April Wrap-up: A month in the life of a kidlit editor

• Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Life and work

April was another ridiculously busy month for me but I’m not complaining. During the easter holidays I spent a few days in a villa in Menorca with Steve, Caeden and some friends of ours and it was so wonderful. We hadn’t been out of the country since 2015, partly because we were terrified to take Caeden on a flight, partly because of Covid, partly because parenting was exhausting enough without trying to do it abroad. So it was such a lovely treat to go to a warm country and sit by the pool (which was actually far too cold to swim in), drink cava (which was fabulously cheap) and eat delicious Spanish food. I had the most amazing salmon in a champagne sauce which I’ll probably remember for years to come.

The best thing was seeing the children play together: they got on so well and kept each other busy the whole time, and after a couple of years of staying home, cancelling parties, talking over zoom and missing friends, it really was absolutely worth all the stress of travelling. Caeden was amazing on the plane, by the way. He barely noticed we’d taken off!

It was also Caeden’s fifth birthday and we were finally able to have a party for him – his first in three years. He had the time of his life and the helium balloons are still going strong downstairs.

Work wise, I’ve had lots going on. A super lovely repeat client had to postpone her edit because a gremlin in Word corrupted her file and she lost her entire manuscript before she could send it to me, which makes me want to cry just typing it.

I did get to work on a fascinating YA paranormal romance which I just delivered yesterday, and on Monday I’m starting a Monster Critique for a brilliant former client. This month is going to full on: I’ve got another four edits booked in plus I’m off to London Comic Con and attending a client’s book launch in Oxford! So much wonderful stuff happening.

Currently reading

• Relish by Lucy Knisley
• The Magic of Fiction by Beth Hill

MG and YA novels and comics I read this month

This has been a terrible month for me reading wise and I haven’t finished any books! I’ve started lots but then got distracted. I promise to be better in May!

Added to my TBR

• Horror Hotel by Victoria Fulton
• No Filter and Other Lies by Crystal Maldonado
• A Baker’s Guide to Robber Pie by Caitlin Sangster
• Dear Student by Elly Swartz

Films and TV I watched

• Heartstopper on Netflix. OH MY GOD it’s so wonderful
• White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie and Fitch on Netflix
• Anatomy of a Scandal on Netflix
• Inside Missguided on Netflix
• Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? on Britbox
• Jo on Netflix
• This is Going to Hurt on BBC
• The Split on BBC
• Inside Number 9 on BBC

Podcast I’m listening to

I’ve taken a break from You’re Booked and switched over to Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe for a bit of comic relief in a busy month! I highly recommend it to any parents struggling with life. Favourite guests so far include Jack Dee, Harry Hill and Bill Bailey.

Articles I liked that you might like too

Wordless picture books: a great way to get your child to tell the story

11 things on Netflix to watch when you need to feel more creative

Funny You Should Ask: Pitch, Revise, and Resubmit

Five Tips for Avoiding Disorientation in Your Opening Hook

Writing competitions and mental health

Not a Journal Person? Post-Pandemic Might Be the Perfect Time to Start

Why aren’t there more fat men in romance novels?

Your turn!

What did you read this month? Please give me your recommendations so I can add to my toppling TBR pile.