Meet Thomas ☕️
Novelist, furniture designer and author of The Nightingale of Bath
Good morning, lovely writer!
I hope you’re well and that the soaring heat of the past week hasn’t seen you sagging and flopping about, but instead has sent you into all kinds of creative delirium.
I’m an advocate for using the raw energy of whichever state we’re in to fuel our creative practices. Feeling sluggish? Do some water colour painting to freshen things up. Feeling wild and electric? Go dancing and find new shapes to make with your body. Filled with despair? Get thee to the woods, make a mandala of leaves and flowers and bits of moss, then lie in the middle of it all and look at the sky.
Bring your notebook with you. Observe the world. Notice your reactions and responses. Don’t use your phone. Write.
I’ve been giving this kind of advice (along with more focused writing craft suggestions, of course!) to thousands of writers and would-be writers for over a decade now, supporting people, one step at a time, from a place of dreaming about writing to playfully enjoying their creative life, to actually getting their words out onto the page and then into the world. Even if they haven’t written more than a shopping list for years.
Just this week I’ve had news from WriteClubber Ali English who has been performing her poetry on stage recently AND has made it to the SHORTLIST for the Bath Flash Fiction Award - woohoo! (One of these is hers…)
I’m also excited to make space in this newsletter for author Thomas Messel who came to me just before the pandemic for support in writing his novel The Nightingale of Bath.
Let me hand over to him to tell you about his journey from first ideas to final draft:
Thomas Messel
Thomas Messel was born in 1951 and at the age of 18, he served a four-year commission in the Household Cavalry. Since the 1980s, he has been a prominent British furniture designer.
In 2011, he edited and co-wrote Oliver Messel, in the Theatre of Design, the authoritative non-fiction study of his uncle, the celebrated theatre, film, and architectural designer. Published by Rizzoli, the book won the Spear’s Book Prize in 2012.
In 2025, he published his first historical fiction, The Nightingale of Bath.
The Nightingale of Bath: Love, Jealousy, Betrayal and Revolution in Georgian England
The idea of writing about a long-forgotten ancestor first took root while I was reading biographies of my 18th century ancestor, the concert and oratorio soprano Elizabeth Linley Her story proved more interesting than I had expected, but it was full of gaps; perhaps the biographers of that period, constrained by the sensibilities of their time, chose not to address subjects we now discuss more openly.
To understand Elizabeth’s life and the 18th century more fully, I immersed myself in the subject, beginning an enjoyable journey of research. I visited places associated with the musical Linley family of Bath, Richard Sheridan, and Edward FitzGerald. I read biographies by various authors, along with original and printed letters and journals by them and by Mozart, Betsie Sheridan, Fanny Burney, and Thomas Gainsborough. I also explored the lives of William Pitt, Charles James Fox, Georgiana Devonshire, Mehitable Canning, and Warren Hastings, and read the plays of R. B. Sheridan and Samuel Foote. My research extended to maps, road conditions, weather, clothing and fabrics, uniforms, food, mealtimes, vernacular speech and slang, social customs and manners, and the contrast between high society and low life. As a designer, I already knew something of late Georgian design and architecture, but I knew little of women’s experiences, so my wife offered thoughtful insights into how a young woman might feel and respond to the challenges Elizabeth faced.
The many significant gaps in Elizabeth’s life made a historical biography impossible, so I set about learning how to write a novel.
I was fortunate to meet Alison Powell of WriteClub, who agreed to teach me. We met only once in Bristol before Covid struck, but over the following year, she guided the manuscript’s development with great tact, reviewing my work in progress via Zoom and email. Kylie Fitzpatrick, a structural editor from Bath University, also helped; once the manuscript had been reduced to under 150,000 words, it was ready. I understood that finding an agent was no easy task and I joined the Historical Novel Society, the History Quill and the Society of Authors as extra support for the process. Confident that I had done my research, I submitted my manuscript to a carefully chosen list of agents. Disappointingly, many never replied and, even more disappointingly, those who did offered rejections.
Determined to bring my book into the world. I decided to self-publish. My first option of a beautifully printed, bound and illustrated book, with a private publisher, did not make economic sense, so I contacted Oliver Webb Carter of Aspects of History. He oversaw the preparation, editing, proofreading, cover design, pricing, and publishing options, including hardback, paperback, e-book, and pages. He also advised on print quality and dimensions, then guided me through the arcane world of Amazon KDP.
My book was published in October 2025 and is available on Amazon, as well as through selected local and London outlets. At the same time, I sent a press release and book trailer to friends and media contacts. I continue to promote it through book talks, Instagram, and Facebook
The process of learning to write a novel has been a long but extremely rewarding one. I recommend it to anyone who has even an inkling of an idea for a book. Seeing it finished and in print is a fine reward.
If you’d like to hear Thomas speaking about his book, he’ll be delivering a talk at the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution on Wed 2nd Sept at 7:30pm. Tickets are £8 and available here. I’ll be going along - come and join me!
Upcoming courses and workshops
***☕️ Writers’ Brunch Fri 3rd July 10am-1pm, Bristol***
This Friday, join us at the lovely Terrace 43 on Whiteladies Road in Bristol. You can look forward to a workshop with prompts and on the spot writing to get your creative muscles warmed up, followed by a 30 minute writing sprint - ie time to get on with whichever project it most important to you at the moment. Then at 11:30 we'll pop into the main cafe to enjoy a delicious brunch (pay on the day…who knows how many hashbrowns you’ll want!) and excellent writerly conversation together. £12
Limited to 15 places and spaces are filling up fast. Come and join us! Click here for your ticket →
📖 The Novel Intensive (1 day - in-person, Bristol) Sat 11th July 10am-4pm
A deep dive into the craft of novel writing: narrative arcs, the paradoxes that power your story, character, dialogue and the shape of the whole thing. You’ll leave buzzing with ideas and knowing exactly how to sharpen your work. £95 early bird. Book your place →
📝 The Monthly Write In (1 hour) (monthly) Sat 25th July 10-11amOnce a month, we gather in the WriteClub Zoom Room for a generative hour of writing, connection and creative momentum. Expect a fresh prompt, a burst of actual writing, and good company. Free for paid subscribers · £8 drop-in. Grab your spot for the July session →
Upcoming dates for The Monthly Write In: Sat 29th Aug / Sat 26th Sept
📔 The Micro Retreat (1 day - in person, Bristol) Sun 16th August 10am-4pm
A full day to focus on your work. I’ll be offering prompts and provocations to stimulate creative conversations and there’ll be lots of time for you to write. Suitable for writers who want a little time out of everyday life to get focused. All welcome. £65 earlybird. Save your space →
📆 The Autumn Co-Writing Club (6 weeks) starts Mon 14th September.
Four x 60 minute co-writing sessions per week for six whole weeks, plus a weekly prompt to spark new writing. It works like magic for focus, momentum and actually getting words on the page. All for £35. Bargain. Save your space →
And if you fancy a fresh prompt right this very second, become a paid subscriber for £5 a month and you’ll not only get two prompts to your inbox every month, but you’ll also get suggested reading lists, discounts on one-to-one mentoring, access to The Monthly Write-In and a list of places to send your work - bargain!
See you soon.
Stay cool!
Al x
