Tag Archives: #reflection

Five Minutes With Your 16-year-old self.

Posted on December 1, 2025 | Leave a comment

If you had the chance to sit down with your 16-year-old self for five minutes what would you say to them?

I sat down with the intention of writing this blog as a letter to my 16-year-old self. In fact, I had it half-written and I scored through it in my notebook. Why? Because if I wrote what I want to say and warned her about the decisions that perhaps did not lead down the happiest of paths or that didn’t match her 16-year-old dreams then I might not become the person I am today.

At 16 would you really believe what this weird 55-year-old version of yourself is telling you? Most likely not because a t 16 you think you’re invincible and know it all.

Looking back, I wasn’t perhaps a typical party animal teenager. I was always shy and introverted, a bit of loner with only a handful of friends. I was never popular in school. I was the girl with the long hair who was the weirdo that was always hiding in corners, scribbling furiously in a notebook. Those reading this who have known me since them are probably nodding and thinking that not much as changed in almost 40-years. To a degree, they would be right.

Would it be fair of me to go back and tell that fragile teenager that she will mess up her Highers and never get the chance to go to medical school to become a doctor?

Would it be fair to tell her about married life and her future children?

I don’t think so.

So, if I had a brief five minutes to sit and talk to my 16-year-old self, I’d tell her this.

“I love you and I am very proud of you. Don’t stop viewing the world with that child-like curiosity. Stay curious and fascinated by random things. Keep writing! Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you’re wasting your time or that you’re not good enough. You are more than good enough. Keep listening to your music. Don’t compromise your tastes to comply. Music plays a big part in your life and it always will. You’ll meet some amazing people through music. Stay in touch with your inner child. Keep her safe. She’s an integral part of what makes you who you are.”

Then I would give her a huge hug.

If she plagued me for more answers, I’d politely decline to reveal any more than that.

Throughout life we make our choices and decision based on the information available to us at that point in time. Yes, hindsight is a beautiful thing but if someone from the future influenced those decisions, even the simple ones like the decision to go out for a couple of drinks with a friend one Sunday evening when you’re 18, life would change. You wouldn’t be you. It’s the journey through life that makes us who we are and it’s taken a long time but I am proud of who I am.

I’d like to think my 16-year-old self would be proud of me too.

My 16-year-old self

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Why do I do it?… a question from an indie author

Posted on September 18, 2025 | Leave a comment

 Something I never take for granted and never will is the simple fact that people buy, download and read my books.

Now I appreciate that as a self-published author with eight books bearing my name that that might seem a crazy thing to say but let’s reflect on this for a moment.

Stop to think for a moment how many books are available via Amazon either as eBooks or as paperbacks. The last stats I could find are several years out of date and at that time there were circa 7.5M books available for Kindle.

So, in that huge ocean of words, how does anyone ever find mine?

That’s a question I don’t know the answer to.

I rarely share details of the royalties that I earn from my books because to be honest, most people don’t believe that it amounts to as little as it does.

So far September has been a good month.

What really excited me when I looked at the stats was that someone has purchased a paperback book from me. So much blood, sweat, tears and sweary words go into pulling those paperback editions together that to sell even one is a big deal to me.

And something even bigger is seeing people from around the world reading my books. I am a UK based author and to  see that my USA market is bigger than my UK one is mind blowing!

Seeing my eight books on Amazon with their twinkling stars fills me with pride. (And that’s something that has taken me a long time to admit out loud)

I may not be raking in millions and fighting off publishing contracts, but I have seen the dream not only come true but continue year after year. This is especially encouraging as I am only too aware that I haven’t published a new novel for a while.  For those who are impatiently waiting on Book Baby 9, it is coming. More on that soon.

For now, though I want to pause and take a moment to reflect on what I have achieved. Sometimes its not about looking ahead to see how far you’ve got to go but about pausing to look back at how far you’ve come.

Thank you for sharing the journey with me.

And if you’ve yet to find my books among the millions on Amazon, allow me to help you.

Silver Lake series

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links  –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Riley

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9SWP6K3

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B9SWP6K3

Ellen

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYHKR44

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FYHKR44

Beginnings

Beginnings – a collection of poems – Kindle edition by McCallum, Coral. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Beginnings – a collection of poems eBook : McCallum, Coral: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

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Independence Day (acrostic poem)

Posted on July 4, 2025 | Leave a comment

Invitation to all to invade the beach

Not a square inch to spare

Decisions… Decisions about where to stop

Eventually settling on a sandy sunny spot

Preparations are key

Everything is set up just so

No tents allowed…sorry Mr Lifeguard

Duly noted, sir

Equilibrium restored

Now to soak up some sun

Charging my batteries

Emotionally restored

Daring to hope for a better life

Anxious about what my future holds

You have this under control, girl.

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One word I have a poor relationship with…. Beast

Posted on February 5, 2024 | 1 comment

Recently, as part of a writing challenge, I had to pick words that I like the sound of. ( For the curious among you, I picked ocean, beach and sunset then tagged on my favourite 4-letter words book, wine, sale and tour.)

A few days later, I saw the above poem on Facebook, and it brought me up short.

There are words in this world that I really don’t like the sound of and one of them is in the poem. That word is “beast”.

Rewind more than forty years back to my primary school and early high school days and “Beast” was the cruel nickname that the class bullies gave me. I have no idea what prompted them to choose that word. I had thought on reflection that it might have been linked to Iron Maiden’s The Number of the Beast, but the dates don’t quite tie in. It wasn’t released until 1982, two years after the bullying started but three years before it finally ended.

The word reminds me of being physically assaulted in the playground as my classmates would grab me by the hair and pull my ponytail up to see if I had 666 written on the back of my neck. Even all these years later, I still struggle with those memories. They are vivid and hearing or reading that word instantly brings them to life.

Words are powerful things…as are memories.

Fast forward again to the present day and to the poem.

It struck a chord as it reflects how I have been feeling since the Big Green Gummi Bear’s death. The “darkness” of the past three years and the “shadows” of many years prior to that shattered the person I was. I don’t believe you can watch someone die without it changing you. The journey didn’t quite break me…it came pretty close on many occasions.

As a family, I’ll not lie or play it down, we’ve been through Hell but that’s a tale for another time.

The poem reminded me that those cracks may have left me a bit of a mosaic of the person I was and the person I now am but more importantly, it reminded me that I am moving forward as a stronger person…a beast?

The word still doesn’t sit well with me but perhaps I can now see it in a more positive light and that in itself is an example of personal strength.

Use your words wisely.

Credits to the owner of the image sourced via Facebook

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Happy 10th blogiversary to me!

Posted on December 29, 2023 | 1 comment

It’s been 10 years since I started this blog… 10 years ago today. Some of you may even remember that first nervous post. Here’s a reminder for those of you who joined this creative journey along the way December | 2013 | Coral McCallum

Back in December 2013 I set myself the challenge to post once a week to my new blog page to try to overcome my fear of letting people read what I write. (Still not quite conquered that fear.) My 2014 personal challenge was to post at least once a week. I’ve posted every week since. (OK there have been a few very short “cheat” posts, but they still count as a post).

So how has the creative journey progressed since 29 December 2013?

Well, I’ve self-published seven novels. Seven! These seven include a five book series, the Silver Lake series. Who would ever have thought it- certainly not me! It still feels surreal to see my name on the cover of a book and to see my books on Amazon with all those beautiful twinkling stars beside them.

I’ve written numerous short stories for my blog, many acrostic poems and I’ve kept my Silently Watching dark vampire angel serialised fiction going for the majority of those 10 years ( sh…don’t tell anyone but she’ll be back in January). I’ve promoted my book babies via my blog.

I even upgraded and became a .co.uk! A small detail but a huge step for me.

Over those 10 years I’ve watched my personal world evolve and change too. Who would have thought back in 2013 that we would live through a global pandemic? I’ve watched my kids grow up (They still aren’t interested in anything mother writes so not everything has changed!) And over the past three years, I’ve watched “the Big Green Gummi Bear” battle with terminal illness and ultimately lose that battle at the end of October.

As I look back over the earlier blog posts, I can see them slowly evolving.

As I look back at myself now compared to the “me” of 2013, I’ve evolved too.

Change is good.

So, what is next for my blog? Who knows! Not me! LOL I’ve not written it yet.

As my 11th year as a blogger and indie author commences, there will be more short stories, more delving into the Measly Jar of Motivation, more poems and more dark vampire angel tales.

I don’t wish to dwell on it, but the last three years have been rough, and they have taken their toll physically and emotionally, so I’m keen not to set too stretching a goal for 2024. I’ll keep it simple- the creative goal for 2024 is to finish and publish “Book Baby 8”. I’ve been working on it for more than year but it’s been a stop/start effort over the past six months or so. There are 366 days of 2024 to achieve it in, so I have that one extra day up my sleeve to get it over the line.

If you’ve travelled this journey with me from the very start- thank you for sticking with me.

If you joined along the way – thank you for sticking with me.

If this is the first blog post you’ve seen – welcome and I hope you stick with me.

None of this creative progress would be possible without the love and support of each and every one of you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading my blogs, liking and sharing the content, buying and reading my books and for having faith in me. I really do appreciate it.

All that’s left to say is to wish you a very Happy New Year when it comes. May 2024 be kinder to us all.

Love n hugs

Coral

xx

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Conquering the world one word at a time LOL

Posted on February 1, 2023 | Leave a comment

Sometimes you have to pause and look around and reflect back over the ground you have travelled so far.

I did that a few minutes ago as I was looking at my WordPress stats and thinking “what the heck am I going to blog about this week?”

I pulled up the stats map that shows the “all time” view of where in the world my blog has been read. (Yes, I know that some of these could quite easily be bot pings but don’t burst my bubble please).

The very fact that most countries around the globe are pink and some are red, indicating a lot of hits, blows me away.

Why would someone in Australia or Japan or Brazil even find my blog in among the millions of blog posts out there?

The very thought that people in all of these countries have taken time out of their busy lives to even glance at my blog fills me with warmth and pride.

An indie author/blogger’s journey can feel quite lonely at times. Seeing the “likes” notifications and the occasional comment on my blog posts helps to make it much less lonely so thank you to those who have taken the time to hit like or comment. It really is appreciated.

I do try to keep the content on here varied. It was a conscious decision when I started this blog that I didn’t want tied down to one genre or theme. It would have been all too easy to fill it each week with photos of my cats but so far I have largely resisted that temptation.

So I guess that this week’s blog is really just a simple thank you to each and every one of you who read my ramblings each week and keep coming back for me.

Something that would really make my day …my week…my months…even my year would be if someone from Greenland stumbling across this blog…..oh well, a girl can dream 😉

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Auroville – yes, it is real!

Posted on January 16, 2023 | Leave a comment

When I switched on my laptop the other day, the Bing photo caught my eye and piqued my curiosity.

What was this incredible looking round gold building? Where was it? Was it real?

The photo was an aerial view similar to the one below

I quickly discovered that it was real. The photo was of an experimental town in India called Auroville and that glorious golden spherical building was The Matrimandir.

I needed to learn more…cue an evening of Googling and reading.

Auroville, is situated near Pondicherry, on the eastern coast of India in the state of Tamil Nadu.

“But it sounds French?” I hear you muse.  It was designed by the French architect, Roger Anger. Auroville is also known as the City of Dawn and it gets its name from “aurore”, the French word for dawn and “ville”, the French for town/city.

The Matrimandir, the golden building that caught my eye on the laptop’s wallpaper is also known as the Temple of the Mother and the Soul of the City, and is built at the heart of Auroville in a large open area called Peace.

I was still intrigued….

Now for a brief history lesson (I’ll share more detailed info links below for the history geeks and curious among you)

Step back in time to the early part of the 20th Century and that’s where you will find the origins of Auroville. There was an Indian philosopher, yogi and maharishi called Sri Aurobindo. He was a political activist but whilst in jail, he had a mystical/spiritual experience that led to him developing a spiritual practice on his release that he called Integral Yoga. He settled in the Pondicherry area and collaborated with a fellow spiritual guru and yoga teacher, Mirra Alfassa, who was also known as The Mother to her followers.

In 1926 they founded the Sri Aurobindo Ashram. After Sri Aurobindo’s death in 1950, Mirra Alfassa continued their work, pursuing his vision,  and in 1964 the Sri Aurobindo Society passed a resolution to establish a city dedicated to that vision- Auroville.

In her first public address in 1965, Mirra Alfassa, the society’s executive president declared “Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realise human unity.”

 Three years later on 28 February 1968, in front of representatives from 124 countries, Auroville was inaugurated. Mirra Alfassa wrote and delivered a four point charter, setting forth her vision for the city and its ethos of integral living.

  1. Auroville belongs to nobody in particular. Auroville belongs to humanity as a whole. But to live in Auroville, one must be the willing servitor of the Divine Consciousness.
  2. Auroville will be the place of an unending education, of constant progress, and a youth that never ages.
  3. Auroville wants to be the bridge between the past and the future. Taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within, Auroville will boldly spring towards future realisations.
  4. Auroville will be a site of material and spiritual researches for a living embodiment of an actual human unity.

Initially self-governing, Auroville aspired to have 50 000 residents. It’s initial community was considerably smaller, numbering around 400. By the late 1980s two acts had been passed that saw the creation of a three tier governing system for the city formed of the Governing Board, the Residents Assembly and the Auroville International Advisory Council. These three tiers work in harmony and collaborate to continue to try to accomplish the vision for Auroville as set out in the charter.

So, where does the Matrimandir fit into all of this?

The Matrimandir, in all its glorious golden splendour, is the heart of the community. Matrimandir translates to Temple of the Mother and is a place of spiritual significance to the practitioners of Integeral Yoga. It’s foundation stone was laid at sunrise on 21 February 1971, Mirra Alfassa, the Mother’s, 93rd birthday. Sadly, she never saw the finished temple as she passed away in 1973. It took 37 years to complete the magnificent building with its stunning Inner Chamber and it was finally completed in May 2008.

Today Auroville has a population of circa 3000 from 54 different countries and has been endorsed by UNESCO. The temple and surrounding gardens are open to visitors. This is not a tourist site however. It is a place which should be visited in a quiet mental and physical state, a place of contemplation and meditation. You can book a visit to the Inner Temple on an individual basis for some quiet reflection.

I think I may just have added another destination to my travel “bucket list”.

Information links (for the curious)

Welcome to Auroville | Auroville

Auroville – Wikipedia

Matrimandir – The Soul of Auroville

Matrimandir – Wikipedia

Sri Aurobindo (sriaurobindoashram.org)

Integral Yoga (Satchidananda) – Wikipedia

(All images sourced via Google – credits to the owners)

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On this day in 2013, it all began….

Posted on December 29, 2022 | Leave a comment

Happy 9th birthday to my blog!

As I step cautiously into its 10th year (eek!), I thought I’d reflect on 9 lessons learned so far during this creative journey.

  1. It is possible to write and self-publish that novel that’s been living inside you for years. (I wouldn’t have believed that back in 2013 but I do now- 7 books later)
  2. There’s something to be gained and/or learned from each and every review and comment on your creative work. (Yes, even from the less than positive experiences.)
  3. Despite my initial fears, it is possible to find something to blog about once a week every week. (So far so good!)
  4. Embrace technology and social media. Back in 2013, I never for a second thought I’d have .co.uk after my name, stars after my books worldwide on Amazon or have a podcast (Ok its an electronic voice reading the posts not mine – one step at a time!)
  5. Believe in yourself. (Friends- stop sniggering! Yes, it took longer than it should have done for me to learn that lesson.)
  6. Be curious. Blog topics over the years have come from all manner of sources, including the label on the wine we had with dinner one night ( This one – just in case you were curious 19 Crimes…. and a glass or two of wine | Coral McCallum)
  7. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your creativity. I’ve used this blog as a proving ground for many diverse ideas, genres and characters over the years.
  8. Support other creative souls. It takes a certain amount of courage to expose yourself creatively to the world so show your support for others who have taken that leap of faith. Guests are always welcome here.
  9. Have fun! Creativity should be fun (well, most of the time)

I couldn’t have made it this far along the way without your love and support. Every blog you’ve read, every book you’ve bought, every person you have told about the books and/or blog – every single word helps to fuel the fires of creativity and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Another year is drawing to a close so I’ll seize this opportunity to wish you all the best for the new year when it arrives. May 2023 be kind to us all.

Love n hugs

Coral xx

(image sourced via Google – credits to the owner)

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Sunset – an acrostic poem

Posted on August 1, 2022 | 1 comment

Silently sinking below the horizon

Unseen by those who choose not to look

Nature’s beauty for all to enjoy

Streaking a pallet of colours across the evening skies

Ever-changing diminishing light amending the tones

Taking the stresses and strains of today away.

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The past 756 days….

Posted on April 18, 2022 | Leave a comment

Deliberately, I’ve mentioned very little about Covid 19 on this blog as I felt for the past two years it was dominating all other avenues of life and I wanted to keep my blog as a “safe” space.

However, today seems like a good moment to pause and reflect.

I took the above photo at about 7:10am on 23 March 2020, roughly twelve hours before the UK went into its first lockdown.

For the previous few weeks, news of this virus from China had dominated conversation. I mean, who had heard of Wuhan before February 2020? Not me. There were anxious conversations, scary news stories, sensational headlines in the press and then, like a scene from 1984, the TV broadcast that the nation will recall for decades as we were all told, like naughty children, to “stay at home”.

I remember having coffee with a friend a few days beforehand during our lunchbreak at work. They asked me if I thought this virus was something to worry about and how long did I think it would last for. Both of us were growing slightly concerned; both of us a little unsure of where this situation was headed and neither of us were able to answer those simple questions.

It’s a conversation I’ve revisited in my mind many times since. If only we had known then what we know now….

Today the last of the Covid 19 laws were lifted with the Scottish “mask laws” becoming “mask guidance” so it feels like a fitting moment to pause for breath and to reflect on the past 756 days of a life lived under various lockdowns and Covid restrictions.

It feels like an appropriate moment to take stock and to think back on all the challenges we faced and survived; the emotions surrounding the impact of the various levels of restrictions that have been forced onto our everyday existence; the impact on our mental health (as Ruby Wax said, and I paraphrase – we all have mental health but some of us are in better shape than others, just like with our physical health); the impact on our relationships with friends and family; the effects that these past 756 days have had on children ( a friend posted just yesterday about how proud she is of her son for rediscovering his mojo after two tough years – yes kids have been feeling it too!); the changes that have altered the way we do our jobs on a day-to-day basis (how did we get through the working day pre-2020 without half a dozen zoom meetings a day?)…

You get the hint…so I’ll leave you to take a moment or two to reflect on the impact the past 756 days have had on you personally. Everyone’s journey from then until now is unique and there’s been no one straight road to follow.

I took this photo today from the same spot. The sun is shining. The sky’s blue. The trees are in bud. The landscape looks the same.

But I don’t think any of us are the same people we were on the morning of 23 March 2020. Do you?

These past two years have touched our lives in so many ways that they’ve left their mark and I suspect it’s a mark that will remain for many years to come.

I know personally speaking, life will never be the same.

To quote from an Alter Bridge song though-

Cause the sun always sets, the moon always falls
It feels like the end, just pay no mind at all
And keep on rolling, rolling, life must go on
It must go on

And it does.

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