But now spring is in the air. Mornings are brighter. The temperature is rising. Excuses to stay in bed and indoors are getting harder to fabricate. Yet I feel sluggish and tired and generally lacking in spark. I need to get more work done for the podcast, more words on paper for the next novel, more sales on the rung for my stagnating bank account. I need to tone up and slim down, wake up each morning without a fuzzy head and a desire to roll over and continue sleeping. In short, I need to give myself a good kick in the behind, get moving and get organised.

My bookshelf doesn’t really tell the story of my life because I’ve given away so many books. If I’d kept them all, it would certainly plot the arc of my life ...

It's been a while since we've had a Books Spark Joy post but this week's guest is one worth waiting for! Historical fiction author Emily Madden's love of books started at a young age. Nothing has changed – she rarely leaves a bookstore without a book and I can testify to that - Emily and I were both at the pop-up bookstore in Millthorpe last week and she definitely had a stack of books in hand!

One book that sparks joy for me is Alice in Wonderland. When I pick it up, it generates memories of an old Disney animated film, a 45rpm vinyl soundtrack, Book Week costumes ...

I think most writers are readers, it goes with the territory. I used to save reading for when I wasn’t writing, and I always read in a different genre.

Even though books are exempt from any rare attempts to de-clutter, I do pass some onto family and friends and also like to support the local little street libraries