Claire Amy Handscombe
Bio
Host of the Brit Lit Podcast.
Books:
UNSCRIPTED, a novel about a young woman with a celebrity crush and a determined plan
CONQUERING BABEL: A Practical Guide to Learning a Language
WALK WITH US: How the West Wing Changed Our Lives.
Stories (46/0)
How to Make a Cup of Tea, the Proper British Way
It is a truth acknowledged by all but the most stubborn Brits that there is is very little that a cup of tea can’t fix, or at the very least make slightly better. And since most of us are in need of soothing at the moment, might I recommend this ancient remedy?
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in Feast
Why Expats Should Learn the Local Language
It’s a common experience. You arrived in your new country full of enthusiasm, or at least good intentions. But six months in, you’ve found that it’s harder than you thought to get past the initial stages of language learning. You’ve found, too, that English is perfectly sufficient to get by, both with the locals who all seem to speak it fine (or at least passably), and within the expat community: you have Anglophone removal men, doctors, cleaners. Your children go to international schools. Your friends are also strangers in this foreign land, and English is the common language between you.
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in Lifehack
Imagine Meeting Your Celebrity Crush
Today is my novel-versary. A year ago today, after a decade of writing seriously, I finally became a published author. Absolutely nothing about publication or planning the launch went smoothly, but I had an amazing time celebrating with my friends, many of whom had travelled long distances, and I was and am very proud of this years-in-the-making book of my heart.
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in Humans
Emoji You Should Be Prepared to (Over)Use When You Become a Writer
Sometimes, when you use words all day, carefully crafting them into art, there’s nothing left to express your feelings in text. Sometimes, you just need emoji. And luckily, there are quite a few that are pertinent to the writer’s life.
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in Journal
Some Words Used in the UK and the US with Slightly or Very or Dangerously Different Meanings
“The British and the Americans are two great peoples divided by a common tongue,” said George Bernard Shaw, maybe. But whether or not he said it, it’s definitely right. We use a lot of the same words — but that doesn’t equate to their meaning the same thing. With a little help from Lynne Murphy’s excellent blog to jog my brain as to differences I’ve noticed as a Brit in the US, here are some phrases to pay attention to when you’re speaking to somebody from the other side of the Pond.
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in Lifehack
Books for When Anxiety Makes It Hard to Concentrate
Books can make for a wonderful escape in anxious times — but sometimes, in those times, it’s hard to concentrate for long, especially when we first pick up a book. That’s when a particular type of read can come in really handy: the book that comes in short chunks. Maybe it’s in the form of a diary, or letters, or maybe the chapters are really short. We can pick it up, even if we don’t feel like it, and force ourselves to read a page or two. And then, out of nowhere the magic happens: a really good book will lure us in with short chapters but then keep our attention and draw us in so that we keep turning pages and forget to check our phones.
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in Geeks
8 Apps to Make Self-Isolation a Little More Bearable
As awful as the world seems to be at the moment, if this whole thing has to happen, we’re lucky at least in one particular way: the Internet exists. Imagine if we could only communicate through letters. We like to romanticise the time of Jane Austen, but come on: if we’re going to do this, I’ll take 2020 with its modern medicine and its modern conveniences. Conveniences like these eight apps, for example.
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in 01
9 Great Podcasts That Have Nothing to Do with the News
I listen to a lot of podcasts. Many, if not most, are news- or politics-focussed, and these days they’re all about, y’know, that thing that’s currently consuming all of us. And, honestly, nobody knows all that much except it’s bad, it’s getting worse, we should wash our hands and stay the heck home and away from people, there is a lot to worry about, and, depending on where you live, the government’s response has been varying shades of terrible. Really, I don’t need a daily update on each of those, let alone several updates. But if I do, well, that’s what, say, the Washington Post is for.
By Claire Amy Handscombe4 years ago in Geeks