Kate Reilly James

I bloody love handwriting and prefer it over typing all day long, but you gotta have the right pen.

Call off the search, it’s finally happened. I’ve found the pen of my dreams. For someone who takes notes on LITERALLY EVERYTHING, this is quite the feat – then the shop closed down.

Paperchase is the culprit and I will never forgive the corporate monsters for taking the quirky stationery giant from our high street. I know they’re popping up as concessions in some Tesco stores but none of them are anywhere near me and none of them stock the pen of my dreams. So that’s it. It’s gone.

I discovered the pen of my dreams smack bang in the middle of my shorthand exams – the perfect glide being paramount to my 60wpm success. Blue ink, plain black, unassuming design, optimal grip. Sold in a three pack, I went through four packs in less than 6 weeks.

That was 2015. Like a blur, a mirage. as quickly as I enjoyed the success of a perfect scribed drilling page, it was gone

Cut to 2024. Whisper it quietly, I think I’ve done it again. Stood at the till paying for NYC Tarot cards, at Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, I spied pens and pencils baring the store name, and I love to fully support the indies. I grabbed three of each for my kids, paid and wondered out to explore the surrounding area.

I’m home. My eldest daughter bought me a beautiful William Morris bound page a day 2024 diary and I’m eager to get started. Books Are Magic pens were gratefully received then hapzardly discarded in favour of $3 Statue of Liberty foam crowns.

I picked up the neon pink pen and began to write about our New Year’s Eve exploits. The black ink glided. Words flowed across the page. I felt the rush of the 4 minute long shorthand exam all over again as I recalled sparklers in the front yard and coal over the threshold. This is it. All the way from Brooklyn, with love!

Do you hand write a lot? What’s your go to? Any old biro? Do you have a fave? Drop me a DM on the contacts page with your recommendations.

Kickstarting 2024 telly with some epic crime thrillers and global drama.

The weather is rubbish, we’re all skint and sworn off booze for the foreseeable, so all the tv series it is!

January marks the start of some epic second season dramas for me. First is is S2 The Tourist. My two favourite accents (Australian and Northern Irish) and the phenomenal pairing of Danielle MacDonald and Jamie Dornan pick up their roles as Helen and memory challenged Elliot.

No spoilers – but it’s epic! Lots of twists and turns, some great one liners and ominous moments that will make you roll right into the next episode. Season 2 is more sweary and swaps out the Aussie outback for the lush green of (I’m assuming) Ireland. Enjoy the landscapes, brutal one liners and plot twists and let me know what you think.

Watch The Tourist S1 and S2 on BBC Iplayer, here.

Next up on the telly box is Vigil S2. Former Corrie and Dr Foster actor, Suranne Jones returns as Detective Amy Silva and is called to investigate military wrongdoing in Scotland and abroad. I’ve got really high hopes for this one after a brilliant 6 episode first series which tackled a multitude of issues such as Trident, environment, military governance, equality and much more. There’s a stellar cast lined up and a mythical middle eastern state involved.

You can watch Vigil S1 and S2 on ITVX here.

Third and finally on my list is the latest Harlan Coben thriller, Fool Me Once, now streaming on Netflix.

Starring the phenomenal Michelle Keegan, Joanna Lumley, Adeel Akhtar and Richard Armitage, the plot follows a single mum grieving the loss of her husband only to see him appear live and well two weeks later, on her nanny cam!

I’ve long been a huge fan of Coben crime thriller novels and when an opportunity to wrap up and binge watch a tv adaptation that takes place down the road in Manchester, I’m 100% in.

Bring on former army captain, Maya (Keegan) and let the conspiracies begin!

You can watch Fool Me Once on Netflix here.

Do you have any crime thriller tv series recommendations? Drop me a line on the contact page.

We got messy!

I’m doing dry January to kick start some better health habits in 2024. Along with that comes the task of creating social events that steer clear of alcohol and retain the fun factor. Enter into the arena ‘Paint With Kate’.

At 6pm this evening 5 of us gathered around our kitchen table with canvas, paint, brushes, water and ALL the Dr Pepper, to create works of art. There was no theme, no prompt, just the opportunity to get together, have a laugh a basically make a mess. The age range was 9-41 and the skill range was zero to good amateur.

In two hours we laughed, talked, danced, sang, googled Whoopi Goldberg’s real name, created half a podcast and used a whole bunch of mixed media and painting techniques to create 5 wildly different canvas.

Inspiration came from travel, comedians, Cartoon Network, animation, social media and much more.

At the end of the evening I spent a further two hours cleaning and clearing and sharing the event on my Instagram to entice friends and family to come and have a go next month.

I definitely consider myself to be a creative person but I am utterly crap at painting. I ended up using a photo I took in New York for inspiration as I drew a blank when we sat down. I used pencil sharpeners as stamps and lots of different colours and textures to create a canvas I’d sooner put in the bin than hang on the kitchen gallery wall, but there it hangs because the process and company was more fun than the end result.

Paint With Kate returns in Feb 24 and will take inspiration from Valentine’s Day. Unlikely Pairings will be our theme. Can’t wait to see who gets involved!

Want to come? Drop me a line. Info on my contact page. 🎨

There’s something so satisfying about a productive morning.

It’s been a busy start to the second day of the brand new year. By 8am I had completed a comprehensive list of tasks while simultaneously managing a bleeding nose and weird pain in my side.

Laundry, dishes, recycling bins out, bills paid, paperwork filed, bed made, various subscriptions cancelled, meters checked, Dyson on charge, selection boxes emptied into a seriously impressive chocolate swag bag – I haven’t indulged, yet! The kids are still sleeping so I could get away with a Wispa.

I’m now clearing and sorting our ‘winter accessories drawers’. Yes, it’s a thing. Winter school runs on foot can be quite challenging if you don’t want your kids to spend their schools days drenched, cold and with sopping wet socks! I can’t think of anything worse because you’re GUARANTEED they’ll end up being off school with minor colds etc.

So, we have a bureau in the living room with two deep drawers stuffed full of hats, gloves, scarfs, ear muffs (called muffers in our house) umbrellas, spare socks, running arm bands and hand warmers.

The seasonal changing around of these drawers from bobble hats to sunglasses always reminds me of how meh the British weather has become. It’s slowly merging into consistently mild and damp, as opposed to hazy hot summers and subzero icy winters. I reckon we’re less than 12 months away from merging these accessories drawers to cover all eventualities, all year round. We’ve officially wrecked the planet.

New for the new year – despite me saying no resolutions, is less meat. I reckon as a family we could go veggie, aside from spag bol so I’ll be trying quorn mince for the first time later this week.

We’ve got to get better at recycling too. I’ve gotten too lazy with just throwing stuff in the main bin instead of properly separating the recyclable bits. That’s another easy win.

Vinted will be truly battered later today when we clear out the big shared bedroom and collate ALL the clothes, shoes and accessories that are good enough to sell. Our local charity shops haven’t been accepting donations since way before Christmas otherwise they would be my first port of call.

What’s the score with eBay these days? Is anyone still using it to sell clothes? Let me know if you have a better recommendation.

By the time all our stuff is listed that’ll be day 2 of January done! Another 100 pages of my current book ‘Pineapple Street’ by Jenny Jackson before bed and that’ll be another fulfilling day of 2024 completed.

Weird this inbetween time, isn’t it? What are you up to?

Promises of consistent blogging are afoot, stay vigilant!

The happiest of new years to you, it’s officially 2024. A nice even number. The new year started on a Monday and we’re rocketing towards a critical general election. Everything is gonna be alright.

I’m writing this blog having spent the last 30 mins rearranging the apps on my phone to boost creativity in 2024. Gone are the productivity zappers such as Facebook and x and back on the Home Screen are Canva, WordPress, Pinterest and Audible! We’re back in business.

For how long is anyone guess but it’s nice to start the new year with a clear out and organise. Is your Christmas tree still up? Mine was jettisoned into the front garden at 2pm on 30th December, as usual. I can’t stand anything festive around New Year’s. It’s done, time to move on and prepare for next year.

No resolutions from me other than an attempt to be better financially and creatively in my work. Less tech time for the kids, more outdoors stuff. Well, and more blogging of course. I’m also going to attempt to cut right back on clothes and take away this year, and the book list is ever growing. So as I said, all good intentions. Let’s see how it plans out.

I’m 42 this year. My mum and dad both turn 70, my middle kid is officially a teen and my little boy hits the double digits. Eldest will be off to uni and I’ll have reached 10 years in this god forsaken house. Time for a change perhaps?!

Anyway, lots to come, most of which I will share here and not on Instagram/facebook/X.

Hope 2024 is a belter for you.

I set myself a challenge to read 100 books in 2022. Here’s how I’m getting on.

I love to read. It’s such an indulgence for me. Born from reading Danielle Steele’s in the 1990’s I quickly latched onto crime thrillers and since my teenage years have regularly shared and swapped books with my folks.

Talk to me about Rebus, Siobhan Clarke, Roy Grace, and Alan Banks. I’ve read everything Peter James, Peter Robinson, and Ian Rankin have written. I adore a 500-page-turner from Mo Hayder, Tami Hoag, Val McDermid, Harlan Coben, Karin Slaughter, Lee Child, and James Patterson.

Then of course there’s the OG. Agatha Christie whose masterpieces come back around with as much gusto as the first time. ‘They Came To Baghdad’ is my all-time favourite.

The most thrilling and memorable book I’ve ever read is by Mo Hayder. ‘Tokyo’ is a phenomenal novel packed with suspense. The only book to ever make me jump and have to walk away for a while, it’s the perfect balance of intriguing and horrifying. The world lost a truly incredible author when Mo Hayder died in 2021, aged just 59. If you’re looking for a book to knock your socks off, get Tokyo.

I’ve made a decent-sized dent in my 100 book challenge however, I am rapidly running out of time. I’ve read a good mix of crime thrillers, emotionally charged, real-life accounts of life during covid, best-sellers, non-fiction, and a sensational title from Sam Knight and I’ve got a fair way to go yet!

If you’re looking for some inspiration, here’s a full rundown of the books I’ve read so far in 2022 and my review. I’ll be updating the blog with each new title and if you’d like to share a recommendation, please do drop me a line, here.

Books I’ve read in 2022

John Connolly – The Woman In The Woods

How To Kill Your Family – Bella Mackie

The Good Daughter – Karin Slaughter

17th Suspect – James Patterson

Kill Joy – Holly Jackson

Go Luck Yourself – Andy Narin

Fuck Being Humble – Stefanie Sword-Williams

Windswept & Interesting – Billy Connolly

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life – Samantha Irby

Shirley Jackson – Dark Tales

Thirty-three Poems – Ben North

Life With No Breaks – Nick Spalding

In A House of Lifes – Ian Rankin

The Dry – Jane Harper

206 Bones – Kathy Reichs

The Butterfly Lion – Michael Morpurgo

The Club on the Edge of Town – Alan Lane

Magpie – Elizabeth Day

Shoe Dog – Phil Knight

The Premonitions Bureau – Sam Knight

Where The Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens

Headhunters – Jo Nesbo

Gone – Mo Hayder

If your CV isn’t an A4 paper version of The Greatest Showman, how can you expect to get noticed by recruiters? Finding a job in December is a case of survival of the most creative. 

This week I gave my CV an overhaul for the first time in 4 years. I’m applying for roles all over the country in a number of industries. Recruiters are telling me I should have a variations of my original CV to suit each vacancy, which in itself have given me a whole new role. I am now officially a Job Vacancy Researcher. It’s knackering. It also feels like some kind of mad game show.

This new full-time occupation is compounded by the fact I’m open to a relocation. Media jobs in Dubai look much more appealing than copy writing in Swindon (no offence Swindon) but if I’m going to pack up and jet off for a job, there has to be more than just the 9-5.

Apps have also revolutionised the job application process. So far I have applied for a grand total of 156 jobs across three different apps. From London to Edinburgh, Speke to Southport, there’s a whole load of work out there. And even more job seekers.

I’ve read every article on how to make your application stand out from the crowd. How to craft the perfect letter of application. I’ve even rejoined Linked In. (Thanks to all who have connected with me, had some lovely introductions and its fab to meet new people.)

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of learning all these new lessons. Game show rules. Don’t mention the skills that aren’t related to the job role. Highlight, elevate, bold your strengths, don’t mention any weaknesses, references aren’t necessary, don’t add a photo to your CV – it puts people off – snorted laughing at that one, and was only mildly offended!

At some point I’m hoping to go home with a cuddly toy or hostess trolley and bag the job I really want. Even if it’s in Swindon. I just have to perfect my show tune CV that will catch the eye of recruiters and HR bosses around the country. Won’t be long.