You might have noticed we've been a little quiet on the podcast front recently. That's because Paula is on vacation, and both Clare and Kyra have been busy with NaNoWriMo.

We haven't forgotten about the podcast though. We're brainstorming ideas for new episodes, and we're also excited to announce we're hosting the first annual  I Literary Can't Even Book Awards.

This is round one, and we invite all of you to add your favourites to the polls!

Every book nominated MUST have been released in 2017.Any that weren't will be removed from the poll.

PLEASE read to check your nomination hasn't already been listed before you add someone new.

Voting will stay open for one week, after which, the top five in each category will move through to the next round, and we will ask you to vote again!

Winners of the final round will be announced on our podcast (Date to be confirmed).

You must like our page I Literary Can't Even for your votes to count.

To cast your votes, please see the polls on our events page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1986202411639524/?active_tab=discussion

This week's episode is a tad more serious than usual. Kyra, Clare and Paula discuss mental health, and how being creative has helped them through. 

You can find it now on iTunes and Soundcloud. 

If you're experiencing mental health issues, please reach out to someone. We're always here and you can email us at iliterarycanteven@yahoo.com

Here are a list of websites that offer mental health support:
https://www.samaritans.org
https://www.mind.org.uk/
http://www.sane.org.uk
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net
https://www.nami.org​
https://www.rethink.org

Here is the link to the creative website Write The Wrong, that we mentioned in the episode. 
​
And for those interested in the releases we mentioned in this week's episode, below the 'read more' cut you'll find the blurbs, covers and purchase links.

Episode seven is live, and in it Kyra, Clare and Paula talk about scary books, which ones in specific frightened them, and the world of paranormal/ supernatural literature. We also play a couple of rounds of Halloween mad libs and round up this week's releases. 
​
​Find it now on iTunes and Soundcloud

For those who're interested here are the blurbs and purchase links for the new releases, and other books, mentioned in this week's episode. 

Google ‘mental health’ statistics, and you’re inundated with figures and graphs.

In 2013, there were an estimated 43.8 million adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. with any mental illness in the past year. This represented 18.5 percent of all U.S. adults. [1]

In 2013, an estimated 15.7 million adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. had at least one major depressive episode in the past year. This represented 6.7 percent of all U.S. adults. [2]

1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. [3]

According to the recently released World Health Organization (WHO) report: Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative, over 800,000 people die by suicide across the world each year. [4]
 
Talking in thousands and millions, it’s hard to get lost in numbers. But when you think about it like this, it’s likely at least one person in your life has a mental illness, it’s pretty worrying.

It could be your mum, your brother, your wife, your colleague. It could be YOU. Mental illnesses don’t discriminate, and anyone can be affected.

And yet, so many of us feel alone. Which is funny, because so many of the writing/ blogging/ reading/ creative community identify as having some sort of mental health issue. It's almost as if people with mental health issues are drawn to creative pursuits. Maybe as an escape, maybe as a way of coping. But even though it's common, and there's a community of people with similar issues and experiences, mental health is still so greatly misunderstood and stigmatised. 

If you tell someone you have diabetes, they offer sympathy, and talk to you about how you're treating the condition. Where as if you mention depression, you can often be met with the misconception that you're just feeling a bit sad, when the reality goes much deeper than that. 

I’ve (Clare) struggled with depression since my teens, and found reading to be a great escape.

Reading (and re-reading) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire got me through an especially bad period in the summer of 2002.

It was through Harry Potter that I reignited my love of reading (something I still fall back on to escape into when times are rough), discovered the online community (that led me to making many friends; which gave me people to talk to about my feelings, and also helped me discover I wasn’t alone with my issues), and developed my love of writing (which also offers me an escape, and led to a career that I love, and is perfect for someone who still has regular bouts of depression where they can barely get out of bed.)

I’ve experienced the (sometimes) mental-health-driven obsessive writing, where everything else fades away, and the soul-crushing inability to do anything, especially write.

Through reading and writing, I’ve also found kindred souls, and people who know what it’s like to feel isolated, alone and hopeless. Talking with others has helped me realise it isn’t just me, and I’ve discovered new ways of coping with my depression.

This is what we want to discuss in next week's podcast. Things to consider are: How sometimes writing/ reading can help because it's an escape. How mental illness can affect your creativity - cause writer's block etc. and how sometimes if you're writing emotional scenes, it affects your mood.

If you have any experiences or insights you'd like to share, we encourage you to comment on this entry, or on our Facebook post, or Twitter post. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, you're welcome to contact us via email at iliterarycanteven@yahoo.com. We're happy to read out your comments, without mentioning your name etc.

Finally, we want you to know, you're not alone. Your loved, and valued. And if you're struggling with a mental health condition, please reach out to someone. <3 <3 <3 <3

1. Claiming Atlas, by Jessalyn Jameson

Erotic contemporary romance, with a high heat level

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FVCD8R

Atlas Reynolds has it made. The bassist for a thriving rock band, complete with a world tour under their belts, Atlas has everything he’s ever dreamed of. Who knew getting everything you wanted would become… boring? After a chance encounter on a last minute solo trip to Las Vegas, he finds himself one of a select few men invited to dine in the dark with the hottest playmates of the past decade. Seeking a new diversion, he heads out for a mind-blowing night of debauchery in the city that invented the word.

After years in the Vegas spotlight, Kayla Sanders is ready to hang up her sequins and stilettos, until she receives an invitation to one last epic gig. Unable to resist the opportunity to let her persona ‘Kincaid Summers’ go out with a bang, Kayla accepts the invitation, landing her in the lap of Atlas Reynolds--bassist of famous rock band, Banging Cade. When one last hurrah turns into a night of unbridled passion, Kay thinks she just might be the one to tame Atlas’ wild heart.

But when the lights turn on, will Atlas want the real woman behind the facade?

2. Saved, by H.L. Anderson

"Clean" adult contemporary romance. Kissing etc. but no sex shown

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076HXN8WS/

Theresa Kent is a wife, mom, and hardworking nurse living in rural Colorado. Life is good until her increasingly despondent, unemployed husband suddenly snaps—his vicious attack leaves Theresa fighting for her life as she tries to escape the insane version of the man she loves.

Ryan Tucker appears to have it all, except he’s been merely existing, not living, for the the last three years. His emotions get a much needed jump start when he rescues Theresa from the torment her life has become in just a matter of days. Ryan feels an instant and fierce desire to protect this stranger that fell into his life.

Hanging over their heads is the knowledge that Theresa’s husband is still out there, hunting for her.

Can two broken souls be repaired, or will the demons of the past and present come between the repressed love that grows between them?

3. Along Came A Spider: The Legends Chronicles Source Code Novelette, by K.M. Robinson

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076H85SS8

YA contemporary fairytale retelling

Little Hacker Muffet sat on her tuffet destroying her cords and Way.
Along came a hacker named Spider, who sat down beside her and frightened his opponent away.

When Fet, one of the most skilled hackers in the Legends, discovers her best friend and leader of her group has been abducted and held for ransom, she must escape unnoticed and find Peep before it’s too late.
​
When Spider, a new recruit training to join her hacker ring, slips out with her and claims to have a plan to save her friend, Fet is forced to bring him along. As she discovers he’s not who he claims to be, she faces grave danger and learns just how deadly a spider bite can be.

We love interaction from readers and writers, so we thought it might be fun to create an I Literary Can't Even... Advent Calendar, as we'd love for you all to contribute.The idea is that every day from December 1, in the lead up to Christmas, we will post a different piece of writing/ poetry/ art/ teaser etc. on the I Literary Can't Even... Facebook, Twitter and website (forth coming). Hopefully that way, we can spread some Christmas cheer, and highlight authors, artists, graphic makers etc. in the community.

The type of things we're looking for are bookish and Christmas themed flash fiction (5000 words max), poetry, excerpts, teasers, graphics, fan art, illustrations, a review of your favourite Christmas story. So it could be something new you write specifically for the advent calendar, it could be an excerpt from your upcoming/ previously released holiday book, it could be a drawing you've done based on your favourite Christmas novel. If you have something in mind that we haven't already mentioned, please drop us an email at ILiteraryCantEven@yahoo.com.

Ideally, we'd like your content three days before your scheduled posting day, just so we have plenty of time to organise each day's entry. You're also welcome to include a link back to your website, Amazon profile, main social media profile, so people can find you.

While we can't guarantee a specific date, we've broken the dates down into 4 weekly blocks, so you can choose your week preference, and we will try to schedule you within that week, where possible. Once the schedule is confirmed, we'll email participants ASAP, so they have plenty of time to prepare their entry.

Any comments, questions and concerns can be emailed to ILiteraryCantEven@yahoo.com.

If you're interested in participating, you can sign up via the following form: ​​https://goo.gl/forms/1Sh40dfrvO9QA3BF3