Who is she?
I'm Holly Bell, mum of three boys, owner of a very disagreeable cat, Bake Off finalist from way back in 2011 when nobody really watched it, owner of Mrs Bell's Brownies, infomercial TV presenter, late diagnosed ADHD-er, ex-trainee midwife, author of two cookbooks and 'I Know I Don't Know You, But...' (about divorce, not cake), DIY enthusiast, craft lover and a reformed blogger (Recipes from a Normal Mum - winner of the Good Housekeeping Best Blog Award 2016).
I used to run a monthly newsletter which was very popular - some of you might have subscribed to it way back when. It became a beast, so I deleted it. Then I was on Patreon, but I think Substack suits what I do better (write!)so here I am. This is a place for me to carry on sending out my newsletter, and to re-indulge my love of blogging (without having to create a new recipe every week).
What will she say?
A monthly newsletter, that's for sure, though it will look a little different to the old one. Also musings, thoughts, photos, what I've been up to; an expansion on my instagram, but a more personal space. I am always trying to be as honest as I can about everything. I just don’t see the point in writing otherwise. It can feel exposing and uncomfortable, but I figure that’s a good thing. I don’t want to read anything with a heavily applied filter. I want real life, even if it’s messy. I hope you feel the same.
Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. Oh and there’s a 25% discount for a yearly sub because I love a bargain and I reckon you might too.
How often will she say stuff?
Okay, so I get it, I subscribe to a lot of newsletters and sometimes my inbox stresses me out. I want to read it all! But also I don’t want extra things on my to do list. So you can either leave your subscription as it is and you’ll get an email every time I write something, maybe 3 - 5 times a month, ish. You’ll never miss a thing.
Or you can receive one email a month with a link to everything else I’ve recently written. An uncluttered inbox without missing a thing. To do this:
Go to your Substack profile, (top right corner).
Go to ‘account settings’.
Find the line that says ‘what did she say? (everything)’ and click ‘edit’.
Uncheck the box next to ‘what did she say? (everything)’ and leave the ‘newsletter’ box as it is.
Meet others who want to have their say
Substack allows comments from subscribers which makes for a great atmosphere where you might just find your tribe. I’m always looking for more people to connect with. It makes this one little life feel a bit less lonely, no?
There are also loads of great writers on Substack. Getting paid to write professionally is Hard Work and often feels compromising. I used to make most of my income from paid blog posts and other online writing, but sometimes it felt like I was selling my soul. If you support me (or anyone) on Substack it limits the volume of ‘why this incontinence pad brand saved my marriage’ type headlines in the ether.
(For more on the company who make this newsletter technically possible, visit Substack.com ).
