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💥Important: Big Moves... New Address

I've been quiet here, but not because I've stopped writing. Truth is, I've needed a space that lets me move more slowly. Where the stories didn’t need to be polished—only honest.Where I could write from the raw edge of memory and meaning. That space is The Open Draft my new publication on Substack. It’s where I’m writing essays that live closer to the bone, mirroring the work I’m doing on my book. If you’ve ever felt alone in your healing journey, or longed to make sense of where you come...

I'm too old. How many times have you said that? How many dreams have you buried under that excuse? Maybe you've thought about switching careers, learning a new skill, or starting something completely different. But then the voice creeps in: You should have done this years ago. It's too late now. It's not. And I have proof. the real stories that say otherwise I've been collecting comments from people just like you. People who thought they were "too old" to start again—but did it anyway. They...

Woman sitting on top of a mountain

I'm so paused. I'm not sure if that even makes sense but it sounds right. For the past few weeks, I've been off the grid. No newsletters. No posts. Just silence. Why? My mother-in-law passed away. And in order to grieve, to support my husband, and to show up for his family, I pressed pause. And at first, it felt strange. we treat stillness like a malfunction We live in a world that worships productivity. If you're not doing something, making something, documenting something, it's like you've...

I'm so nosy. There, I admitted it. I love research—diving into things that are both my business and absolutely not my business. trapped in the 9-5? here's what they don't tell you Every day, I watch professionals drag themselves to jobs they've outgrown, convinced they're trapped in an endless cycle of survival. Maybe you know the feeling—watching another year slip by, wondering if this is really all there is. I see this sentiment everywhere, including in a recent Reddit post: "I've only been...

I used to think I was boring. And that being boring was a weakness. I don't like going out. I don't like parties and small talk. I can't handle noise. When confronted with social media noise and self-proclaimed gurus screeching contradictory advice, I want to pack my bags and live amongst the sheep. So I ran a simple experiment on Threads in January: post daily and leave thoughtful comments. No tricks, no growth hacks – just showing up. The results surprised me. Comments got more views than...

Ooh I love it in here! If your inbox looks anything like January has felt, I’m extra grateful you’ve opened this little love note today. What. A. Month. You know that ex-colleague who somehow stretches a quick coffee catch-up into a three-hour saga? That’s January for you – making sure we felt every single one of its 31 days. 2025 didn’t just knock on our door – it kicked it down. While we were still debating “Dry January,” the world threw us curveballs left and right. (And don’t even get me...

A women with a nose ring.

I did a thing today 😀 This is the message I sent to my sister and niece. The GEN Z's response (that's the niece, if you're not sure what GEN Z and X references are) "I feel like you're living out your rebel teenage years now 😂" What you may not know about me is that when I started University I wanted to go balls to the walls crazy. What I mean is I wanted an eyebrow + nose piercing, tattoos, purply greyish hair, and edgy clothes. I wanted to dip the scales from preppy to wild and carefree....

Life has a way of being poetically brutal sometimes! There's something almost sacred about that first morning coffee - the quiet of dawn, the yawn of your body and thoughts rising like steam in the air. Recently, my morning thoughts have focussed on one question: "What if I only had six months to live?" You see, at my stepson's birthday celebration, my husband's ex-wife whispered some news from across the table. An old friend had been diagnosed with cancer. Six months to live. You know those...

My father was getting very concerned about me. At forty-something, single, and choosing a path less traveled, I had become the subject of whispered conversations in our community. ****** The Unexpected Path to Love A Personal Letter from Lisa Marie When my father's worried whispers about my single status reached me from across continents, I was already forty-something and choosing a path less traveled. I had become the subject of hushed conversations in our community, and little did I know,...

Hello Reader, I'm not going to bore you with the usual end of year 'we only have .... days left of 2024, let's make them count.' I'm tired and I'm sure you are too. No-one wants to hear about new-year-new-you plans in December. I get it. We all just want some form of CHILL. Cucumber drinks (wink wink), hot-mama booty bopping bods, indecent proposals, laughter and loving. Yes, please sign me up for that. Unfortunately, a story always has a BUT. And that BUT in this story is family. Yep, it's...