Yes, I know. I’ve been gone.
Yes yes, I haven’t written a blog here for over two years. I swear I’m a busy person rather than a bad one.
Every now and then I’d remember this poor neglected corner of the internet existed, whisper “I must update the blog soon,” and then immediately get distracted by deadlines, edits, life admin, trying to remember why I walked into a room, and occasionally writing actual books.
But a lot has changed since I last checked in with writerly updates, so consider this the literary equivalent of dusting off the furniture, opening the windows, and assuring everyone that no, I haven’t disappeared into the woods to become a crazy hermit lady. Although honestly, give me another deadline week and I just might.
So! Here’s the whirlwind catch-up!
1. I got married!
Not technically a writerly update, but definitely the biggest and loveliest life update.
After fifteen years together, Pip and I finally tied the knot in April 2025 and it was genuinely one of the happiest days of my life. We got married at The Manor House in Castle Combe - which, if you’ve never been there, looks exactly like the sort of place a romantic heroine would fall hopelessly in love. Castle Combe is generally considered to be the prettiest village in England, and it also happens to be ten minutes from where we live, so that’s handy.
Our wedding was small, beautiful, joyful, and very us. Our families were there, the food was excellent, nobody fell into a fountain, and I somehow made it through the speeches without losing it.
Wait, I’ve found a writerly angle! The Manor House was the inspiration for Bowford Manor in my second book, Never Gonna Happen. There, that’s better.
2. I got a new literary agent!
A huge professional change this year was saying goodbye to my wonderful agent Caroline Sheldon, who embarked on a very well-deserved retirement adventure after decades in publishing.
Caroline has been such an important mentor in my writing journey, and I’ll always be enormously grateful for her support, wisdom, encouragement, and ability to make the publishing industry feel slightly less terrifying.
The excellent news is that I’m now represented by Safae El-Ouahabi at RCW. Safae is brilliant, insightful, enthusiastic, and somehow manages to combine calm competence with the energy of someone who genuinely believes exciting things are possible - which is exactly the sort of person you want in your corner in publishing.
Publishing can be a strange old industry. One minute you’re triumphantly finishing a manuscript, and the next you’re weeping into the carpet because you’ve received structural edits. Having people around you who understand the highs, lows, and occasional existential spirals makes all the difference, and I’m incredibly excited for this next chapter.
3. I Got a New Publisher!
And because apparently 2025 decided subtle life changes were overrated, I also signed a four-book deal with Boldwood Books after six books with Headline.
Leaving Headline was bittersweet because they’ve been such a huge part of my publishing journey, and I’m very proud of the books we created together. But I’m also genuinely excited about this next era. The team at Boldwood have been wonderful from the very beginning, and I also have a new editor, Emma, who totally gets my books and the sort of stories I love telling. Emotionally messy older women, complicated relationships, hope, humour, chaos, yearning, kissing frantically against kitchen cupboards. Basically: my natural habitat.
4. I have a new book out today!
And finally: the actual books. Not Over You, Actually is my latest romcom and I had such a ridiculously good time writing it. It features:
a disastrous French wedding
a fabulous celeb sibling
an ex who’s had an unexpected glow-up
an impromptu road trip to Barcelona
complicated feelings and emotional chaos
some very good kissing
So, in other words: exactly my sort of story. At its heart, it’s a book about second chances, figuring out new beginnings, and discovering that closure rarely arrives in a neat little package with a ribbon on top.
Also there are jokes, because I firmly believe emotional devastation is always improved by snorting your tea through your nose.
I’m honestly so proud of this book. It felt like one of those stories that demanded to be written immediately, which is both exhilarating and deeply inconvenient when you also need to remember things like eating lunch and replying to emails. I can’t wait for people to read it.
Anyway. Hello Again.
So that’s the update from me. In the space of two years I accidentally vanished from blogging, got married, changed agent, changed publisher, wrote more books, and somehow continued to function despite existing almost entirely on caffeine and optimism.
I’d like to say I’m officially back to regular blogging, but history suggests I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep. Thanks, as always, for reading, supporting my books, and sticking around while I temporarily became one of those people who says “I’ve been meaning to update my website for ages.” It genuinely means the world.
Heidi x