing the book I figured it was time to tweet under my own name, being an author and all… but the name was taken. The account wasn’t being used, and I could tell the ‘other’ Susannah had it — the one who lives elsewhere in the UK and is also a photographer (what are the odds?). It took me a while to build up the ovaries to contact her. But I am so glad I did because she was LOVELY and was happy to let me take over our name (thank you, hon!)

So now I’m out on Twitter. And it feels good.

Do you guys feel comfortable using your name on the internet?

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Tomorrow I’m going to show you something else that bears my name… the cover of my book!