Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
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alallyalison.bsky.social
Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
@alallyalison.bsky.social
Currently writing romcoms as Amelia Berry.

Also writing tutor, mentor and freelance editor and programme coordinator for Bournemouth's Romance Writing Festival

www.alison-may.co.uk/my-links/
Pinned
Author copies of Coming Up A Christmas Storm - my brand new Highland Cookery School romcom (writing as Amelia Berry) - arrived today. Yay
Am wondering where I pitch to write Tess Daly's novel next year. I mean we know it's coming right?
October 23, 2025 at 10:12 AM
The average age for starting periods in the UK is 12, but can be as young as 8. But a BBC article about period products is 'adult content'. Mmmm 'kay.
This is such a useful summary www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... BUT why do these lists so often miss menstrual discs? Cup did not work for me - found the disc so much easier. Same basic idea - reusable, rinse it out, sterilise between periods - but different fit & shape. Def suits some bodies better
Period Choices: Pads, menstrual cups, pants and tampons - what's best for me?
Here is a guide to how each product works and the pros and cons to help you decide what might suit you.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 24, 2025 at 8:13 AM
This is such a useful summary www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... BUT why do these lists so often miss menstrual discs? Cup did not work for me - found the disc so much easier. Same basic idea - reusable, rinse it out, sterilise between periods - but different fit & shape. Def suits some bodies better
Period Choices: Pads, menstrual cups, pants and tampons - what's best for me?
Here is a guide to how each product works and the pros and cons to help you decide what might suit you.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 24, 2025 at 8:10 AM
I did a blog. It's about tax policy so you already know it's going to be lots of fun alison-may.co.uk/2025/09/22/t...
The things you just can’t say
You hear the phrase ‘you just can’t say anything any more’ a lot. Most often in comments from people parodying the kind of people they imagine say ‘you just can’t say …
alison-may.co.uk
September 22, 2025 at 7:37 AM
It's publication day. If you wouldn't mind awfully buying my book that would be splendid. (I am not naturally built for self promotion. It is quite good though so you probably should) www.herabooks.com/books/cookin...
Cooking Up a Christmas Storm by Amelia Berry | Hera
Ebook and Paperback
www.herabooks.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:42 AM
First week back to blogging and I'm talking about flags. Tl:dr racism is bad and national pride is a bit weird alison-may.co.uk/2025/09/08/f...
Flags. Yeah. Flags.
If you spend any time at all on the interweb, and clearly you do because you’re here now, you’re probably already sick of people’s hot takes on the flying of England flags. So sor…
alison-may.co.uk
September 10, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Author copies of Coming Up A Christmas Storm - my brand new Highland Cookery School romcom (writing as Amelia Berry) - arrived today. Yay
September 5, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
You know what, fair play to Scooby Doo villains. They walk into a room dressed as a ghost, see a talking dog on its hind legs making the world’s biggest sandwich and somehow manage to stay in character.
September 2, 2025 at 7:37 AM
I restarted my blog - like it's 2011 or something. Not 100% clear why but I think I wanted a better space to, you know, talk about everything *waves hands at the general bin fire of the world* than social media sometimes provides. I may or may not stick with it. alison-may.co.uk/2025/09/01/r...
(Re)starting a blog in 2025…
Back through the mists of time this website was basically just a blog where I pontificated about whatever random stuff had wandered across my consciousness. Blogging was very much The Modern Thing …
alison-may.co.uk
September 1, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
How lovely to receive a surprise copy of @alallyalison.bsky.social Cooking Up A Christmas Storm coming from @herabooks.bsky.social @canelobooks.bsky.social on 18th September.
Thank you very much Kate!

www.canelo.co/books/cookin...
August 29, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Late selection of pics from the weekend - Meetcute festival and interviewing Jo Thomas at Evesham Festival of Words
June 30, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
A UK Government proposal to let AI companies train their models on online content unless the rightsholder opts out has been described as “unworkable”.

A range of responses to the Govt consultation on the proposed change have been published, with many slamming the potential effects:
'Unsustainable status quo': AI companies and publishers respond to Govt copyright consultation
The NMA, NUJ and BBC are among organisations to have so far published some form of response to a Government consultation on AI and copyright.
pressgazette.co.uk
April 17, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Starting a new first draft is The Worst. Possibly divisive writing opinion for the day right there.

#WritingCommunity
April 17, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
Been down at Meta's UK HQ to join a protest by @societyofauthors.bsky.social about the theft of books for the purposes of AI. A multi-billion dollar company using books then not paying for them stinks & is in no-one's interests.
#DoTheWriteThing #MakeItFair #MetaBookThieves
April 3, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
I’ve been told off for saying gen Ai is bad for creatives & the environment. THIS is one of the reasons why. Big tech is stealing our work to make huge profits. If you love books, if you want to support authors, please consider sharing this & other authors’ posts asking Meta to #DoTheWriteThing
April 3, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
Author @ajwestauthor.bsky.social at the Meta protest 🔥
April 3, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
April 3, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
In surely unrelated news, the Tony Blair Institute was given $200m by the owner of Oracle, a major AI player.
The full report by the Tony Blair Institute is out, in which they detail how copyright should be "rebooted" in the AI age. It reads like a big tech lobbying document. I hope they will be asked serious questions at its launch in London today.

Some very brief highlights:

🧵 1/8
April 2, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
The full report by the Tony Blair Institute is out, in which they detail how copyright should be "rebooted" in the AI age. It reads like a big tech lobbying document. I hope they will be asked serious questions at its launch in London today.

Some very brief highlights:

🧵 1/8
April 2, 2025 at 6:09 AM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
Early morning visitor at the last day of the Naughty Kitchen writing retreat @alallyalison.bsky.social @jeevanicharika.bsky.social
March 28, 2025 at 8:07 AM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
Editing is your power, you are God in this little universe! Writer and editor Alison May (@alallyalison.bsky.social) shares her biggest tip regarding editing. What do you think? What is your process for editing as a form of empowerment?

#Writers #Editing
March 27, 2025 at 4:09 PM
A Recipe for Love on display in @waterstones Braehead and Argyll Street
March 26, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Reposted by Alison May aka Amelia Berry & Ally Sinclair
We are disappointed but not surprised that Meta has used millions of pirated books to develop its AI systems.

As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting.

But what can authors do? Read here:
societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...
March 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM