Francesca Bossert's Blog

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedText within this block will maintain its original spacing when published Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

Subscribe now

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedDear friends,It's been ages since I wrote a poem, but on this slightly cooler Catalan morning, where our pool has dropped below 30 for the first time in a month, a poem found me!And now I must dash as I have friends arriving any second.With love,Francesca xxKNOWINGI never really know,Do you?What is knowingbut a perfumeI once boughtcertainit might whoosh me in wisdomonce tickled bymy credit card?I switched toSo Pretty.Sadly it has beenDiscontinued.

Subscribe now

[image error] Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published [image error]

The photo that didn’t launch a Grammy-winning career

Dear friends,

I made a thing yesterday. It took me hours of faffing about online, of fiddling and trying to understand, and trying to get it right, and waiting for the thing to upload and hoping it would be ok, and then feeling disappointed because it didn’t live up to the image I had in my head. Which is crazy, really, because we all have ideas of how we want things to look, or read, or taste, or whatever, yet most of the time we’re disappointed. Learning how to do things well takes time.

Basically, I should I known. I also shouldn’t have spent so much time thrashing around in this rabbit hole. But when I get an idea in my head I’m like a robot gone rogue – I simply cannot quit.

This is what’s been going on: I’ve recently discovered AI videos, and have been blown away by what people can make with them. Of course, there’s a lot of not so good stuff being made, too, but did that dissuade me? No, it did not! Which is insane seeing as I’ve no background whatsoever in anything techie, and my logic is, well, not very logical. Nevertheless, here I am, like Lucille Ball in that scene where she lifts up her petticoats and wades around and around stomping on grapes in the press. Except in my case the bloody video- generating-circle-thingie keeps going around and around. For hours! I kid you not! And I don’t even get a glass of wine afterwards, because I no longer drink alcohol.

Some of you may know that, last year, I published a poetry book called Illicit Croissants at Dawn. I have a friend who sings and plays music, and one day last summer she took me up to her recording studio and showed me this funky little platform she uses to work on some of her music. It’s called Suno, and it blew my mind in every single way, including in all the bad ways, too. Thing is, when I went home I found myself wondering whether I might try and turn some of my poems into songs. So I got myself the program and had a play. I copy-pasted some of my poems into the spot where you put the lyrics, and wrote random prompts to see what I got. I got a lot of crap for a very long time! But the more I thought about it, and the more I worked on my lyrics (I had to change them to form the pre-choruses and the choruses, etc) and worked out the intricacies of my prompts, the more interesting it became. Now I have a couple of songs that I’m pretty proud of. Sure, the music is AI, but I’m the one who wrote the words and told the machine what sort of sound I wanted.

Anyway, what was bound to happen, happened. One burrow lead to another and pretty soon there I was, bum in the air, twiddling and fiddling in the world of AI video. Which is a whole other kettle of fish (yes, I’m mixing my metaphors, or whatever it is when you put fish in burrows, but I don’t care. My fingers are full steam ahead). What was I thinking when I imagined that I could upload a photograph of myself onto one program, feed it to another program (yep, this world is VAST!!), then extract my poem-song from Suno (a faff in itself!), feed it into the video making program, wing a prompt, press a button and minutes later smile delightedly at a video of me giving a Grammy-winning performance, lip-synched and all?!

It’s as though someone had told me they could get on my horse and ride a Prix Saint Georges dressage test without even knowing how to even get on a horse properly! Yeah, sure, easy peasy! Oh, oops, yikes, ouch! Or thinking they could put on ski boots, grab a pair of skis and ride to the top of the mountain expecting to be able to slalom smoothly all the way down!

I mean, duh!

Of course it wasn’t going to work! Nevertheless, I persisted, and what I ended up with wasn’t awful. It was silly, of course, but I felt relatively clever. Actually, no. I felt really REALLY clever. Of course, I also spent a few moments mulling over my sanity, as well as the state of my ego. But I’ve been doing this course on confidence, so I thought of the things I’ve learned, and decided that – hell yes! – I was absolutely allowed to have some fun.

But what’s a little fun if you can’t share it? I found myself in a quandary. I wanted to share what I’d made. A part of me is still like that little girl at school during show-and-tell. But who could I share it with? I couldn’t help feeling silly about the whole thing. The whole what-will-people-think blew in like the seven-millionth heatwave in this diabolical Spanish summer. I didn’t even want to show my husband, or my kids, because I didn’t want to be judged. I felt ridiculously vulnerable.

In the end I settled on an old friend, WhatsApped it over and forgot about it for a few hours.

Until I checked my phone and found a message from said friend. “This is hilarious,” the message said.

That was it. Nothing else. Ouch.

Cue mortification.

Was I really…a joke?

So I deleted the video from our WhatsApp conversation and I’m trying to put the sorry interaction behind me. I’ve watched the video a few times today, and I still think it’s quite fun. There are no huge clunkers; like, I never have three arms!

And fun was the goal all along. That and exploring new things.

How do I feel about this today? Kind of ambivalent, to be honest. I’ve been working on my novel, and the words flowed nicely, although I may have rambled a little, but even that was fun, and it’s a first draft, anyway.

But I do feel a little hurt by my friend’s reaction. If they’d sent me something they’d made, I don’t think I’d have reacted in that sort of way, no matter what I thought about it.

Am I being oversensitive? What do you think?

Here’s the song I made from the poem: It’s called Clooney’s Cute Wobble. I’m too fragile to share the video!

With love and gratitude,

Francesca xx

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

I also animated the cover of my poetry book!

Emilio is coming!

Subscribe now

Good morning,

Have you met Trudi Nicola? Her poetry is light, refreshing and sparkly, perfect for summer reading. The title of her book, Little Sparks of Light, says it all, and her Substack is always a pleasure.

Here is her latest poem:

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedORDINARY MOMENTSThis is whatHappiness feels like -A quiet contentmentAn appreciation forA sky of perfect blueA soft and gentle breezeTime to gazeAt green spacesAnd contemplateAnything, or nothing at allThe anticipationOf a journey homeTime with those we loveThis is whatHappiness feels like -When awareness allowsOrdinary momentsTo become extraordinary

I agree with Trudi. It doesn’t take much to be happy; simply publishing this interview series gives me so much pleasure.

Here is Trudi. I hope you will subscribe to her Substack.

Biography

I’m Trudi Nicola, a poet and writer from York, UK. I love the power of the written word to heal, to transform and to transport us to places we could only dream of. As a child, books opened my world and a spark of light ignited that still glows brightly today. I have the privilege of working in education and continue to pass on that spark of light to those I teach.

Question 1:

If someone walked into a room and your life’s soundtrack was playing, what would it be? Why are those tracks special?

This would depend entirely on which part of my life was being played! From my childhood, you would hear Abba, Blondie and Adam Ant. I still recall singing along to ‘Does your mother know’ when I was very small! Then, into my teen years, it would be anything and everything from the 1980s pop archive. Still love all this music now – Wham! were a favourite, and ‘Last Christmas’ is still the best Christmas song ever. As a student, I would listen to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons as I studied. Winter remains my favourite – so dramatic!

Then as an adult – oh so many choices! The soundtrack from Evita – with ‘I’d be surprisingly good for you’ as a favourite; ‘Superstar’ by The Carpenters (her voice!) and my husband playing the love theme from Cinema Paradiso on the piano. Touches my heart every time.

Question 2:

Is there something you never finished, and does it still haunt you?

Yes! Just one thing. I had the opportunity to start a funded Master’s in Women’s History, then fell pregnant with my first child, so didn’t take that opportunity. I still think about it.

Question 3:

Did you ever have a crush on someone who ended up in your work? Would they know it was them, and do you care?

No! Haha. I don’t recall having crushes on people as an adult. I’m all in with the one person, when I am in love.

Question 4:

Do you have an absolutely pointless talent you are extremely proud of?

I can say ‘Hello, my name is Trudi and I’m pleased to meet you’ in Japanese. Nothing else - and I can’t understand anything that is said back to me!

Question 5:

What are you reading, listening to, and watching that you absolutely adore?

I’ve just finished reading ‘The Calamity Club’ by Katherine Stockett and I can’t stop thinking about the characters, they were so brilliantly portrayed. I don’t really watch TV but am looking forward to seeing The Odyssey at the cinema on Friday. I studied Classics, so I will be interested to see how this aligns.

Question 6:

What are you still waiting for?

My youthful figure to return … in a manner which allows me to eat cake.

Question 7:

Is there a question I haven’t asked you that you’d like to answer, or something you’d like to talk about? This is your opportunity to be bold and to brag, so don’t hold back!

I was asked an interesting question last week: ‘What do you do for a living and what do you do that brings you joy?’ The first part was easy to answer – I train teachers. The second gave me pause. I would say that reading and immersing myself in other worlds has always brought me joy. I would add writing poetry to that. And just being out there in nature, nothing to do, nowhere to be. Pure bliss!

FIND TRUDI’S BOOK HERE.

Have a great week, and stay cool. It is much too hot in Spain, and the temperatures seem to be stationary. I’m hoping it will be cooler in Switzerland when we go back in early August. Are you also having an intensely hot summer? I don’t ever recall such temperatures for weeks on end.

With love,

Francesca xx ❤️

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

[image error]

Subscribe now

I lit candles. I found a medieval-sounding playlist on Spotify. For some inexplicable reason I put on a kaftan. I made myself a huge mug of peppermint tea and – feeling a tad nervous – sat down, a fresh notebook and my favourite pen in front of me. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and then, telling myself I might possibly be out of my mind, summoned Michel de Nostredame, aka Nostradamus: apothecary, plague doctor, seer, and the man who has been blamed for every earthquake, terrorist attack, election and natural disaster since 1555.

He swaggered in within minutes, wearing a kaftan uncannily similar to mine, and smelling vaguely of moth balls and patchouli.

Francesca: Michel de Nostredame, welcome to How on Earth!

Michel de Nostredame, sitting up very straight: My name is Nostradamus.

Francesca, squirming: Of course. I apologise.

Nostradamus, sniffing, mouth twitching. Silent.

Francesca, clearing throat: Well, then. I’ll jump right in. Thank you so much for joining me. I know you’ve been terribly busy being misquoted on the Internet.

Nostradamus: It is no trouble. I have foreseen this interview several times. I even recall you considering your very first venture into podcast territory for this meeting. I knew that would never happen.

Francesca: miffed: And why is that?

Nostradamus: Your mind is far too busy with imaginary artefacts. There are only so many directions one’s mind can wriggle in at the same time.

Francesca: taken aback: Whatever. Anyway. Tell me about quatrains. Why did you choose to write in quatrains? Why not just write everything down properly?

Nostradamus: Madame, if I’d written that the baker on the corner will burn the bread on Tuesday, people would simply buy bread somewhere else on Tuesday. The obscurity is the point. Only an idiot would write a prophecy that can be fact checked.

Francesca: eyebrows tickling my hairline: You’re either honest, ultra cynical, or…

Nostradamus: giving me the side eye: Full of crap?

Francesca: Ok, so you read my mind, there. Sorry. Some say you predicted Hitler but didn’t get his name quite right.

Nostradamus, bristling: That’s a load of rubbish. I wrote about Hister, which was once the name of the Danube. Come on! I write about a river and four centuries later they’re saying I predicted the rise of the Nazis? The twentieth century’s disastrous level of reading comprehension is not my problem.

Francesca: You’re saying you didn’t predict the second world war?

Nostradamus, pointing a finger at me: I predicted a war. There is always a war. It’s arithmetic, not rocket science.

Francesca: What about your prediction that, seven months into 1999, terror would rain from the sky? You freaked out loads of people, and then… nada, zilch. What was that about?

Nostradamus, stroking his chin, nodding wisely: I presume I was merely rounding.

Francesca, leaning forwards, twirling my pen: Rounding?

Nostradamus: Seven months into 1999 sounds far more mystical than ‘sometime in the early 2000s, give or take a decade’. Besides, astrologically, there was loads going on. Mars was giving Mercury a bollocking. Venus was flirting with Jupiter because she had her eye on a halo, and Uranus had… issues.

Francesca: Right… I also recall Cosmopolitan mentioning that you predicted several celebrity breakups. Brad and Jennifer. Ben and Jennifer. Brad and Angelina.

Nostradamus: May I point out that you are speaking of two distinct Jennifers?

Francesca, snarkily: Really? Who knew!

Nostradamus, sighing wearily, as though exhaling centuries of WTFs: Everyone but you, apparently. Besides, what I said was ‘a golden couple is sundered by a dark shadow from the south.’ Your daily scroll of grievances is ripe with outrageous interpretations. I was most certainly referring to a border dispute.

Francesca, eye rolling: Everyone thought you were referring to Brad and Angelina.

Nostradamus, shrugging: Keep your sentences vague and lofty, and centuries later the fall of a civilization becomes all about a petty divorce. Were I to pen ‘two shall part who once were one’ today and by this time tomorrow simple minds will make it about a pop star.

Francesca, frowning while mentally rolodexing through decades of pop lyrics: I don’t recall those lyrics in a Simple Minds song. Are you sure you’re not thinking of the Spice Girls?

Nostradamus, slapping his cheek, shaking his head and once again exhaling wearily: OMG, as y’all say. Never mind.

Francesca: Basically, what you’re saying is that…nothing you say is ever intentional?

Nostradamus: Absolutely. That is the business model.

Francesca: So…you’re an astrologer with a phenomenal publicist?

Nostradamus: I’m just a very wise man who understood that vagueness is eternal, and that specificities never stand the test of time.

Francesca: Brilliant! Stealing that!

Nostradamus: Steal away, Madame. Stealing my lines is what keeps my legacy alive.

Francesca: Shall we tackle your legacy into the goal posts?

Nostradamus: Ah-ha, you wish to know whether Spain or Argentina will take home the supersized golden chalice?

Francesca, giggling: You predicted my question with such accuracy!

Nostradamus: Serve certainty on a plate and I shall feast.

Francesca: Spit it out.

Nostradamus, puzzled: Huh?

Francesca: Give me your prediction for the…golden chalice.

Nostradamus, steepling his fingers, leaning forwards looking very self-satisfied: I foresee a nation of red and gold, possibly of blue and white, lifting a chalice as a delighted crowd roars in unison.

Francesca, wrinkling my nose, taken aback: You almost sound like you’re paraphrasing Joni Mitchell.

Nostradamus: Precisely. ‘Both Sides Now’ has many interpretations. I also foresee a genius, small in stature, deft of feet, seeking one final glory. He will either achieve it or he will not, and history will hold him close regardless.

Francesca: You’re talking about Messi. But you’re also talking about the concept of football. Why so vague?

Nostradamus, speaking in a deep, gravelly voice: I foresee goals. I foresee men on the ground groaning. I foresee offside. I foresee…possible penalties. I foresee possible extra time.

Francesca: You’re predicting penalties? I love penalties!

Nostradamus: I said possible penalties. Interpret my words as you will.

Francesca: One last question. Any predictions regarding me?

Nostradamus, leaning forwards, studying me at length: I foresee a woman who writes of a golden eyed man and of paperwork disguised as passion. I foresee a manuscript that will not stay finished. I foresee an entire discography of songs that shall remain in people’s heads. And I foresee that you will publish this interview whether or not any of it is true, because this has always been my true gift. I’m all about confidence over prophecy.

Francesca: ‘Fake it ‘til you make it’?

Nostradamus: In a nutshell. I also foresee that you did not fact check anything I just said.

Francesca: Ha! I foresaw the exact same thing!

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Next time on How on Earth: Cleopatra reveals the secrets of her eyeliner.

Illicit Croissants At Dawn, poetry

That’s it from me – for fun and then some. If you enjoyed this, like, comment, share and subscribe. It genuinely helps more than you’d think.

Subscribe now

Share

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Photo by C D-X on Unsplash

Hello,

I’ve been poem-lyric faffing tonight (for hours and hours!) and turned Frost Glistening like Manhattan from my poetry book Illicit Croissants at Dawn into a song. This is approximately the millionth tweak and I like it. I hope you do too.

I would love to write song lyrics for artists, with real instruments. I’ve always loved music, and playing with this is a lot of fun. It gives me a taster of how exciting it must be to work in a studio, and also makes me wonder how many hit songs are made with platforms like Suno, which is what I use for making my music.

I worked on the words for this for hours, and will probably dive back in to work on it again because who can’t faff forever?!

But for now it makes me happy.

Here is the original poem, about an author who suddenly becomes super famous, and is very uncomfortable with her sudden celebrity.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedFROST GLISTENING LIKE MANHATTANLike Harry Styles at my front door,Fame rocked up out of nowhere,Landing a contract with a legendary agentOn my pale, pudgyThighs with a destabilising splat.Frost Glistening Like Manhattan,A cheeky, racy Tinkerbell of a tale,Wrenched me from my quiet Cornish corner,From my decadent,Top Secret daydreams,Casting me into a shiny internationalFrying pan where I writhed with mortification,Nodding gormlessly atSwashbuckling, tiger-toothed swagger-braggersWink-whispering leave-it-all-up-to-me’s.High on bidding wars and vertiginous advances,On films rights and merchandising,On Luxury Product Placement,On All The Things,They cooed and coaxed and commanded.Deals were done,Hands shook,Contracts signed,Millions exchanged.Just as the temperature receded,Allowing me to scurry back to my quayside cottage inMousehole and put the kettle on,Along came TikTok hysteria,GoodReads squabbles,Bookstagram deliberations.There were alsoInterviews galore,And various award nominations.I received umpteen television solicitations, too,All of which I turned down,Only to be foiled, once again,When my Best FriendSnuck Michael McIntyre and his entire camera crewInto my home at witching hour.Caught oinking the night away,WearingNothingButNivea,I sat up, looked directly into the camera and declared,“There will NOT be a sequel.”That sequence went viral.

I hope you enjoyed the song and the poem!

With love,

Francesca xx

Illicit Croissants at Dawn

Tea with my Famous Friends: because we’re all famous to someone. ❤️Dear friends,

When I came across Cori Bren’s Substack, she immediately struck me as a woman with whoosh, someone who is supportive and kind and full of enthusiasm. Cori and I particularly connected over one of my tiny tea-stain paintings, a little bird that inspired a poem called Serendipity, which then became the bird’s name when Cori asked me whether she could use the tiny painting and the poem in the children’s book she is compiling. I was thrilled, of course, and yes with great pleasure! Cori is super supportive of other writers, the queen of memes, and she really went to town answering my questions. I’m sure you’ll find them most entertaining! Subscribe to her Substack!

Let’s start with a short biography:

Although a voracious reader, I began my journey as a writer in 2023. Leaving corporate America behind to open doors to creativity was intimidating at first, but I’ve found nothing but loving connection with the reader community who enjoy my work. I’d planned to build a following for my Bren’s Buzz and Bren’s Booty publications, at Bren’s Buzz | Substack, before publishing books but fate had other things in mind. Collaboration has become the largest and most enjoyable part of my writing experience.

To date, I’ve published one short treatise on Amazon, What I Want https://a.co/d/05PJUCgL and also had a story included in a larger horror anthology by Alexander Semenyuk, Beyond Stories 2 https://a.co/d/01sln4ZH. I’m currently compiling a children’s book for the first time with my dragon stories and illustrations and poetry from some close friends. It’s truly a cooperative labor of love. Known for brazenly pushing the envelope, I’m pursuing the possibility of self-publishing this book and doing a pre-launch that gives local shops in my rural Pennsylvania area exclusive access for the first 90 days.

As determined as I am to make funny popular again, I’m equally dedicated to building a physical community through letter and postcard writing. Using art by some of my favorites and my own nature photography, I’ve collaborated again to create a tangible outreach to friends and family in need of a happy, hopeful hello. I look forward to full retirement next year when I’ll have time for more experimentation. In any case, at age 61 I’m just getting started!

TEA WITH MY FAMOUS FRIENDS: THE SEVEN QUESTIONS

Question 1:

If someone walked into a room and your life’s soundtrack was playing, what would it be? Why are those tracks special?

The soundtrack to my life would be like a variety music festival. I was raised on country, rockabilly, and crooners. My dad liked country, like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Charlie Rich, Charlie Pride, and Willie Nelson – the classics – plus rockabilly like Johnny Horton. My mom loved some of the more edgy stuff, like The Surfaris - Wipe Out and Nancy Sinatra’s These Boots are Made for Walking. Sometimes we lived with our grandparents and aunt and they were more inclined to the big band, Lawrence Welk show classics like Moon River and all the older stage classics like Bing Crosby and Bob Hope. My aunt’s favorite was John Denver. During high school the influence from my older sisters and our neighborhood friends was mostly rock and classic rock – Nazareth, Cars, AC DC, Eagles, and yet also Roy Orbison and Grass Roots. Albums we wore out on the turntable were Nazareth Hair of the Dog, AC DC Back in Black, and Cars Candy-O. But when I got my own money, it was Pat Benatar I bought. I have too many favorites to list but Hit Me with Your Best Shot was my favorite by Pat Benatar, and Crazy by Patsy Cline, and Sorry and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee. Other adult favorites of mine are Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World and Nat King Cole’s L-O-V-E. But my husband considers I Was Made for Loving You, by Kiss, to be our song. What makes all of these choices a special part of me (I still know every word), are the memories attached to them.

Question 2:

Is there something you never finished, and does it still haunt you?

Because I have many interests there’ve been many ideas that haven’t come to fruition over the years. The ones that haunt me are those that get to my heart – things like taking my sons certain places we’ve not yet made it to. Or, making a scrap book of their childhood. Or, planning a fishing trip out west for/with my husband. Fortunately, there’s still time to enjoy these experiences. As far as projects go, I’d say some of my larger, more collaborative writing projects are haunting me. I have a ‘gallery wall’ series planned that will even be advertised as a guest post on some larger Substack sites. And, as you know, the dragon children’s book is in the works and running about nine months behind my original plans. Both of these will be finished yet this year, so outside of writing I have the scanning and archiving of all my extended family’s photos on my personal project list for when I’m retired. It’s a massive project I’ve promised for a while and the time has come to deliver. Maybe we’ll have a big party when we check that one off.

Question 3:

Did you ever have a crush on someone who ended up in your work? Would they know it was them, and do you care?

I had my first crush and first kiss in kindergarten, but my days of crushing on people are long gone since my husband and I met and joined forces 43 years ago in high school. The male characters in my fiction writing thus far have been based on my husband and I’ve written a few odes to him, as the representative best man I’ve ever met. I have some friends who are fans of all the odes and want me to write a novel based on our love story. I guess we might call those ‘pre-orders’? In any case, my gushing made him a little itchy behind the collar at first, but he takes it all in stride now understanding that as my main squeeze he has a responsibility to occasionally be the hero in my tales.

Question 4:

Do you have an absolutely pointless talent you are extremely proud of?

I’m not sure if this counts but my son tells me I have perfect pitch. From fourth grade music, when I began learning to play the saxophone, I’ve been able to play by ear and played in the school band for years. I also spent a year in chorus but I don’t know about singing in perfect pitch. If I did, it would surely be hidden under a bushel because I’m not a singer or a musician. I do have a memory for musical scores, remembering all the music and words long after hearing them. In our family, I’m the ‘music memory’ and my husband is the ‘movie memory’. Like some of your other interviewees I have ‘learn to play an instrument’ on my list. In my case, I want to play my husband’s grandfather’s banjo, which he inherited several years ago.

Question 5:

What are you reading, listening to, and watching that you absolutely adore?

I’m reading Waters of Life by Tom Bowser, about the successful reintroduction of beavers to Scottland https://a.co/d/08esfJrz. I’m reading it because I’m part of my first EVER book club organized by Melissa @ Notes from Nature | Substack. I’m loving it so far, 5 stars from me. For music, I’m listening to my local morning radio station. I do some listening and dancing around on many mornings while I prepare for the day ahead. The morning DJ is local, he’s funny, and he loves his listeners. He’s a bit of a fixture here in central Pennsylvania. They play 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s so it’s right up my alley. I don’t care for ‘digital’ music, finding more acoustic arrangements more natural, so I’m resorting to the old CD collection to play in our ancient, non-digital, 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe which is my current ride. When it comes to watching, I’m a sucker for favorites. When the world is teetering on its axis, I find comfort in the familiar. So, we’re watching our way through the final few seasons of Father Brown, which we missed at original release. Shakespeare and Hathaway is the next series for us, but of late we’re also watching movies once a week or so. I miss the theatre on opening night so we try to recreate that experience with our big screen TV, popcorn, treats, and newer releases like Project Hail Mary, which I loved but hubby kept figuring out was going to happen next – irritating lol. Next up in movies is Remarkably Bright Creatures, which has been recommended to me by several people now.

Question 6:

What are you still waiting for?

I’m waiting for our dream farm. We relocated back home to central PA after the pandemic. Hubby’s parents are getting on in age so we wanted to be close by. That was 5 years ago and we’ve still not found what we’re looking for. We’ll know it when we see it but it’s disheartening sometimes because we are sort of 5 years into ‘temporary housing’. We all know the drill. We’re not going to add, remove, change anything because we’re not staying in this house. I’m over it, lol. In any case, we’re both believers that sometimes things are beyond our control so we watch and wait, sometimes impatiently. Meanwhile, we’re building lots of character while enjoying being back in the bosom of extended family.

Question 7:

Is there a question I haven’t asked you that you’d like to answer, or something you’d like to talk about? This is your opportunity to be bold and to brag, so don’t hold back!

Two things come to mind. One, what makes my day? And two, what keeps me up at night?

What makes me happy, makes my day, is being outside in nature. It’s become a passion of mine that happens to contribute to overall well being through exercise, sunshine, and meditation on subjects of my nature photography. It’s also become a very large part of my writing, resulting in some of my readers’ favorite posts. Besides making something new with my hands, or lounging with a movie on the couch with hubby, hiking in nature is my favorite place to be.

What keeps me up at night is wondering how and if and when my sons will make their way. All the transitioning to adulthood seems to move a slightly slower pace now than it did for Gen X. When I look at them, I hope to see them partnered up, maybe with children, at some point while I’m on this plane. They both have amazing minds and an inherent kindness that is uncommon in the brash world we experience today. What I’m most proud of about them is they have their own thoughts and plans and opinions that won’t be easily swayed. They are not vulnerable to manipulation. Each has visions of where they are headed, but they’re getting there in different ways. Over the last 2 years or so, I’ve finally simmered down and accepted that they must walk those paths themselves, without me as a tour guide. It’s the hardest job loss I’ve ever had.

I want to thank you for thinking of me for ‘Tea with my famous friends’. It’s a lovely series. I hadn’t considered myself to be famous, but nevertheless was overjoyed to be included with such a wonderful group of writers.

Hey, Cori, I’m a “music memory”, too! I’m just like a jukebox - although mostly for music from the 70s, 80s and 90s. I never could remember my times tables, but I know a gazillion song lyrics!

I loved Cori’s answers and I hope you did too.

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

With love and gratitude,

Francesca xx

PREVIOUSLY ON TEA WITH MY FAMOUS FRIENDS

This is Serendipity, the bird that came from a tea stain.

Coming March 2027 from Empress Editions

Illicit Croissants at Dawn: available from Amazon

PS: I love ’s podcast, The Shift, and this episode with war correspondent Lyse Doucet is exceptional.

Subscribe now

Dear friends,

Today’s guest on Tea With My Famous Friends is the fabulous Mary Tabor whom I first came across on Alisa Kennedy-Jones’ The Empress Substack. Alisa had interviewed Mary and I remember being floored by this wise, articulate and stunningly beautiful woman. My next thought, once I’d picked myself up off the parquet, was holy crap, I’m on Alisa’s Substack next week, answering exactly the same questions as Mary, and I’m going to look like a bargain basement nincompoop (I’ve used nincompoop twice today, so it’s clearly my mot du jour - oh, yes, I speak French, je suis bilingue, so at least there’s that…)!

Anyway, of course Mary is absolutely lovely, super kind and supportive and not the least bit intimidating. I really hope that we get to meet in person one day!

As I’ve mentioned before, I started this series to connect the wonderful people I’ve met on Substack with other people they may not know. During the years when I was housebound due to illness, this platform became my daily refuge, a place where I reconnected with my creativity, and felt supported and encouraged by other people from all over the world. I see so many of you on here regularly, which is why you have all become famous to me.

And I really really love that.

[image error] My Empress logo, made from a tea-stain long before I became an Empress! I animated her this week; it’s my latest obsession.

Here is Mary’s biography, in a nutshell:

Long time author and teacher. Loves a challenge. Trying to learn flute and watercolor. Struggling with vibrato and blooms. Not what you expect when she writes! See her website for more.

And now for the Seven Questions I always ask my famous friends.

Question 1:

If someone walked into a room and your life’s soundtrack was playing, what would it be? Why are those tracks special?

“Who by Fire” by Leonard Cohen and this Spotify playlist: a song for every chapter of the novel published by Empress. Being seen by , who read the novel Who by Fire when I serialized it, has made me believe writing from the heart matters.

Question 2:

Is there something you never finished, and does it still haunt you?

Not to be a downer, but here goes: When my son Ben died at age 46—see Lifeboat—I was writing the novel Dangerous Love. His death stopped me because grief has its own timetable—back to it now—and you’ve helped by asking for this interview!

Question 3:

Did you ever have a crush on someone who ended up in your work? Would they know it was them, and do you care?

When my husband said oh, so Greta Garbo, “I need to live alone,” we separated, and I crazily dated (Internet sites), wrote about them all in (Re)Making Love. One man’s kiss rocked my world, but it turned out he was married. “He’ll never leave his wife” – one of the lines from When Harry Met Sally. I suspect he knows, and when I said, “no way,” he said, “Maybe Love in the Time of Cholera.” I do care—but am more sure of what the memoir, I hope, proves: Love is the answer. Now, what is the question?

Question 4:

Do you have an absolutely pointless talent you are extremely proud of?

Watercolors. Talent-wise, I’ll never be great. I’ve attached one that I love.

Question 5:

What are you reading, listening to, and watching that you absolutely adore?

I’m rereading Nabokov’s Ada because, for a reason I don’t understand, it appears to be a way back into Dangerous Love: well over 60,000 words, edited, lots more to come. I listen endlessly to my love playing the Schubert Impromptu in G flat, Op. 90, No. 3 on his baby grand piano—with me weepy every time. I’m watching Sugar with Colin Farrell and The Bear that I binged both seasons—the latter: best written TV show since The Sopranos and then, for sure, The Pitt too (also binged).

Question 6:

What are you still waiting for?

Dangerous Love, pray that I finish it; sorta kidding about prayer, Francesca, love!

Question 7:

Is there a question I haven’t asked you that you’d like to answer, or something you’d like to talk about? This is your opportunity to be bold and to brag, so don’t hold back!

I wished you’d asked me two final questions! What’s your greatest skill, boasting here. And: What is the best thing you ever did? Here are my answers:

1. I super duper know how to teach the so-called unteachable: Creative Writing.

2. I raised two children. What does that mean, “raised”? Did I pull them up by their fingertips until one towered over my head and the other’s soft breasts pressed against my own? No, I encircled them with my thoughts, my emotions, my own search for what is good, ethical and moral in existence. I watched them break out of my circle, debating me as they went. As they left, the debate continued in my head. The scribblings in my notebook intensified. My confusion increased. With the time their exit provided, I began to write more seriously than before, pages that turned into stories.

Mary’s website ❤️

Thank you, Mary, for agreeing to be a guest on my Substack. The paragraph you finished with, when you wrote about raising two children, gave me goosebumps. When we left our daughter at university in Cornwall so many years ago, driving away while she stood there waving, watching us go, ripped my heart out. I cried all the way to Paris. And when my son went to university, also in the UK, I remember pushing my trolley around the shopping centre, with not a clue how to feed a household now made up of just my husband and me.

Subscribe now

I hope you enjoyed this interview as much as I did. Do go searching for Mary’s books; we are on this planet to help and support each other in every way we can.

With love and gratitude,

Francesca xx

I had to animate it, obviously!

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

[image error]

Subscribe now

Dear friends,

The rabbit hole I am lately exploring is cool. Partly because we have air-conditioning here in Spain (it’s forbidden in private houses in Switzerland), and since outside it’s about 40 degrees and mega humid, hanging out in a rabbit hole is really nice. My burrow is super colourful too, and I do so love colourful places, people and clothes, although these days it’s almost too hot for clothes. I got very excited first thing this morning when I woke up to an overcast sky for the first time in what feels like years, and even more excited when it started to rain while I was swimming – might I actually be able to put on a pretty dress?! – but after seven raindrops the sun came roaring back and bullied away the grey trespassers, so we’re back to aircon and minimal clothing.

And rabbit holes.

You see, I’ve discovered AI animation. Before anyone gets their knickers in a twist because OMG AI, let me just say that I only just discovered it about a week ago, and I haven’t a clue what I’m doing, but I’m doing it anyway because it makes me happy. I get all excited when Kling finally understands what I meant in my prompt and delivers a visual close enough to the one I had in my head. Of course, my husband thinks I’m hilarious, that it’s yet another of my sudden fixations, and that it will definitely pass before someone from Pixar headhunts me after having seen the animated cover I made for Just Like A Movie. Even if Gemma does have three arms if you watch with pursed lips and a disapproving frown. My handle is For Fun and Then Some for good reason; I’m forever curious about how to create new things.

Yesterday’s rabbit hole shoved me deep, deep down and into all sorts of interconnecting burrows involving different platforms, because when you have an idea for something you can be sure that it can’t possibly be made with only one platform. I clicked and swore and copy-pasted and tried and tried over and over, and when I thought I’d finally twigged it many hours later, the voice sounded all wrong!

Oh well, I thought, and went for a swim. 😎

Practice makes perfect, right? And while I’m fiddling with technology, I’m not buying clothes, or pens, or notebooks… although some animations definitely get mega greedy on credit.

Speaking of new things, I’ve just signed up for a course in October by Valeria Pazosf, an Italian artist that a friend turned me onto on Instagram. Valeria animates her drawings and collages, and her work is filled with magic and whimsy and I’m besotted.

I suppose you can animate anything now; yesterday I got a kick out of having the birds and butterflies on the cover of my poetry book, Illicit Croissants at Dawn, flap their wings, and it felt like a mini sprinkle of magic. It made me happy, although I wish I could have made the tiny frog hop… Today’s goal?

(Illicit Croissants at Dawn)

Which reminds me that the other night I animated the cover of Beth Lisogorsky’s romcom! ’s book is out in February, and you can – and please, please do! – preorder it here. Please preorder it even if romcoms are not your cup of tea, because there will definitely be someone around you who will love it, and preorders are so, so important. Here is Beth’s animated cover:

Back to my own looping the loop: over the last year I’ve dabbled with Canva templates and already thought that was mega cool, but now that I’ve discovered Kling, my imagination is off to lunch with George Lucas! My daughter, Olivia, thinks I’m doing exactly that (kind of like the plane on Beth’s cover!), but I just think I’m clever. She wasn’t altogether wrong though because it turns out I’m not clever enough to change some of the photos on my website, despite having made my little Empress logo – developed from my little Empress tea-stain painting – blink and smile. As it turned out, it took her forever to set my website right, so clearly I’m not the last of the nincompoops (love that word!).

[image error]

We can do hard things at any age. We just need to stay curious, open-minded and creative. I doubt I’ll be coding (like I even know what that means…) but never say never.

Have a good weekend,

Lots of love,

Francesca

Buy me a coffee?! 🤩😎❤️

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Subscribe now

Dolly enjoyed the beach at Canyelles the other day!

Dear friends,

Sometimes I don’t want a book to end, so I find ways to make it last a long time. Kind of like when you eat a Bounty bar, and the coconut bits stay in your mouth, giving you long-lasting pleasure! ’s Dolly All The Time has been the best Bounty bar ever!

I’m pretty sure that Annabel is my favourite contemporary romance writer. If you like the idea of fake dating, an old and crumbling family house, and a hero who is incapable of changing a tire, but who turns out to have plenty of other delightful skills, this book is for you.

I initially enjoyed it on Audible. It’s beautifully read, with top notch production. The thing is, I usually listen to audiobooks at night, which inevitably leads to me falling asleep in the middle of a chapter, and then having to rewind the following evening. Trust me: I get so annoyed with myself for falling asleep while listening to books, because how would I like it if someone fell asleep while listening to my book?! In this book, was super certain of having missed all kinds of delicious details, so I enjoyed it all over again in paperback form, which didn’t in any way feel like overkill. Some delights work well on repeat, right?

Ooh, I loved the tension in the slow romantic build-up! I loved how competent Dolly was and I loved how Stewart gradually learned to let himself be touched, in love and in life. I loved Naomi, Dolly’s friend, and I loved Dolly’s son Gus.

Basically, I loved everything about this book, just as I loved Annabel’s debut, Nora Goes Off Script – though Nora might remain a smidgeon closer to my heart simply because the plot involves a “normal person” falling for someone famous, much like in my romantic comedy, Just Like A Movie.

Best of all is the knowledge that Annabel Monaghan has written several other books I can now enjoy. As much as I once loved Bounty Bars, the consumption of romance is much easier on my grumpy tummy.

Sending you love and delightful reads,

Francesca xx

PS: dabbling in animation, just for fun… see below!

Subscribe now

[image error]

Illicit Croissants At Dawn: poetry

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

Last weekend : Margie Zable Fisher

Dear friends,

If you’ve been reading my new Tea With My Famous Friends series, you may want to scroll on past this introduction. If you are new here, welcome!

In the few years I’ve been on Substack, I’ve met so many fascinating people. Writers, musicians, authors, poets, journalists, astrologists, tarot card readers – the list goes on. I’ve read endless great newsletters, short stories, political pieces, essays and interviews.

It’s because Alisa Kennedy-Jones reached out to interview me on Substack that I have a book coming out in March next year with Empress Editions, and it’s possibly because Ingrid Haring-Mendes had previously interviewed me on Substack that Alisa came across my work. I don’t know. What I do know is that my confidence has grown thanks to other people’s support and encouragement. I might not have fallen in love with poetry had someone not clicked on the heart and left a sweet comment. It’s hard to find the courage to keep publishing when you feel like you’re simply sending your words into a supermassive black hole. And while most of us on here are by no means famous, many of you whom I see on here regularly are now famous to me. I see your names, read your work, and appreciate how you show up and share your words with the world.

Which is why I would like to introduce you to each other.

Tea With My Famous Friends is a new series on For Fun and Then Some – seven questions, one fabulous Substack person at a time.

I have no agenda, and I don’t know the first thing about algorithms. I got curious. I wanted my questions to be light-hearted and fun to answer, and began reaching out to people I already admire.

Let me now introduce you to the lovely Jayne Marshall, whom I met in Barcelona at Backstory Bookshop, where she did an author event.

BIOGRAPHY

My name’s Jayne Marshall. I’m a writer and editor. My debut essay collection, A Line Drawn or Printed: Six Routes Through Madrid, was published in June 2025 by Modern Odyssey Books. My second book will be published by Ybernia in 2027. I previously worked as an editor at a large Spanish publisher and I’m editor of literary journal, The Madrid Review where I have had the honour of interviewing the likes of Anne Carson and J. M. Coetzee. My shorter work has appeared internationally in Prairie Schooner (USA), Transnational Literature (UK) and other magazines and anthologies around the world. I have been nominated for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Prize (UK) and holds a master’s in creative writing (Distinction) from the University of Oxford. Originally from the UK, I live in Madrid, Spain.

[image error]

Subscribe now

Question 1: If someone walked into a room and your life’s soundtrack was playing, what would it be? Why are those tracks special?

Oh wow, you started with such a hard question! But it’s a great one. I grew up with a dad who is a huge fan of rock and blues and a mum who is a diehard Motown fan, so those two styles are what I’m always attracted to with music. However, I did also grow up in the Britpop era, so that was a big influence too. Thus, I think my life’s soundtrack would be three parts that: decent, heartfelt 60s-era rock, blues and soul with a dollop of 90s. Then there is one extra I need to add. I adore Billy Bragg and so I would need to hear at least one track from him, maybe “Walk Away Reneé”, which is a title borrowed from a Four Tops song, so appropriate to the Motown connection, except it isn’t really a song, it’s more like spoken word poetry. Because he is great.

Question 2: Is there something you never finished, and does it still haunt you?

Another brilliant question. This one really made me think. I couldn’t come up with anything that I never finished, but I realised there are lots of things I wish I had made more of an effort at; that I finished, but in a half-arsed way. Which covers most things until I got into my late 30s – I’m a late bloomer! One particularly painful example: I spent a lot of time and effort on getting my motorbike licence, after which I rode a really cool 60s Lambretta, a 125. It was so old and hard to ride that after I sold it, I basically didn’t get on a motorbike again for about 20 years! And when I did, I stupidly chose my dad’s bike, a huge (to me) Ducati, so of course I immediately fell off. I’ve had on my new year’s resolution list for three years now to take a refresher course, so all that effort doesn’t go to waste.

Question 3: Did you ever have a crush on someone who ended up in your work? Would they know it was them, and do you care?

Yes, in a word. I reckon basically everyone I’ve ever had a crush on (and I am very susceptible to crushes) has appeared in my work. Along with lovers, boyfriends, one-night stands – the lot! And no, I don’t care if they know. I always ask myself, when writing something personal: do I stand by this? And that goes for whether I can stand by it in terms of what it reveals about me, as well as whoever else has been written about. If I sense a truth there (an ‘emotional truth’ to quote Lucia Berlin) and it’s well told, then it gets the green light. Sometimes that means editing, sometimes not.

Question 4: Do you have an absolutely pointless talent you are extremely proud of?

I can make popcorn (in a pan) without burning even one little piece whilst also getting all of the kernels to pop. Every. Single. One. A rare talent in my opinion. I’m thinking of applying to MasterChef.

Question 5: What are you reading, listening to, and watching that you absolutely adore?

I tend to get stuck in ruts, or sunk into intense obsessions with music, books, films. And, at the same time, I feel I always make reference to the same authors, songs, films. I really need to do something about both of those habits!

But, in answer to your question, I just finished reading a book my sister sent me, Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa. It’s about a woman called Izawa Shaka who lives in a group care facility and suffers from myotubular myopathy, whilst writing pornography. I read it when I was very ill recently and it really made me think about the human body and all the different ways it can both serve and fail us. Next up I have an all-time fave, Ben Lerner waiting for me, in the form of his new book, Transcription. As it is summer I’m obsessed with summer songs and have been listening to Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” and “Calor” by Conchita Velasco a lot and anything by Charles Bradley. I’m not really watching anything at the moment, but I did recently finish Rivals, which I think was brilliantly done, the scriptwriting, the pacing, the visuals, the actors, all of it. I probably never would have watched it, but my aunty recommended it to me. She always has good recommendations.

Question 6: What are you still waiting for?

To quote William Shatner, on the album he did with Ben Folds (you got me stuck on music!):

I’m waiting for that feeling of contentment
That ease at night when you put your head down
And the rhythms slow to sleep
My head sways and eyes start awake
I’m there not halfway between sleep and death
But looking into eyes wide open trying to remember
What I might have done, should have done

Question 7: Is there a question I haven’t asked you that you’d like to answer, or something you’d like to talk about? This is your opportunity to be bold and to brag, so don’t hold back!

As soon as I read, ‘This is your opportunity to be bold and brag’ my Englishness took over, I became complete terrified and my mind went blank! Plus, these questions are so good I couldn’t possibly top them!

Thank you, Jayne, for agreeing to be interviewed on Tea With My Famous Friends!

❤️😎❤️

I hope you enjoyed reading about Jayne, and will subscribe to her Substack.

Moi? I’ve been dabbling in animation this week, and finding it lots of fun despite grappling with the technical complications it comes with, especially for a non-techie like me!

Finding my feet by pressing lots of buttons! Not quite there yet…

Lots of love,

Francesca xx

Subscribe now

Leave a comment

ILLICIT CROISSANTS AT DAWN: poetry