As of this week I'm adding to my portfolio by writing for lifestyle and travel website, Sussex Exclusive.

My area of expertise, which I've got something like 15 years' experience in, is food and drink producers in the South East. That means it's great to shout about the amazing artisans of food and drink in this stunning area of the UK to live in.

The only task I have to fulfil is to find interesting and exclusive finds, and then write about them. 

For the launch week I put together articles on Firebird Brewery, Coolhurst Vineyard, Amanda Jane Flowers and Afterthought Spirits.

I'm providing copy for two articles a week, so am looking forward to discovering more amazing finds.

Ooo this was a good month for reading. I mean, most months go pretty well but this month I've enjoyed some incredible finds.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

This wonderful book - and equally wonderful author, won numerous prizes and plaudits last year and quite rightly so. I don't even know where to start with this book. It's about Shakespeare's wife and family, though he never gets named, and is all about what was going on 'back home' when he was off being the Bard.

As soon as the novel began I was sucked into the world O'Farrell had magicked up and from there on in I was hooked. The writing is sublime. She's masterful at descriptions that put you right.there.in.the.moment. She doesn't use silly plot devices, just the changing of seasons to move things along when needed and purely because I wouldn't wish to give anything away, all I can say is I did actually cry at the end. I'm so rarely moved by a book in such a way and she managed it. 

I would give my right arm to write as well as Maggie does.

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

My husband bought this book for me purely because the protagonist had the same name as my own novel Star Survivor and that's entirely where any similarities with my work and Taffy's ends.

I was so worried about what to read after Hamnet. I honestly considered just re-reading it because nothing could possibly compare. However, despite the cover which for some reason I found off-putting (I know, don't judge a book etc) I was instantly drawn into Taffy's New York and protagonist Fleishman.

The book follows the story of a couple going through a divorce, mainly through the eyes of Toby Fleishman. So far, so what I suppose you ask? Well, it's just so darn current. There's online dating. A touch of catfishing. A lot of sex. 

But it's so raw. The emotions Taffy gives to the Fleishman's make them as real as you or I. I read it breathlessly, wondering where it was going and able to touch, taste and smell the New York streets. 

By the time I finished it. Well, I won't give anything away. But yes. There's a fair bit of trouble, and a hell of a lot of good writing.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I've mentioned before how I like to take recommendations for my reads, and often my son recommends something to me he's enjoyed (and vice versa). I love the connection we have and the fact he can enjoy something so much he adds it to my TBR pile means an awful lot. My daughter has begun to do the same and I'm always heartened by what the pile next to my bed contains when someone has left a suggestion.

This month, my son recommended The Maze Runner, and after two cracking 'grown up' books, I was keen to be diverted in case I chose a duff one, so it was good timing for this scary coming of age YA novel. 

The premise, that a group of teenagers are in some sort of dystopian world - ours maybe? - but have a class system, have to look after themselves and don't know how they get there (other than they arrive in 'the hole') is sounding a bit like Lord of the Flies, well, drop the notion as there's also a huge maze next to them, with enormous nasty creatures ready to chop them to bits. Nice huh? 

It's actually good fun. I read it quickly but enjoyed the characters - none of which followed any awful stereotypes - and was hooked to the end, then discovered it was part of a trilogy! So I'm left hanging now to find out what happens to the characters I've grown to know. I'll wait for the next one to arrive on my TBR pile shortly!

Holes by Louis Sachar

We read together as a family, and this novel, set in the States in current times was...interesting. 

The premise was intriguing. A boy, who has committed a crime, is sent to a camp where he, and a gang of other naughty lads, are tasked with digging holes. They're not told why. As they dig, and we begin to learn more, there's clearly a reason for the digging and events unfold/

My children, aged 8 and 10 enjoyed it. I found a lot of it quite predictable and wasn't surprised by the various twists and turns. This is probably because I'm not the target audience as it's been picked up and turned into a movie, so, what do I know?