Twenty Seven in name, no. 1 in punk
Evening all!
I was having a pretty shitty Sunday earlier to be honest. My health anxiety has been flaring up again so I was lost in Google and my online doctor’s records trying to piece together either a catastrophe or a boatload of reassurance. However, you never get either because, with health anxiety, you’re never satisfied with any of the answers. EVER!
This went on…until I noticed something. A little orange flag on my Amazon book page…one I’ve never previously had before. My book was the bestseller in punk music books. I’ve never needed a distraction so much! I stepped away from Dr Google with a smile…
It’s also kind of ironic because I’ve never exactly been ‘punk’. I’ve always enjoyed the music, but always felt like an imposter. I was always the fangirl, never the expert. I never felt like I discovered anything myself (but who did?!) And as far as fans go…I wasn’t exactly living and breathing punk. I was a young girl who desperately wanted to eat a pizza on a Friday night rather than go to the pub to watch a band again because I was soooo shy. That all changed when I was newly single aged 17 and my mum bought me a wonder bra and a new dress to wear to the Welly Club…Lambrini helped enormously back then too.
Anyway, I digress. The big news is….I got one of those bestseller flags for my book!! The funny old story that’s been slowly dribbling out of my head since late 2018 has actually been something people are willing to pay a few quid to read. People are actually buying it. And so next on the agenda, is me getting incredibly anxious about what they all think of it…
But the reason I’m blathering on about anxiety is because the whole premise of the book is based on panic and anxiety. And obsessional thoughts. And boy, do I know about obsessional thoughts. I once convinced myself that I was getting the stigmata, so for my lead character, Emma, to believe she might fall foul of The Twenty Seven Club is, in my eyes, entirely plausible.
But she’s nothing like me. We share panic and a love of the same music. But I was a teen in 94. And Emma’s a bit more outgoing than I ever was. So she has some fun to offset the angst.
One big difference between us is this: I very much doubt Emma would be tweeting as blogging about her anxiety and panic attacks if she were a real person living in 2021. But I’m a completely open book when it comes to anxiety and all the embarrassing and cringey things it’s made me do. In fact, if shouting about anxiety were measured on a scale, I’d say I’d be up there ringing the bell. As are so many others these days thanks to the anti-stigma campaigners who have paved the way for us all.
So I hope, whether you’ve also experienced anxiety or not, that you find Emma’s journey one that you can find humour and joy in. But if you do find familiarity in there, especially when it comes to anxiety, I really hope it makes you giggle. Because in my eyes, there’s nothing better than finding someone else who thinks they’re as crazy as you think you are. It’s a tonic. And if I get even one review from a reader who recognises Emma’s trials and tribulations and finds some comfort in it all, then that will mean so much more than that little orange flag. As much as I love its fleeting presence, of course.
Anyway, if you’re like me and fancy a vent about panic and anxiety, or anything else for that matter, please do so in the comments below.
Oh….and if you’ve already read the book, please do leave an honest review on Amazon and / or Goodreads. It doesn’t need to be a five star love-in for me to appreciate your feedback!
Thanks so much,
Lucy xx
Read my Uni Reading Lists blog on my favourite music books here
Buy the book on Uni Reading Lists here
Buy the book on Amazon here
Add The Twenty Seven Club to your Goodreads shelves here.