I love a challenge and so does my heroine, insanely successful lifestyle blogger Isabella M Smugge. Some kind person (I know not who) came up with a book challenge, helpfully named #31daysofoctoberchallenge. The idea is that you post every day on your socials with that hashtag, in whatever style you like. Top mate and writer Wendy H Jones alerted me to the challenge – thanks Wendy!
So for every day in October, I celebrate a National Day and look at how it ties with Isabella’s world. Welcome to the ride!
16th October
It’s Global Cat Day. Isabella M Smugge isn’t an animal fan. She is deaf to her children’s pleadings for a dog and suspects that she might be mildly allergic to cat fur. However, events will be conspiring to rock her world in book three ….
17th October
It’s National Edge Day and Issy Smugge isn’t quite as proud of hers as she used to be. The titanic fight which led to unprotected make-up sex in book one came about partly because her husband told her she’d lost her edge. Horrible fake friend Meredith tells her she’s got too much edge in book two. Which way should Issy jump?
18th October
It’s National Chocolate Cupcake Day. Issy Smugge used to be very careful about what she ate (hardly any carbs, no empty calories) but these days, bringing up four children as a single parent, she’s not nearly so fussy. Heck, if there’s a day to celebrate the chocolate cupcake, she’s getting out her Insta-friendly crackle glaze plates and baking a whole batch to surprise the children after school.
19th October
It’s National Seafood Bisque Day, something right up Isabella Smugge’s strazza. She doesn’t enjoy the everyday grind of cooking (that’s what she pays her housekeeper for) but creating a bisque full of depth and flavour from prawn heads and shells with just a dash of cream is far more fun.
20th October
It’s National Youth Confidence Day. To look at Issy Smugge these days, you’d think she’d never known a moment of self-doubt in her life. But she keeps those innermost thoughts very close to her chest and there is more in there than you might think. These days, as a mum of four, she is working hard to support and encourage her children so that they don’t suffer as she and her sister did #sadmemories #whymummywhy
21st October
It’s National Get to Know Your Customers Day and this is where our heroine shines. She loves her followers, each and every one of them, and she never forgets that without them, she’d be just another stressed-out mummy blogger. Issy loves to add value to her posts and reach out to those who love her, with giveaways, life hacks and lots of fab hashtags.
22nd October
It’s National Colour Day. Issy still loves wearing pink even though her acidic mother tells her she’s too old for her. Her very favourite colours, however, are teal and duck egg blue, bringing out the shiny tints of her red-gold hair and turquoise eyes. She uses colour boldly in her home decoration scheme, mixing textures and shades to transform every room into an on-trend wonderland.
23rd October
It’s National Make a Difference Day and Isabella M Smugge is really trying to. Before she moved to the country, she lived a very glossy, shallow life, but these days she truly wants to be a better person. When someone helps her out, she says thank you with a beautiful bunch of flowers and she is learning not to judge people by appearances. Her generous donations to the church and school have benefited her community and there’s plenty more where that came from!
24th October
It’s National Mother-in-Law Day. Issy can’t understand why people make jokes about mothers-in-law. She loves hers. Silvia is the Swiss-born widow of Bishop Smugge, a kind, generous and loving woman who somehow managed to give birth to horrid Johnnie Smugge (we’ll be investigating that more in Book Three). She is always on hand to help her family, adores her grandchildren and is even willing to act as Isabella’s birth partner.
25th October
It’s National Greasy Food Day (who makes these up?) Even the new, improved Isabella M Smugge is not a fan of food cooked in lard or fat. She did source nutrition for her family from the local chippie in book one, but that was a one-off. She is very pro-salad and good fats, preferring to smash an avocado rather than nibble a chip.
26th October
It’s National Mincemeat Day. As we found out on 11th October (National Kickass Day), Isabella M Smugge is not a woman you want to tangle with. Confronted with her sister’s tormentor at school, she punched first and asked questions later. During a heated discussion with her cheating husband, she hurled her on-trend acrylic salt and pepper mills at him and smashed a wine glass over his head. Issy makes mincemeat of those who hurt her family and friends, often deploying the terrifying Special Look and Special Voice.
27th October
It’s Navy Day and for Isabella M Smugge, that means a really on-trend, directional paint colour. She’s a huge fan of navy, in the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedroom, using it to pick out feature walls, tongue and groove panelling and allow light to deflect from windows and mirrors. She chose a soft dove grey for her statement kitchen, pantry, utility room and boot room but navy is her go-to shade in many other parts of the Old Rectory. Issy will be renovating the entire second floor in the third book and this fashionable hue is bound to play a part.
28th October
It’s National First Responders Day. Isabella Smugge has always led a charmed life, with only the occasional sniffle or strained muscle from too much texting to bother her. However, recently it’s been all go! A family member has been taken very ill and Issy is starting to realise that life doesn’t always play fair. With her new knowledge of the NHS, she’s far more grateful for the wonderful, selfless people in our communities who are always there in a crisis.
29th October
It’s National Stroke Day. The Queen of the Hashtags is a big fan of her Stroke Me! Deeply Hydrating Sleep Gloves, but unfortunately, real life comes calling when a family member suffers a catastrophic stroke. Issy’s about to find out a whole lot more about health, recuperation and daily care.
30th October
It’s National Publicist Day. Since she was first talent spotted by the vulpine Mimi Stanhope of Mimi Stanhope Creatives eleven years ago, Isabella’s career has gone from strength to strength. Mumfluencers don’t come any starrier! This is largely due to her amazing agent and publicist, who has absolutely no morals but an address book stuffed with contacts and who knows where at least 50% of the bodies are buried. Mimi says it like it is and even with trouble at home with her fourth husband (she’s thinking of letting him go), she never lets her professional mask slip.
31st October
It’s National Doorbell Day. At the Old Rectory (and in fact in Suffolk) no one uses their front door. Visitors come in through the boot room and when Issy hosts coffee and chat, everyone kicks their shoes off by the door and walks straight into her gorgeous Vainqueur Designs Kitchen. On the rare occasions the bell does ring, it means the postman has another pile of parcels, a designer has sent samples of the new season’s collection or Interflora have come calling.
To find out more about Issy Smugge’s world please visit my books page.
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