Secretly, I have a quiet creative obsession and I hope you have at least one, too. Mine gives me so much pleasure in a wild and noisy world and I know other people share this obsession with me because I see them.

The Sunset Watchers

Here goes:

I love to photograph sunsets.

But I’m not alone!

We’re a large crowd, although we’re nearly always alone, standing at the edges of the road or with our bare feet touching the ocean. Perched at the edge of the dock or pausing the car on a long drive home across the prairies, there we are, phone or camera out, pointed at a sky that’s far too big to capture in an image.

Yet this tiny form of worship continues, perhaps you’re one of us? Perhaps you participate in this devotion of trying to hold onto something we can never keep. Even as we take a photo, the sunset has changed and gone, leaving a sense of peace and beauty that lingers—until life rushes back in.

Fifteen Years in Photographs

My daughter turned fifteen today. She asked me recently if we’d ever worn matching dresses, and I had to search through my photos to find one for her. Rifling through photos in the week leading up to her birthday had me tangled in the glimpses of the stories we’ve written so far together.

There she is, tiny and sitting on the beach beside her big brother, and then she’s three years old and picking raspberries, her fingers sticky with red juice. At five, she’s searching for a fairy that I’ve told her is in the garden. At seven, she’s dressed for a dance competition, her smile as wide as mine. By ten, she’s looking over the ocean at a sunset, at thirteen she’s brooding, her hand covering her face.

Leave me alone, Mum.

Tonight

Those memories disappear like the sun into the water as she comes downstairs wearing a T-shirt the same colour as mine. To celebrate her birthday, we’re going where I took this sunset photo, trying to capture the colours, the beauty, all of it.

Our cabin is at a lake two hours north of Saskatoon and tonight as it gets dark, I’ll jump into the cold, cold, cold water, the shock of it a way to feel the sunset and the nostalgia of my daughter turning swiftly into the adult she’s becoming.

After, when I’ve dried off but before the stars populate the sky, I’ll probably take a photograph, too.

Tell me, is there a small creative obsession that you have? If I think about it, I have several others (islands, books about dangerous travel adventures, paper flowers, plating food, herb gardens, murder TV shows…) And as I share in the video, they all inform the book I’m writing now.

How about you?

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Thanks as ever for being part of my writing life. I’ve been working at a pace of 1000 words a day on a book set at the lake—let’s call this weekend ‘research’.

xoxo

Alice

Playlist obsession! This is what I’m listening to as I write…do you have a suggestion for a song to add?

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

While I was laid up all week with a nasty cold, writing my new book took a back seat to reading (which I’ll get to shortly) and watching my colleagues at The Novelry teaching various sessions. We have a massive archive of classes over there and it’s been so fun to watch Tayari Jones in conversation, to listen to Piers Torday talking about How to Write a Hook, and to learn from as she teaches How to Write a Memorable Scene.

All of this feels like writing from the edges—and was such a pleasure in an otherwise miserable, solo parenting adventure. Getting the kids ready for school then laying back down thinking I must be better soon, right?

All this thinking and reading led me to doing some distance work on my own book. As you can see in the photo, I wrote myself a list of scenes and started thinking about some connections I hadn’t yet seen. A character has become more important than I first thought she’d be… it’s exciting, yes, but a bit daunting too, so this pen and paper reflection is SO helpful. Sometimes pulling back from a story to see it like this gives me new ways of moving forward—and from a pile of blankets on the sofa, this has been the time to have a look at what I’ve got on the page.

(Thank you, by the way, for all the comments on writing and motherhood, which I really loved reading while I was feeling so sorry for myself ;-)))

Our Seasonal Reading Practice

We’re halfway through our seasonal reading practice. This is our slow, shared reading where every three months, we choose a memoir, a mystery, and a third ‘mixed-bag’. This means we can live with one (or all) the books over time. The books aren’t assignments—they’re companions, shaping the thinking here in subtle, lasting ways. Some are suggested by you, some I’ve chosen because I think we’ll love them together.

My idea is that you can choose to read one of these, or all of them, and share what you think about the books as we move through the year. Please also suggest books for the next season and help me find great reads for us.

As a reminder, these are the three books (and where I’m at with each!):

Mystery Pick: Last One Out by Jane Harper

This is the only one I’ve finished so far. It’s a slow burn—a very slow burn, and I know that some readers have found the pace frustrating. It got me thinking about stakes and how important they are to us as writers (and as readers!) One of the challenges is that the main character doesn’t feel like she has anything to lose. Yes, she wants to know what happens to her son, but it doesn’t feel enough to make us truly care.

Because I love Jane Harper’s work, I had patience through this and so could keep going to what I think is an artful solution to a brilliantly staged set up: the son disappears in mysterious and impossible circumstances…

Have you read this one? Does it appeal?

Memoir Pick: Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

I find this work absolutely dazzling. Over at The Novelry, I teach Memoir writing and this memoir strikes me as an elegant mix of personal and reportage that works so well, I’ll be suggesting it to my writers there! I’m halfway through and I find the beautifully layered storytelling of HG Wells and his imaginings (and wild affair) and how his imagination led to—in some ways—Richard Flanagan’s father’s unlikely survival from a war camp to be a remarkable feat of memory and creativity.

I both want to get to the end and linger in it FOREVER! You? Have you read it?

Mixed-Bag Pick: Sympathy Tower Tokyo

I’m finding this one slow. It’s very smart, very elegant, but it’s not really holding me. It’s SO short so I figured I’d just be done right away, but it’s very intellectual so it’s taking me time to parse the work—also, not a lot happens, so it’s not pulling me out of the domestic in the way I need. Over the next few weeks, I’ll finish it for sure, but I’m not certain I love this.

You? Tell me, how’s the reading going? Is there something else you’ve loved that you think we might like for summer? Have you read any of our books yet?

Thank you as ever for being here with me. Your support, comments and connection are invaluable. While I wait to hear back from my agent on how the submission of my book is going out in the world, YOU really lift me up.

xoxo

Alice

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

The text message was three words: “Don’t be mad.”

It was from a sixteen-year-old who was living with us to help her and her mom out. I stood in my kitchen, which is a lovely place, full of light from windows that overlook a quiet street in Saskatoon. It’s a small city on Treaty Six Territory, and the river is nearby, as a quiet reminder that even on the busiest of days we’re always closer to being wild than we remember.

The text lay on my phone, which lay on the counter, surrounded by breadcrumbs and plates I was about to clear and wipe.

Don’t. Be. Mad.

This girl moved in with us three months before and I’d been blithe and blind. It’s not that I didn’t want to look, although I didn’t want to look, it was that my nature is naive and trusting. If someone says: I’m okay, I believe them.

I know, I’m a writer. This is a lack of imagination on my part.

And yet. I put away the dishtowels, gave up on counters and plates and any writing I might do, and texted back.

“What’s up?”

Over the last seventeen years, I’ve published fifteen books and raised four of my own children, while several other teenagers lived with us for periods of time. When people ask me how many children I have, I always hold these girls in my heart and up to the light because, well, love. It’s a funny thing, loving people, an unstoppable rush, and a patience (not something I’m known for as a daughter or as a partner).

“Seriously, what’s up, love?”

When I got her reply, I walked straight to where my partner was writing in his own studio. He walks on a treadmill desk and he was immersed, but he looked over from his book, one that just came out now in the world.

“What’s up?”

“I think you need to sit down, bear.”

How do writers write and raise children?

This weekend, I have a blog with The Novelry for Mother’s Day full of tips from me and other writers about the balance between writing a book and caregiving (Tip: there’s no such thing as balance and that’s okay, the tipping is what I notice). While I was writing it, and gathering advice from other parents, I thought of my girl.

She was five months pregnant. Over the next few hours, I held myself still as firstly my partner and then she talked through what this meant.

She sat on the sofa with her boyfriend, the two of them explaining to us their plan: they wanted to live together and raise the baby. Our role, we knew, was to support their choices, so we listened and discussed, drank tea, let the sun fall from the sky and cozy dark surround us.

He moved in shortly after. When Covid hit eighteen months later, they were still living with us, their baby daughter toddling now, and another person I was lucky enough to love.

But. How did I get any writing done?

I think of my writing life as the fuel for all the other things. When I don’t get to the page, I’m sorrowful and impatient (and now you see that my life needs patience). Right now, I’m sitting on a sofa while one of my sons is at dance, writing this for you.

The window overlooks the street, soon my son and I will get into our van and drive to his football practice. This window, the one I’ve found for writing, may be the only time I get today.

But I look for these windows in my days and my weeks, and when I find one, I take time with the view.

My phone could light up with another text anytime. Like the ones from my partner in the years since the teenager with the baby grew up and moved out: ‘My father is dying’, or another one from him, ‘my mother needs to move in with us’.

The writing comes from love—loving the writing, yes, but also loving the people who fill my life with stories.

You? Any tips for others who are reading along and who want to write or find time for their other life away from their children and responsibilities?

Leave a comment

xoxox

Thank you as ever for reading.

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

When I start writing a book, it’s a glimmer, something shiny at the bottom of the lake, visible when the sun hits the water right or the sands shift. I want to get closer, careful in case it’s a fishing hook ready to tear my hand or foot, curious because it shouldn’t be there.

There’s something about it.

For me, the glimmer of this book was one scene. Two women in a video call. One goes to answer the door, screams off screen, and the call ends.

In the hurly burly of kids and domestic and coaching writers and teaching over at The Novelry, alongside supporting our brilliant team of thirty coaches, I’ve been writing this novel. As some of you know, it’s a departure from the books I’ve written and published before: (as you can probably tell from the glimmer) this book is a murder mystery, pitched for readers who love Jane Harper, Tana French, Liz Moore, because (hopefully) it has a similar resonance of place, community, psychology.

ANYWAY.

Today, I sent it back to my agent and the next step is that he’ll send it to an editor.

It may never find a home. That’s the risk any writer takes—it’s part of the adventure and certainly has been the case for many of the books I’ve written and finished. In fact, the pile of unpublished books in my drawers, downstairs cupboard, and lurking in desktop files, is MUCH bigger than my published writing (fifteen books + ghosting + various outlets—that’s to say BIG!!!!).

Tearing up the pages

Today, as I was ripping up final sheets of my tenth draft to turn it into the eleventh (read hundredth or so), I had a surge of giddy joy. This part of the process, where I understand so vividly that it’s not about finishing the book (because I always just start another one) but instead about being IN the book, is why I write. Moving one comma. Moving it back. Reading a line aloud. Reading it again.

Then ripping that page to shreds.

I explain the ripping to shreds stage in the video.

Short notes

And because I’ve been at my desk either working on this draft or coaching every waking hour for many days now, I’m going to keep this update short.

But I do want to take a moment to say thank you. Firstly, to all of you. Each of you when you subscribe and reach out or simply, quietly read, reassure me of my writing self (in all the noise of kids, I forget sometimes). And thank you to for the brilliant editorial guidance when I was lost.

I do have lots of other people to thank (my dad for reading and giving great edits, my mum for reading every one of these substacks forever) but if the book ever finds a publisher, I’ll write a proper thank you page so I don’t forget anyone!

With love and gratitude for being with me on this journey,

Alice

xoxo

Tell me! How are things with your day? It’s SNOWING here! Are you reading something I’d love? Have you started any of our Life-Changing Book Club books yet? I’ve begun Last One Out by Jane Harper and I love it!

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

Morning in the Field

Outside my window, a man is trying to grab a sheep. The rest of the herd has fled, alarmed, but this sheep (alongside one loyal other and two lambs) is in a merry chase, as a sheepdog herds and the graceless human lunges.

Coffee, Words, and a Small Drama

I’m beside a huge grassy field, a murder of crows leaving their roost and my children sleeping upstairs. My parents, sister and her children are in two other little houses alongside us, and my day is starting with coffee, words, and the adventure of the hapless man outside.

He’s just fallen over. The sheep, for the moment, is winning.

A Book to Begin With

Britain began with myths is the subtitle of the book I hold in my hands. Like all of the others I’ve tenderly considered, it offers a doorway to a secret adventure. The book is called Storyland and is by Amy Jeffs and the version now beside me is a rewriting for children of a bestselling adult book. While it’s not one of the books that will be in our Spring Reading Practice, I wanted to start with it because choosing merely three books led me to bookstores and conversations and so many adventures and other options.

Our Seasonal Reading Practice

Our seasonal reading practice is our slow, shared reading where every three months, we choose a memoir, a mystery, and a third ‘mixed-bag’. This means we can live with one (or all) the books over time. The books aren’t assignments—they’re companions, shaping the thinking here in subtle, lasting ways. Some are suggested by you, some I’ve chosen because I think we’ll love them together.

And alongside the small selection of three books, I now have a TBR pile that is dazzling and ignites. All this to say, if you read along with me, wonderful. And if you find yourself drawn to other books, grab them with both hands (like the man who has just seized the sheep).

The Life-Changing Book Club: Spring

Read one—or read all three—and join me?

Mystery Pick: The Last One Out by Jane Harper

This is Jane Harper’s sixth novel and one I’m so excited to share with you.

When I first came to Jane Harper’s work, like the work of Tana French (whose new book I wanted us to read together BUT it’s the third in a trilogy so seemed like a huge commitment together!) something stirred.

It was a new and surprising voice inside me that made me throw up the fifteen books I’d already published (for young readers, several are in the photo above) and try something new.

Crime.

The crime novel I’ve written is with my agent now—and with some small shifts about to go on submission to publishers. It could all be over for my book, or it could one day get into your hands to read.

Why did I select it?

Until then, I’m thrilled to read The Last One Out with you…and keep you updated on the adventure of my book as it goes out for consideration by publishers…

This is a slow-burn of a novel, claustrophobic and compelling. It's a wonderful exploration of fractured families and communities, and the conclusion is both shocking and inevitable. A book to get lost in.

Ann Cleeves on The Last One Out.

Memoir Pick: Question 7 by Richard Flanagan

I want to make sure to bring you works that are strange and surprising. In the space of memoir and autofiction, I’m drawn as a reader to connect with what’s real and true. So many of you suggested great memoir for me, and over at The Novelry the writers there gave me many other options, too.

Why did I select it?

This little book caught my attention on the shelves at my mother’s house and felt like the one for this season.

Blending memoir and history and autofiction, this brilliantly unique book by the Booker winner is a treatise on the immeasurability of life.

Question 7 is Flanagan’s finest book. It is a treatise on the immeasurability of life, reminiscent of the Japanese tradition of mono no aware, the psychological and philosophical sweep of Tolstoy, and enmeshed in a personal essay that is tuned as finely as WG Sebald’s Rings of Saturn. In the meditative, circular story structure of memoir and history and autofiction, replete with nuance and sound thought, Flanagan doesn’t just present Chekhov’s Question 7 – appearing as a thread, he doesn’t just pull at it but unravels an entire tapestry. He travels to the metaphorical weaver, the shearer, the shepherd, and the hooved animal itself – and reaches into the deepest past where, he is so astute in writing, “there is no memory without shame”.

The Guardian on Question 7.

As The Guardian talks of shepherds, our sheep outside is gathered and unceremoniously plopped into a truck. All is quiet in the field!

Mixed-Bag Pick: Sympathy Tower Tokyo

This final book caught my attention in a funky bookshop in Brighton, chockablock with records and my family who were all tumbled inside selecting books of their own. We travel to Japan later this year and one way I love to prepare for a trip is to read the literature of a country. It’s also a book about AI and language, something very much on my mind as I set up my own rules for using robots as a writer (which I’ll share with you in a future newsletter).

Why did I select it?

Here’s a glimpse of what this book is about. Does it appeal?

Welcome to the Japan of tomorrow. Here, the practice of a radical sympathy toward criminals has become the norm – and a grand skyscraper in the heart of Tokyo is planned to house wrongdoers in compassionate comfort. Acclaimed architect Sara Machina has been tasked with designing the city's new centrepiece, but is riven by doubt. As she casts her mind to the terrible crime she experienced as a young girl, she wonders if she might think against the grain of her time: could it be that criminals deserve the punishment and disdain of the past? In search of solace, in need of creative inspiration, Sara turns to the knowing words of an AI chatbot…

Over to You

So, what do you think?

So, now it’s your turn. Please let me know what you think of these books ! Will you join me in our reading room?

Leave a comment

xoxo

Alice

Upcoming news:

April 13th in person Book Event: Son of Nobody

If you’d like to come and say hi, my partner Yann has a new book out. (I know, I could have picked Son of Nobody as one of our reads for Spring and I warmly encourage you to read it—I already have!) has an event in Saskatoon on April 13th at the wonderful McNally Robinsons and I’ll be interviewing him. Here are all the details. If you don’t live near us, here is the list of all his other events—he loves meeting people and saying hi on the road.

Virtual Events at The Novelry

And yes! Any of you who’ve looked at his event list may have noticed he’s away a LOT! What this means is that I’m looking after our lovely children on my own so it’s apt that in May, I’ll be writing a blog for The Novelry all about writing and mothering, and hosting an event about writing and caregiving.

I’m also running my regular monthly sessions there on Flow and Writing, our Memoir Club, and talking about individual books with our writers in one-on-one coaching. Phew!

Writing News: and a Promise to YOU!

Oh, and I’m quietly working on my new novel, too… I promise to update you once the one with my agent goes on submission if I get positive news… or rejections.

I so appreciate you being here with me on my writing adventures.

With love,

Alice

xoxo

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

It started snowing yesterday, perhaps the day before, despite the geese returning. Even the cat is in a fury at this return of winter and while I know it to be normal for Saskatchewan at this time of year, the feelings of warmth and summer that were starting to creep in are paused.

One of my sons said, “When will it end.”

“The year you were born (which happens in the first week of April), I stood here,” I gestured at the kitchen round us—spring flowers hopeful along the window, “and wondered at the blizzard outside. Would I be able to make it to the hospital. The snow was so deep and not stopping—”

“So basically never?” he replied.

Wrapping up the reading season

Despite the weather insisting we’re lingering in winter, over here at Confessions & Coffee, we’re about to move to the next reading season. I’ve been trying a slow, shared reading where every three months, we choose a memoir, a mystery, and a third ‘mixed-bag’. This means we can live with one (or all) the books over time.

It means in the quiet of the night, when the house is sleeping and the cat is hunting mice, I’ve been reading these three books with you this winter: The Fox Wife, This Book Made Me Think of You and H is for Hawk. This last one has been exceptionally helpful as I teach memoir over at The Novelry. What Helen Macdonald, the author, has been able to do with balancing theme and storytelling is exactly what I try to help other writers find. Helen begins the book with both the death of their father and yearning for a hawk, a Goshawk they gathers and then cares for called Mabel.

The book explores the line where we become wild ourselves and instead of humanising the hawk, the author instead writes of the animal in grief. The mystery of loss and how to live with it are all given the same keen eye by the writer as the hawk, who is curious but very much herself. During the bleak damp of the walks they take together, fiercely and beautifully described, which is called hawking, through the time Helen first lets Mabel free (or they are free of each other?) I was both mother and partner, quiet in my bed, and wild, brave and attentive to the edges of my life. The creak of the hunting cat, the whisper of the wind at the windows, the morning greeting of white.

More snow.

This Book Made Me Think of You

The beauty of this love story by wonderful is that it reminds each of us of the books that have changed and shaped us. Libby is my colleague at The Novelry so I was lucky to read an early copy of this book and then witness it meet readers as she launched it in the UK and the US. So many of those readers found the same thing I did—themselves in the pages. Book lovers, people who’ve found solace and joy, heartbreak and wisdom in pages when the rest of the world has been turning.

In the novel, the main character receives a book each month from her husband who died. He set up the gift before he passed and at first she’s mystified, then angry. Again, the novel is about grief and how we live with it. Libby suggests that we survive it by taking both time and steps toward life.

In The Fox Wife, which I wrote more about here, the heart of the book is also grief. How do we live with great loss and stay ourselves? Each of these books show us that we cannot. We get through and we’re changed. And while we know this, in these books we feel it. I feel it: changed.

You?

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

A couple last things!

One: I’ve been listening to this playlist with the kids while we’ve been hanging out in the living room and kitchen. When I’m not writing, I’ve been thinking about space and while I started with my office, my focus has shifted to the shared spaces. I want to make them feel more peaceful and welcoming—this music helps!

Two: Yann’s new book! I mentioned it in the video but I know some of you might get to see him on tour. His new and very lovely website has a lovely events page for you to check out. Say hi to him if you find him on the road!

Three: And finally, but importantly: I’ve been gratefully noticing how many of you are becoming paid subscribers. I’d love to know either in a message or a comment below, how can I thank you better? As you know, I live in with, um, creative chaos ;-), but I’d love to have a proper way to thank you for your support. I am so grateful for you ALL as readers—for any writer, a reader is the greatest gift.

Please do share this with a reader you love.

Share Confessions & Coffee

Thank you!

xoxo

Alice

Starting at the end of January, I’ve been thinking a lot about spaces for writing—or any creative act. In the thrill of finishing my novel and having my first two readers (both detectives) say ALL the wonderful things, I’ve been prepping to begin my new book. And I’ve worked HARD on making my writing space just perfect (some might call this procrastination!) I wanted to share some photos and thoughts with you today because lots of you shared what you need in YOUR space and I read through these carefully, working on my own.

Where do the pets go?

As says, one of the most important parts of a writing space is PET SPACE!

Our cat and dog jockey for position in this prime spot, but of course NEITHER one would pose ;-))) Here’s a picture of how I moved a reading chair, a plant and PET SPACE!

Closing the door

John Van Rhys of shared that for him, it’s a closed door.

I totally agree. With kids hurtling in and out (plus lovely Yann AND pets) we decided to go for a curtain. It creates a small divide that anyone can come through, but slightly more slowly. From this chair, where I often sit to write, I can’t see the rest of the house anymore!

I’ve also been using a trick to close the ‘mental’ door of email, to-dos and work. I had an old laptop which I’ve rebooted and I’m using to start writing the new book. It has one playlist and then the new novel… that’s it!

Walking while I work (by the window!)

As reminded me, it’s always about the window!

It’s sooooooo icy in Saskatoon but I do love to walk, so for any long meetings I’ve been taking a slow and steady stroll on this walking treadmill, which the New York Times suggested was a good one. I don’t use it for writing or admin, only for meetings so far, but I’ve even had to OPEN the window (which in a Saskatchewan winter is unusual) as I’m getting warm and getting steps in!

For other comments and the initial essay about creative space, head this way.

Please do join in and share what you need to get inspired! Maybe you have a favourite reading nook (and I’ve been LOVING OUR BOOKS for this season—to remind you, we’re reading any or all of these three: The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo, H is for Hawk by Helen McDonald, and This Book Made Me Think of You by ). Maybe you love a long walk and the outdoors is where you are most creative?

Leave a comment

For now, in all this lovely space, I’m going to get back to writing. I love sharing all this with you, though. Thank you for being here with me and for hanging out in my writing space together today!

xoxo

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Despite the noise on social media, I didn’t expect the change of my body over the last couple of years to speed up and become so—well—loud that it’s hard to think about anything else.

It’s no surprise.

Yet.

The Body Is Not Predictable

I knew, of course, through four pregnancies that my body could suddenly and violently do its thing. One night—34 weeks into my first pregnancy—I sat in bed as my water broke, movie-style, in rush and gush that ended up with a dangerous bleed and emergency c-section for me, and an even more precarious six-week NICU stay for my premature son.

So yes, like for you, I’m sure, it’s not a surprise that the body isn’t predictable or to be taken for granted. Last week, I sat with a beloved friend as her hair fell on the sofa between us because she’s undergoing life-saving chemo. Another friend had a pain in her stomach that revealed itself as a vicious, untreatable cancer.

But this phase of life isn’t a sickness, it’s a predictable part of growing older for half the population.

I mean, it should be predictable, right?

Perimenopause, in Theory

Perimenopause seemed like a simple few steps: I’ve read books (great books) about it. I’ve even ghosted one.

Some hot sweats.

Some changes.

Voilà.

Ha.

Ha.

Ha.

Perimenopause, in Practice

Yes, true: it’s no surprise that my sleep has become elusive, or that I don’t fit any of my clothes, or that I’m walking down the street in the pretty snow in Saskatoon when suddenly I have to hurtle home to grab a pad. All normal, true: suddenly I want to throw up, or I’m so dizzy due to vertigo I can’t see straight, or my ADHD symptoms are out of control, or two glasses of wine makes me feel so yucky-hungover I claim I’ll never drink again, or within one hour I’m tired and then an hour later when it’s bedtime I’m full of energy or FURIOUS with something as innocent as snow.

Yet, I’m taken aback.

This Sunday Morning

I woke groggy and frustrated. The streetlight cracked through the top of the blind and I was enraged by its wicked force: how dare it beam on my bedroom? I tried to squeeze into a favoured pair of jeans and had to give up, pulling on a second pair of PJs instead (the first were night-sweat soaked). I downed my hormonal cocktail that is, yes, making all this better. And then drank two cups of coffee, which actually improve everything.

And I went to what I always know best.

Words.

Frustrating. Exhausting. Confusing. Sure.

But I decided to call all this a relearning instead.

I don’t know this body.

I don’t understand it. I don’t—yet—have a relationship with it.

But I’ve done this before: I’ve relearned myself through puberty. Through pregnancy. Through motherhood.

As a woman, I’m going to have to do this again.

Evidence That I Can Relearn

I learned it when I walked to intensive care to meet my little son in his plastic incubator, my c-section scar painful (although being separated from him was far worse); I relearned when I came home from the hospital with my fourth baby and was told ‘The afterbirth pains will be worse this time.’ Note, they were. I relearned while I nursed that baby while the other three were barfing and I was barfing too, and when I lost thirty pounds rapidly when I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.

I relearned when I tried to go to a yoga class after my gorgeous friend who had a stomach pain that was aggressive cancer died. I lay on the mat, tears leaking from my eyes, unable to move this body of mine.

I had to relearn.

A Word That Opens

Oh, how much a word makes a difference. Relearning is a word that opens me to patience, to love, to curiosity. And for a little bit in this wild and wonderful journey I’m peaceful.

Whenever I learn something, I want to share it—to talk about it, to write about it. So here I am, relearning with you. (With coffee ;-)

xoxox

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

I finished, I finished, I finished!

For those of you who’ve been reading Confessions & Coffee for a while, you’ll know I’ve been working on a novel for a thousand years ;-))) I sent the latest draft to my agent on Thursday. We then packed up the children and drove nine hours to the mountains where we had a Valentine’s ski day to start the break.

And then, when the house went quiet? I turned back to reading and to you.

Phew!

(Thank you, by the way, for all the comments on Creative Spaces, which I’ll come back to in our next newsletter xoxo)

Our Seasonal Reading Practice

We’re halfway through our seasonal reading practice. This is our slow, shared reading where every three months, we choose a memoir, a mystery, and a third ‘mixed-bag’. This means we can live with one (or all) the books over time. The books aren’t assignments—they’re companions, shaping the thinking here in subtle, lasting ways. Some are suggested by you, some I’ve chosen because I think we’ll love them together.

My idea is that you can choose to read one of these, or all of them, and share what you think about the books as we move through the year. Please also suggest books for the next season and help me find great reads for us.

As a reminder, these are the three books:

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

“New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.”

H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

“A bestseller throughout the English-speaking world and a multiple award winner, H Is for Hawk is the exquisitely written story of one woman’s journey to the limits of grief and love.”

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page

A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.

Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…

So how’s the reading going? As I shared two weeks ago, I had trouble getting my eReader to download/function/participate, so I was slowed in beginning The Fox Wife. But when I got that all sorted and I started I was immediately in love. As a writer, I’ve always enjoyed that liminal space between what’s real and imagined. I’ve written short stories about women birthing fish or being gathered by a pelican, popped in its mouth, and flown from domestic tedium. Books that straddle the magical and the true feel, to me, more true.

I noticed how clear and simple the language was, too, and how quickly the author pulls us into believing the woman is a fox. The dead woman in the second (third?) chapter is swiftly and cleanly described, too, making me want to turn the pages.

I’ve also finished This Book Made Me Think of You and will devote an entire newsletter to it because it’s ALL about books that change your life.

Thank you as ever for being here with me. Your support, comments and connection are invaluable. I’m excited to share this invite with you as a thank you!

An invite for you

I’m doing an event at The Novelry this upcoming Saturday that’s free and I’d love for you to come along. Here’s what we say about it:

If there’s someone in your life who loves writing, has a book idea they can’t shake, or keeps saying “I’ll write a novel one day”—this is for them (and for you).

Writing With Friends: How to Supercharge Your Book Idea

Saturday, February 21 at 9 p.m. UK | 4 p.m. NYC | 1 p.m. LA

Hosted by Alice Kuipers, with New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors Dhonielle Clayton, Heather Webb, and Gina Sorell.

Bring your book idea—and a friend who loves writing—and join us for a special one-off live class at The Novelry, designed to help you turn your idea into a story readers will obsess over.

You’ll be guided through practical prompts and powerful story upgrades to help you:

• Clarify what your novel is really about

• Make the premise bigger, sharper, and more original

• Increase stakes and tension in a way that feels natural

• Create characters with wants, flaws, and difficult choices

Expect thoughtful conversation, a supportive atmosphere, and plenty of “ohhh, that’s it” moments. You’ll leave feeling clearer, braver, and ready to write.

This is a private, invitation-only session, led by our team of bestselling authors, created exclusively for members of The Novelry and a writing friend of your choice.

If you’d like to come along, please let me know in the comments and I’ll send you the link privately.

xoxo

Alice

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

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The afternoon opened up, our visitors left, and I had a million things to do.

But.

Instead of sitting and getting to work, I began shoving furniture around. Like my oma before me, a room-reset is sometimes all I can think about.

I wanted to make my office a room of my own, described by Virginia Woolf and vital. Suddenly. Right then.

Yann called, “How’s work?”

“I have to make a space,” I replied.

“Today?”

Oh, yes! And look at it now!

My intentions for today were to write about The Fox Wife and the joys/madness of getting a small child to bed. My four-year-old granddaughter stayed with us for a week so I re-learned those quiet hours waiting for the soft breathing of a sleeping bear. I had lots to say and I wanted the novel to root my thoughts about family, about love, about silence.

But. My eReader broke. Despite all the button pressing and loop travelling, I couldn’t get the novel open in those moonlit moments. My seasonal reading practice for our Life-Changing Book Club is slowed, my letter to you shifted. Such is the way of seasons.

Instead, all the sweating and furniture shoving got me thinking about why it’s so important to have space—for creative work, for anything. Mental space or physical space? Both? Describing Woolf’s seminal essay, her publishers say:

Through a blend of personal narrative, historical analysis, and feminist critique, Woolf argues that a woman must have financial independence and a private space—both literally and metaphorically—to write and create.

Before the moving around

My office shared what used to be the kids’ play area. It has a cupboard full of crafts and old toys, and a fantastic (BUT ENORMOUS) massage chair that some friends wanted to get rid of. (THAT THING IS A BEAST, and yes, I moved it!)

But I wanted

1. A window nearby

2. No way for my children to cross through the two chairs I switch between (for desk work and for reading)

3. Books

A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction

—Virginia Woolf.

This is a beginning. I want to think about this more over the next few weeks together so—as a start point—could you share with me in the comments what you look for in a creative space? What do you want? What do you need? What is possible?

Leave a comment

Here’s Yann’s space. Does that appeal? Or does your solace and quiet come from something different?

Looking forward to exploring this together!

xoxo

Alice

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

Settle in, grab your favourite drink, and please allow me to share some of my writing secrets with you…

Several Saturdays ago, when the sun was shining and the sky was summer, two of my sons and I were headed home from soccer when we spotted a line-up in the street. It was nine in the morning and our curiosity had us park and jump out. Everyone was waiting for the doors of an Estate Sale to open.

We waited, too, pulled into the story of the objects left behind by the people whose home it was.

And an idea was there, slipping out from between a porcelain doll and Big Mouth Billy Bass.

Objects. The stories they tell.

Ideas look small to start, but I’ve learned to be tender with this kindling.

As I’ve finished edits and ghosted books and coached writers and sparkled through Christmas, the idea has been quietly there. Soon, soon, it whispers. So, I wanted to share with you what I do as a writer when I feel like this.

I’ll start with a photograph:

The picture is chockablock with things and all of them are helping me find my way to the new story.

A History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks:

One of my characters, who is currently like a shadow in the recesses of my mind, is obsessed with shipwrecks. It’s all I know so far and the book feels like it might possess the key.

The coaster:

I was born in London and I lived there for the first twenty-four years of my life (with travelling interludes, but that’s another story). This coaster is nearly always within sight of where I write because it reminds me of home. And home feels important to this new novel, not as the place, but as the concept. What does it mean to us and how do we hold it? How do we let it go?

The candle:

It smells of pistachio (I mean, come on!) and was a birthday gift. Today is my birthday and one of the greatest gifts this last year has been all of you as you read along and remind me I’m a writer.

Miracles on Bella Camina:

I used to work as a manuscript evaluator for The SWG and I was so lucky to read this lovely novel by local writer Lili Zwart. Spending time with other writers locally and at The Novelry (which is wonderful), hearing what they have to say, reading their books, all help me find my way from the spark of an idea to a finished book. One day!

The cup:

While I bought this cup for Yann, it’s one I use often. It’s from Wanuskewin, a World Heritage Site not far from where I live on Treaty Six Territory & Homeland of the Métis, and it reminds me that stories always come from somewhere if I only pay attention.

Most of the next few months will look like not knowing.

It’s my favourite writing stage. I’ll spend it writing a messy, gloriously TERRIBLE first draft. And each of these objects which are carefully placed in my office will help me get there.

Tell me, what’s an object that tells a story in your life? I’d so love to hear about it.

Leave a comment

xoxo

Alice

As ever, thanks for reading. I especially want to thank my paid subscribers who are a growing and generous number. You all mean the world to me.

If you’re reading this on the Substack App, please restack or share with someone who might want to hang out and talk about books and writing with us xoxo

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

As usual, during the holiday season, at least a thousand starting points to essays I wanted to write for you popped up between cooking and hanging with kids.

There was the essay about closing loops, where I walk with my children through a snowy night, and the one about winter running (which I have tried twice), and an essay all about writing my own eulogy (but wrote that waaaayyyy better here for the excellent ).

When I’m stuck like this as a writer, I know I needed to adjust something before I could write clearly and cleanly.

I love our Life-Changing Book Club, I knew, but I realised I need it to shift for 2026. As a writer and a huge reader, I want us to have, well, a bit more choice. But how?

Fortunately unknowingly came to my rescue from ‘too-many-ideas and one real sticky problem’ with a word I’d never seen before: Jolabokaflod.

What is Jolabokaflod?

On Christmas Eve, Cate gifts her family members a book and they all read it together, inspired by a tradition called Jolabokaflod. Immediately, I read all about it:

“The Icelandic Christmas Eve tradition of Jólabókaflóð, or “Christmas Book Flood,” is a unique and cherished cultural practice in Iceland, deeply rooted in the nation’s love for literature and storytelling. In Iceland, ‘book flood’ is celebrated on Christmas Eve and revolves around giving and receiving new books, often accompanied by delicious treats like hot cocoa, Icelandic chocolates, or even a special beer. The night is spent in the company of loved ones, reading and sharing stories, creating memories that last a lifetime.”

This helped me crystallize how we’re going to shift The Life-Changing Book Club.

Some of us want to read the same book, others, well, want to pick up something different.

Plus, I’m a writer now of mysteries. They’re not gruesome, but what I’m writing is rooted in the impact of crime and how we live with it. Some writers I love in this space are Tana French and Jane Harper and Liz Moore and Chris Whittaker and Vanessa Lillie.

AND I love reading the books we’ve been reading together, too.

So, this is my proposal for us to all have a book we want, curl up, and read quietly at our own pace…

The Life-Changing Book Club: A Seasonal Reading Practice.

During our slow, shared reading, every three months, we’ll choose a memoir, a mystery, and a third ‘mixed-bag’, so we can live with one (or all) the books over time. The books aren’t assignments—they’re companions, shaping the thinking here in subtle, lasting ways. Some are suggested by you, some I’ve chosen because I think we’ll love them together.

My idea is that you can choose to read one of these, or all of them, and share what you think about the books as we move through the year. Please also suggest books for the next season and help me find great reads for us.

Seasonal Reading

For January-March, these are the three books I thought we’d try. Read one, or read all three, and join me?

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

“New York Times bestselling author Yangsze Choo brilliantly explores a world of mortals and spirits, humans and beasts, and their dazzling intersection. Epic in scope and full of singular, unforgettable characters, The Fox Wife is a stunning novel about old loves and second chances, the depths of maternal love, and ancient folktales that may very well be true.”

Why did I select it?

As a crime writer, it was important to me that we start sharing books in the space I read most often. I wanted to ease us all in with a mixture of mystery and magic and this book has come up from several of you over the last year as a Life-Changing Book. Does it appeal?

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald

“A bestseller throughout the English-speaking world and a multiple award winner, H Is for Hawk is the exquisitely written story of one woman's journey to the limits of grief and love.”

Why did I select it?

Yann sent me an essay from The New York Times all about the popularity of the wild animal memoir. Over at The Novelry where I teach, I’m head of our Memoir Department, and I this book has come up many times, so I wanted to offer it for us to choose.

This Book Made Me Think of You by

A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.

Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart…

Why did I select it?

Libby is one of my colleagues at The Novelry and her idea for this novel is perfectly pitched for readers like you: this is a book all about the life changing power of reading. I wondered when we read it if we might find a book for our next season, too! What do you think?

So, now it’s your turn. Please let me know what you think of these books and the slightly adjusted pace/choices! Will you join me in our reading room?

xoxo

Alice

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

Because I believe books change our lives (do you agree?) we have our Life-Changing Book Club: six books a year, low commitment and (for me, and for many of you) books that spark conversation, connection and new ideas. Also! I finished my edits (again, I know!) and I’m so excited to take a break with you!!!

To reflect, this is the list of books we read together this year (please pick up any you missed! Did you read some, all, none?:

Jan/Feb: Wintering by started our year. It’s a beautiful collection of essays that build to a retranslation of this fallow period, exploring rest and cold and darkness in a way that gave me what I was looking for. I’ve learned to (mostly!) appreciate the glittering air, the wide snowy landscapes, the frozen wilds of the day-to-day in Saskatoon where I live! We’re knee-deep in winter all over again (it’s -27°C as I write this for you), and I love dipping back into this book this time of year.

March/April: My sister suggested Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer for March and April, although we have lots of other books that you’ve told me are life changing on our list (thank you all of you for the growing #TBR pile), her idea instantly spoke to me.

“I give daily thanks for Robin Wall Kimmerer for being a font of endless knowledge, both mental and spiritual.” —RICHARD POWERS, NEW YORK TIMES

May/June: Big Magic by was a book I’d wanted to read for ever. It sat on my shelf waiting, like a promise. And those two bridging months between spring and summer felt like a great time for the creative spark inside—the sun was shining, the world was chaos, so a quiet moment with flowers or a few words felt, well, essential. Anyone else?

July/August: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, which was suggested to us by , who says ‘I’m so happy that you’re choosing to read this beautifully heartbreaking book, Alice! I’ve read it at least three times, and it never fails to make an impact on me. (Make sure you have a box of Kleenex handy!) In spite of its small size, it’s one of the most life-changing (and affirming) books I’ve read thus far.’

September/October: The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. says “I started it and thought oh no, I don't want another low mood book... Though there was beauty in the last book in the life changing book club, "When Breath Becomes Air", right now I need light, motivation, growth! I kept reading. Now, I am loving the poetry of nature. I am enraptured.”

November/December: The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, a novel about liminal spaces, second chances, and what it means to live on the edge of life and death. I started reading and share reflections at the top in the video!

Sooooo, did you read some, all, none?

Next year?! Well, that’s the focus for me now. Please take a moment and share a book with me that you think I should add to our book club for 2026. We only have six books on it, but I read way more: and please ease any pressure on what ‘Life-Changing’ means to you: that secret is for you to share or keep.

Leave a comment

For those of you who are ready to choose something for 2026, here’s the list I’ve been starting to put together as a new #TBR pile!

Literary Memoir / Nature Writing / Autofiction

• Ghost in the Throat — Doireann Ní Ghríofa

• The Outrun — Amy Liptrot

• H is for Hawk — Helen Macdonald

• Raising Hare — Chloe Dalton (nature-driven family memoir)

• Absence — Issa Quincy

• The Examined Life How We Lose and Find Ourselves — Stephen Grosz

Fiction — Mystery / Thriller / Horror

• Wild Dark Shore — Charlotte McConaghy

• Thin Air: A Ghost Story — Michelle Paver

• This Book Will Bury Me — Ashley Winstead (psychological thriller / dark novel)

• A Deadly Divide — Ausma Zehanat Khan (crime/mystery)

• The Fox Wife — Yangsze Choo (mythic mystery with speculative elements)

• Glory Daze — Danielle Arceneaux

• Her One Regret — Donna Freitas

• Heartwood — Amity Gaige

• Notes on Surviving the Fire — Christine Murphy

• Death Takes Me — Cristina Rivera Garza

• At Midnight Comes the Cry — Julia Spencer-Fleming

• Dead in the Frame — Stephen Spotswood

• Vera Wong’s Guide To Snooping (On a Dead Man) — Jesse Q. Sutanto

• Hollow Spaces — Victor Suthammanont

• History Lessons — Zoe B. Wallbrook

Science Fiction

• The Mother Code — Carole Stivers (sci-fi, biotech dystopian)

Nonfiction — Writing Craft / Storytelling

• 20 Master Plots — Ronald Tobias

• Building a Story Brand — Donald Miller

• The Enchanted Life — Sharon Blackie

I have one last thing to say. And that’s thank you. Thank you to all my paid subscribers, who honour me and support me every day. And thank you to ALL of you who take time to read, comment, connect and be a part of my writing life.

You make all the difference.

xoxox

Alice

Share Confessions & Coffee

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOY

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

As we enter the darker days of the the year, I’d love to hear from you to brighten everything up! Here are a few questions—five for your own reflection, and seven so we can shape this space with you in mind. Choose one or all; drop your answers in the comments or keep them for yourself…

Please share these with anyone who you know loves a little reflection as this season shifts.

Share

Year in Review: Five Questions for Your Year

• What’s one moment from this year that stayed with you longer than you expected?

• Which book, idea, or conversation shaped you in some small but real way?

• Where did you find ease or joy this year, even briefly?

• What are you letting go of as the year folds?

• What feeling or intention do you want to carry into the new year?

What’s holding my attention?

Meditation wasn’t something I could do. I didn’t have time in the burly chaos of raising kids and work and writing. But something shifted recently, early morning meditations, even a candle, and as I’ve slowed down, I’ve started to notice, well, more.

Like…

My office was filled with sparkles this week. With family visiting and a tiny girl discovering our craft cupboard, it wasn’t long before the carpet, the walls, even the corners where we played hide and seek were covered in small, glittery hearts. Much of life is routine, the filling of the dishwasher after the emptying of it. And then suddenly: sparkles.

My oldest son fixed the dryer, holding up the ratty belt, telling me: there’s your problem, Mum. Simple, right?!

Yann sent a video of my twelve-year-old from Thailand. The two of them are travelling together for two weeks on what was meant to be a work trip until visas and life had other plans. In the video, my son is screaming in rage and Yann quickly stops recording. Our boy is neurodiverse (as am I) and, yes, meditation and all, life feels like that sometimes, even when the beach is right in front of you, warm waves at your feet.

In the dark, I’ve been reading everything: crime and memoir, half-finished essays in The Atlantic, mystery, magic, mayhem. The empty bedroom, sometimes invaded by the cat or my youngest, is chockablock with doors to other worlds; books lie open on the floor like plane tickets. I’m thrilled that I’ve found the first book for our new year Life-Changing BookClub (which I’ll gladly tell you all about in January although it may mean you spend LESS TIME ONLINE!) The Life Impossible is waiting for me to open it back up, ready, like a warm wave. (Find out why we’re reading that here).

Meditation, for me now, is noticing. Paying attention to the glitter in the corners, the broken dryer belt, the warm waves, the rush and steady, the quiet grace.

Other things for your enjoyment

A blog post I wrote for The Novelry for when YOU are the main character.

An interview with the lovely where we talk about all the things!

And I cannot wait to show you what the brilliant Greer Frances has been doing to my website to make it a very lovely place to be! Soon, soon!

Questions for you, Lovely Reader

• What do you enjoy most about Confessions & Coffee?

• What would you love to see more of in the coming year?

• Do you prefer longer essays, shorter reflections, behind-the-scenes glimpses, or something else?

• Is there anything you’d prefer a little less of?

• Anything that feels too frequent, too detailed, or not quite for you?

• What would make this space feel even more like a home for readers and writers?

• When do you usually read this newsletter?

• And lastly, how do you read—app, email, or desktop?

  Leave a comment

Thank you, as ever, for being with me in my writing life. You make all the difference.

xoxo

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fifteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOY

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

Philosopher Simone Weil says:

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.”

Over the last couple of weeks, my attention (like yours I’m sure) has been pulled in various directions. Taking time together here for a deep breath (with coffee) is one of my favourite places to be.

What’s Pulling Your Attention?

As I share with you what I’ve been up to as a writer, please take a moment to share with me what you’ve been reading/thinking about/taking time with, too.

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My writing life has been all about edits. I’ve also been reading The Life Impossible with great joy. If you want to read it with me, join our Life-Changing Book Club here:

Over at The Novelry, where some of you know I work as a writing coach, my focus has very much been on helping writers find their stories. I love the quiet conversations where we figure out together how to best get those words onto the page. Also, I taught a workshop with Tara Conklin, bestselling author and writing coach, about autofiction, and I have a blog upcoming on the same topic this weekend. This meant I read All Fours and Heartburn (over). Those quiet hours when the kids are asleep! You can sign up for the Novelry’s blog for free and read a previous blog I wrote about how to overcome self sabotage here.

Phew!

Coming around to kids, one was home sick for two days, so between edits (I’m at page 61 of the LAST major draft of my murder mystery before it goes back to my agent….) I was bringing snacks, water, cuddles every time I was summoned (every three minutes?!)

A Writing Life

My edits are going well, helped by a pretty dusting of snow outside the window. The book is set in winter, so it’s useful I’m doing this pass (writer-term for edit) in this season.

I’ve also handed in a ghost proposal and a chapter for a separate ghost book. A couple of years ago I wrote about my secret life as a ghost:

Yann and I have been doing the crossword, taking walks, and getting excited about his new book: Son of Nobody, which is coming out in 2026. Preorder now!

This weekend will be sports for kids, spending time on here to catch up on what you’ve been up to, and a live session at The Novelry. In all that, I’ve organized a couple of hours with some of my friends to make a vision board (If you have any advice or suggestions for how to do it, please let me know! My job is to buy the boards to stick the pictures onto!) None of us have ever made one, and the aim is for fun and to hang out (away from our kids!). The last time we all got together (with kids) we did a massive game of outdoor laser tag. Even when life is FULL, I’m a big believer in having fun and being silly. Fortunately, this group of moms/mums feel the same!

Wrapping up, I want to thank ALL of you for being here with me, and I want to welcome all of my new subscribers, too. It’s wonderful to feel your support for my writing life and it’s important to me that this is place that brings you what you’re looking for. Next Friday, I’m going to send out a few questions for you all on what you love here, what you want more of, and how I can best fill your cup.

For now, please tell me, how is November for you? What are you reading?

Leave a comment

Until soon.

Love,

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

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The phone call came when Yann, the kids and I were staying on the twentieth floor of a skyscraper in Edmonton. The windows of the Air BnB stretched from floor to ceiling.

It was a glorious view, the kids stood at the edge, terrified and thrilled. After months of COVID, this was a ‘bubble vacation’ five hours from Saskatoon for two nights to get away.

Dizzying. And then my phone rang.

My father was in the hospital. A terrible riding accident. He’d hit his head. Internal bleeding around the brain.

My dad has blood cancer. When he was diagnosed, he said something I’ll never forget:

“I can live with the cancer, but I must never hit my head. My blood won’t clot. That could kill me.”

The day passed—no news, other than he was in surgery. The kids and I took the elevator to the street where we met a man with a black-and-white dog, Taco: all energy and joy.

“My dad would like your dog,” I said.

All night, I lay semi-awake, waiting for news from the UK. The city below was lights and beauty, the sky vast and scattered with stars. My father was seven hours ahead. Or he was dead.

Life Changing Book Club:

I believe books change our lives, making us anew. Our Life Changing Book Club November–December pick is The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, a novel about liminal spaces, second chances, and what it means to live on the edge of life and death.

It’s perfect ending for the year we’ve had in the Book Club: books that help us discover how life shines in words.

This novel is written with humour and a light touch—I started reading yesterday and found myself utterly charmed.

The reason I picked up the book? Because my dad suggested it last week.

He’s a big reader and after his first major brain surgery (and then three more following) has an ability to talk about that line between life and death with grace. Those shadows are close for all of us, and for him, after my own sleepless night in Edmonton, he continues to survive.

Alive and well, my father loved the book. I hope we do, too!

If you’re reading along:

Here’s more about The Life Impossible (the title alone describes my father’s journey!):

What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet . . . ”

When retired math teacher Grace Winters inherits a run-down house on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza from a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. Grace arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have possibly dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning.

And this is what The Guardian says:

As you might suspect if you’re familiar with Haig’s habit of conjuring the extraordinary out of the ordinary, Grace is far from being a big nothing. When she unexpectedly finds herself on the island of Ibiza, she realises just how much of a something she really is.

What do you think? Will you read it with me? (The idea of being in Ibiza in my imagination while it SNOWS outside is attractive, too!)

What to Expect in the Life-Changing Book Club

• ~ Day 20 - 25: I’ll check in with reflections and a few insights.

• ~ Day 45 - 60: We’ll open a discussion thread for everyone to share thoughts on themes, characters, tensions and takeaways.

Tell me, how was the start of November for you? What are you reading?

Leave a comment

Until soon.

Love,

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England.

I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

For storytellers and story lovers—Kirkus Reviews

Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important—VOYA

Intense and wonderful—Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share a writing life together.

Xoxo

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Flat on my back with an ultrasound wand exploring my inner workings (!), the tech asked if I was ‘the writer’. I can’t say my ego didn’t flip a little. The writer? Me?
“Oh yes,” I replied.

Then, I confessed that I haven’t been working on the edits my agent suggested for my next novel—the part of my writing life I should be focused on.

Ghostwriting, Coaching and Canva Distractions

As a professional ghost, which I share more about here, the focus this month has been getting words for someone else on the page. Most of that book goes to the editor today, and I’ve submitted a proposal for another ghost-book, too.

Phew.

The technician moved the wand and told me she was writing her own book. I love talking about writing with anyone, anytime, although usually I have my pants on!

Much of my month looked like coaching and workshops at The Novelry. In coaching conversations, as I helped writers find their way to their own stories, I reflected on my own edits. My agent has made suggestions for my crime novel and I plan to start the actual work next week.

Next week. Promise!

Saying that, I did hang out on Canva making a vision board for the book, because, you know, that’s writing, right?

Plus kids and Halloween and corn mazes in the dark and people who need support and laundry and all the day-to-day

So have I been writing creatively? You know, actually writing, as ‘the writer’?

A little. Around the edges, I’ve been writing something strange and mysterious that has no purpose other than pleasure. It makes no sense when I have edits due and a million to-dos.

But.

What I’m trying to do with that book is done beautifully in the novel we read for our Life-Changing Book Club: The Snow Child. The bravery of the author, Eowyn Ivory, is what I most loved: blending the curious beauty of a fairytale with the sharpness of real life.

One of my brilliant colleagues at The Novelry wrote all about this in her blog on Exploring The Magic of Fairy-Tale Writing Inspiration.

Finding Inspiration in Place

I also loved the setting of The Snow Child. Place feels vivid to me too, here in Saskatchewan, as autumn turns to winter. (More on that in the next newsletter!)

Ultrasound nearly over, I told the technician how early mornings and late nights—when the kids are peaceful—are for my new draft. Most days, I write 350 words or more. Hopefully she can find her own writing life and make it the foundation too.

Yes, I love being a writer in the world—doing the work—but the joy of writing has to be underneath it all. When I make room for that, everything else falls into place.

Tell me—what roots all the other things for you?

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xoxo

Alice

Let’s Discuss: The Snow Child

We’ve reached the end of The Snow Child—congratulations! Whether you’ve read every word or just dipped your toes in, this is a space to reflect, connect and share.

Join the Discussion

Here are a few questions to spark your memory!

• What’s a theme or character that challenged your thinking?

• Were there moments in the book that made you uncomfortable, and why?

• How does this book connect to our lives or the world today?

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If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as: “For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews; ‘Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA; and “Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked. Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share my writing life together.

Xoxo

What do you think of the novel?

In the opening chapters, Eowyn Ivey introduces us to Mabel and Jack, a couple living in remote Alaska, carrying grief and isolation with them. One evening, they build a child out of snow. By morning, she’s gone—yet soon a mysterious girl appears, flitting through the trees. The line between real and imagined shifts delicately, and I find myself drawn into this in-between space where stories and seasons overlap.

Here in Saskatoon, autumn is in its last days. The leaves are copper and gold, the mornings are crisp, and my resistance to winter is tightening. I’ll be honest: I don’t love winter (although I try every year to find the sparkle in it!) BUT! I do love this moment before—the rich, fleeting warmth, the smell of curling smoke, the sky holding light.

Reading The Snow Child makes me wonder what your response is to the changing season: welcome or wariness?

In the novel, Mabel and Jack arrive with hope and longing, but the wilderness has its own rules. What might happen if, instead of resisting, we listened more closely to what the season is telling us?

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Have you had any challenges reading?

For me, the challenge is staying present with the book’s quiet moments. The Snow Child moves at its own pace—slow, deliberate, full of silence between the lines. I know some of you found the opening slow, and I sometimes caught myself skimming ahead, wanting something to happen at the start. Now, I’m in it!

What’s standing out to you?

Are there any themes or ideas that have surprised you? For me, it’s how the novel sits between fairy tale and realism. I’d love to be able to write about the flimsy space between imagination and reality like that.

How are you finding the reading pace? Have you finished already? Or are you, like me, trying to patiently let the novel unfold slowly with the season?

If you know someone who’d love a thoughtful book club, share this post so they can join our Life-Changing Book Club. Easy, no commitment—show up and comment if you desire, read quietly alongside if you prefer!

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Thanks, as always, for being here with me. We’re heading to the lake for the long weekend, and I can’t wait to spend time in these final warm days….

xoxo

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers, and I’m a writer, mother, and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as “For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews; “Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA; and “Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share my writing life together.

Xoxo

Leaving Everything Behind

In 2018, I did a challenge here in Saskatoon with my then eight-year-old son. We were asked to leave behind our home, our family, our belongings, and our clothes for a short 36 hours. During that time, we wore donated clothes, had no money, no way to contact our friends or family, and no idea where we’d sleep.

Were we homeless? Absolutely not.

Was it pouring with rain and cold? Oh, yes.

It started raining as we got changed in the quiet dawn and didn’t stop.

Did the weather look different that day while I walked through it instead of driving on by? For sure.

I thought I knew this city: I’ve lived in Saskatoon for most of my adult life, but the stories I told myself were momentarily thrown into a new light. I paid attention to our community in a way I never had before.

Seeing the City Anew

Over the last two days, other people have been doing the challenge. Last night, I went to talk to our mayor, Cynthia Block, who was sleeping outside. She talked about kindness and about love. She talked about broken systems, and beautiful hearts. Her video is here.

It’s the same story, and different every day, every year, depending on how we look at it.

The Stories We Tell About Ourselves

All this got me to thinking about how we all live in the stories we tell about ourselves. My story about myself might be: reasonably successful writer, busy parent, loving, fun, kind, quick to temper, CAT and DOG lover (I mean, come on, look at the video where I take my cat and dog for a walk!)

But who are we beneath all that? Who are we when it’s all stripped away?

Years ago, in those 36 hours I glimpsed what it might be like to be a single mother of an eight-year-old, a woman people crossed the street to avoid, a person who could not feed her child. And I noticed how much I still had to learn if I listened.

Imagination, Empathy, and Home

Our imagination is the power and the presence each of us share, and when we use it, we find compassion, empathy, love.

May this little pause in your day give you a moment to think about the story you tell about yourself, about your home, and about the stories you might find in your community. Share something with me. Tell me, what is home to you?

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xoxo

Alice

P.S. A Few Things…

Learn more about The Sanctum Care Group Challenge here.

Tell me what you’re reading! We’re diving into The Snow Child for our Life-Changing Book Club. Perhaps you’re reading with me. Or perhaps you have a suggestion for us to read for the last two months of this year!

Also! Over the last couple of months, I’ve been trying to do a meditation every day. At the end of this, the app (‘Waking Up’ which The New York Times recommended) offered gift passes and if you’d like one, drop me a message in the comments below and I’ll gift that to you ASAP.

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as:

“For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews

‘Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA

“Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked.

Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share my writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now

Late at night, in the cosy lamplight of inside, my family was playing a game. It’s called The Hat Game, and each person has to choose ten names, throw them into the hat. When it’s your turn you pull out a name, one at a time, and describe that person’s qualities.

Author of crime novels, British, dead…. Wrote Murder on the Orient Express….

Canadian prime minister, son was prime minister recently…

And so on. Our oldest son got focused, my mum (who was visiting) got three names in a row.

It got later. We laughed. Then my daughter said, as one team claimed victory: Do you want to go swimming?

(In the dark? I cast an eye to the window. So dark.)

Let me back up a little.

Three years ago, I began a novel. Although I’ve published fourteen books for young readers, this was for adults. It has a murder in it. Buried secrets. It looks at hard things—the lies we’re willing to live with.

I sent it to my agent at the start of the summer. And waited.

“Swimming? Now?” Yann asked our daughter, voicing my own question. “In the dark?”

I got up. Took my costume from the basket. The little boys grew keen, grabbing swimsuits.

“We’re doing this?” Yann asked.

As I stepped outside into the cold, fear took my hand. “Maybe we shouldn’t?” I said to him, but the kids were racing to the dock so, chilly sand on my bare feet, I followed, making my way to the end of the dock. There, I stood at the edge, the lake inky, the sky brimming, the stars above scattered and wide, so many of them that I couldn’t gather them in my mind.

“Come on, jump!” my youngest said.

Yann stayed back.

“Do you want to come in, sweetheart?” I called.

He folded his arms, said he was fine watching. My heart dipped, but only slightly, because the children and I were becoming an octopus, their limps wrapped around mine, tugging at each other and at me. “Careful, it’s slippery,” I reminded them, almost falling. “Don’t push.”

My swimsuit was new, bought with my parents in a rush of energy and love earlier in the day. These are the moments of life, new swimsuits, cold, dark, the water.

I dived, slipping so the whole motion was inelegant, then the shock of cold.

At first, the fear tried to come back.

I reassured myself, gentle words I called to the children, too: What could be in this water? We see it every day. They were shrieking and giggling, threatening each other, standing on the dock, so I instructed them to get in.

Any fear vanished in the silver something that surrounded me. My hands turned into cups like I learned when I was a child, at a chlorinated pool far away in both time and space.

I swam. Further away, darkness everywhere, above, below, I flipped onto my back, allowing the water to seep through my hair, framing my face, lifting my arms so I stretched like a seal, then opened like a star. Because, oh, there were stars then, and nothing else.

Black and stars, myriad. My daughter had told me their names, but I forgot in the rush and crash of the children, tumbling, screaming, entering the water, too. As I popped up my head, I chided them not to wake the neighbours. As always, they ignored me, too caught up in the magic of the night.

Fair. What neighbours?

Yann suddenly leaped in, swiftly crossing the water to appear beside me.

All. That. Magic.

What did my agent say? They said that we’ll move forward with my novel. This means edits and more edits and submitting to publishers and maybe, maybe one day some of you will read it. There’s a lot of work to do, but the book—and the risk—is something I’ll keep doing.

I want to share the journey with you. It looks like night swimming. It looks like jumping into the dark. Thank you so much for being along for the adventure.

Tell me, what caught your attention this week? What are you reading? What did you see when you took a walk? Did someone say something funny or lovely that gave you pause? Did you pick up a copy of The Snow Child?

Leave a comment

xoxo

Alice

If you’re new here, my name is Alice Kuipers and I’m a writer, mother and dog & cat-owner transplanted twenty years ago to the Canadian prairies from England. I’ve published fourteen books in 36 countries and my writing has been described as: “For storytellers and story lovers,” by Kirkus Reviews; ‘Gorgeous, heart-ripping, important,” by VOYA; and “Intense and wonderful” by Bif Naked. Join me for coffee breaks, book conversations, and to share my writing life together.

Xoxo

Subscribe now