My newest book is mainly set in Brooklyn, NYC. Yep, New York City. “The city that never sleeps! “Concrete jungle where dreams are made of”! And I have to say, I really loved writing about how city-living can energise or enervate.
Aside from the amazing architecture, new nestled alongside old, the experience of conducting your working life and your social life at dizzying pace as you fight for your place in amongst the hustle and bustle can be exhilarating. If you feel you are doing it right, you are ultra-present in your space – constantly forming connections and feeling as if this thriving metropolis is an energising space that you can feed off. What a rush!
In contrast though, oftentimes (and especially when things are not going to plan in your life) the experience can also leave you feeling exhausted, trampled over, out of step, alone. As though everyone and everything projects this tangible storm of energy while you just want to be cherry blossom drifting softly onto a solid surface to lay for a while and catch your breath!
In The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love, the main characters Ashleigh and George live in very different apartments. Ashleigh calls her apartment “bijou” (in reality, it’s even smaller – let’s go with minute!). Whereas George lives in a luxury apartment that has been sourced for him by the company he works for. If he ever took the time to think about it – would it be the kind of apartment he’d choose for himself?
Here, in this concrete jungle I wanted to include another magic to city-living -- a potentially life-changing, life-saving magic -- and that’s the open spaces that are added, claimed, and protected for residents and by residents. It could be one of the beautiful parks, a community garden or a rooftop bar with an amazing living wall, these spaces are necessary pockets of tranquillity.
Whether you live in a bedsit/studio with a wonky Murphy-bed or a spacious, remodelled brownstone, all city-dwellers spend some of their hard-earned time-off venturing into green spaces in a deliberate act of seeking out that break from all the hard concrete, the steel and glass barriers, and the pulsing, throbbing beat of constant activity.
For different reasons Ashleigh and George think they’re in the place they are meant to be but they’re just not living their best lives because, well, Life, right?!
In light of some of the themes in the book I wanted to give them both access to some pockets of tranquillity so look out for changes of scenery that push them out of their comfort zones or drench them in romance, both of which could lead to realising that the best way of enjoying living in a city is to be able to combine the rush with the chill 😊.
Do you have a favourite green space that you return to over and over to recharge, to soothe, to breathe?
These days I’m lucky enough to have a garden right outside my ‘office’ or even make my garden my office for the day! But I’ve also been lucky to work near beautiful city parks – perfect for a two-minute stroll or an escaping read sat under a shady tree at lunchtime. Perfect for chilling or playing sports with friends after work.
A green space with lovely views and pockets of tranquillity can also be the perfect place for picnics and crosswords and the perfect date! If you read The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love you can judge for yourself!
Aside from the amazing architecture, new nestled alongside old, the experience of conducting your working life and your social life at dizzying pace as you fight for your place in amongst the hustle and bustle can be exhilarating. If you feel you are doing it right, you are ultra-present in your space – constantly forming connections and feeling as if this thriving metropolis is an energising space that you can feed off. What a rush!
In contrast though, oftentimes (and especially when things are not going to plan in your life) the experience can also leave you feeling exhausted, trampled over, out of step, alone. As though everyone and everything projects this tangible storm of energy while you just want to be cherry blossom drifting softly onto a solid surface to lay for a while and catch your breath!
In The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love, the main characters Ashleigh and George live in very different apartments. Ashleigh calls her apartment “bijou” (in reality, it’s even smaller – let’s go with minute!). Whereas George lives in a luxury apartment that has been sourced for him by the company he works for. If he ever took the time to think about it – would it be the kind of apartment he’d choose for himself?
Here, in this concrete jungle I wanted to include another magic to city-living -- a potentially life-changing, life-saving magic -- and that’s the open spaces that are added, claimed, and protected for residents and by residents. It could be one of the beautiful parks, a community garden or a rooftop bar with an amazing living wall, these spaces are necessary pockets of tranquillity.
Whether you live in a bedsit/studio with a wonky Murphy-bed or a spacious, remodelled brownstone, all city-dwellers spend some of their hard-earned time-off venturing into green spaces in a deliberate act of seeking out that break from all the hard concrete, the steel and glass barriers, and the pulsing, throbbing beat of constant activity.
For different reasons Ashleigh and George think they’re in the place they are meant to be but they’re just not living their best lives because, well, Life, right?!
In light of some of the themes in the book I wanted to give them both access to some pockets of tranquillity so look out for changes of scenery that push them out of their comfort zones or drench them in romance, both of which could lead to realising that the best way of enjoying living in a city is to be able to combine the rush with the chill 😊.
Do you have a favourite green space that you return to over and over to recharge, to soothe, to breathe?
These days I’m lucky enough to have a garden right outside my ‘office’ or even make my garden my office for the day! But I’ve also been lucky to work near beautiful city parks – perfect for a two-minute stroll or an escaping read sat under a shady tree at lunchtime. Perfect for chilling or playing sports with friends after work.
A green space with lovely views and pockets of tranquillity can also be the perfect place for picnics and crosswords and the perfect date! If you read The Life-Changing Magic of Falling in Love you can judge for yourself!
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