Writing

Books

Jolie Booth’s first novel, The Girl Who'll Rule the World is published by King's England Press and available to buy from Amazon.

In this novel we follow the story of a young modern woman finding her way in a tumultuous world, told through a broken narrative and stream of consciousness. This novel is the first in a planned series of books called Saturn Returns in which the reader will return every seven years to the world of the heroine Esmeralda, dipping into her life and discovering how it and her ideals have changed. This first book in the series is set in Brighton between 2006 and 2007 during which time Esmeralda turns from 27 to 28 years old and tells the story of a young woman facing her thirties with the feeling that she is going to take over the world.

Booth's book is a wise and complex meditation on love and life, expertly structured but not ostentatious, sexy but not (often) pornographic. Our protagonist, Esmeralda, painstakingly weaves myriad threads of conversation, emotion and experience into a beguiling and rare garment. Not for the faint-hearted! - Simon Young

Rich, idiosyncratic dialogue from the haphazard perspective of a girl on the cusp of womanhood - Ophelia Bitz

Jolie’s second novel, Never Worn is also published by King's England Press and available to buy from Amazon.

In her first book of the Saturn Returns series, The Girl Who’ll Rule The World, Jolie Booth introduced us to Esmeralda, although “introduced” is perhaps too polite and formal a term to apply to a process akin to being sucked into a howling vortex of hedonism, sex, drugs and partying, then being shot of out the other end like a cork in a wind tunnel. In this book, however, Esmeralda is older, though not necessarily always wiser. Seven years have elapsed, during which time she has undergone experiences as varied as living in a famous (infamous) squat in Berlin, and touring Europe with a troupe of fools and mummers, struggling to make a living in the world of performing arts.

Although Esmeralda does indeed always suffer fools gladly, her journey through life has by no means been smooth. Fate is always willing to don the Jester’s cap, and pull the rug out from under her. Too young, and much too unconventional to suffer a mid-life crisis, she’s nevertheless been forced to confront many issues in her existence which can no longer be ignored or avoided. Marriage. Commitment. Children. She squares up to these challenges with her customary mix of crashing ahead, impulsively, smashing into hard, emotionally-charged situations, and sometimes, harking back to the old days of crashing out, in a haze of substances.

Once more, Jolie Booth has created a detailed and believable chronicle of a complicated character who you can’t help but love and feel for, infuriating though she often is. And in her unflinching confrontation of the physical and emotional pain of the difficulties of child-bearing, she has produced some of her finest writing yet. If The Girl Who’ll Rule The World was Fifty Shades for the Trainspotting Generation, then Never Worn is what happens when you substitute Sylvia Plath for Bridget Jones.

“A richly detailed and relatable journey of hedonism and heartbreak, parties and penises and a growing maturity as the main character moves through her 30s. When the heartache of infertility comes to the forefront, this becomes a touching and, at times, painful read which is hard to acknowledge, but raw and so important.” - Rebecca Fire

Jolie’s third novel, Sisterhood is also published by King's England Press and available to buy from Amazon.

Like Hand Maids Tale, but with more hope, Sisterhood is a gentle but fearless adventure into the dark heart of patriarchal rule. Three women, aged 20, 40 and 60 (But not a virgin, mother or hag in sight) stand on a precipice, the patriarchy watching over them – flaming torches aloft – threatening to burn them all.
Sisterhood is a new tale introducing you to a sisterhood caught between two timelines: the witch trials of the 16th century and modern-day women facing a world in political and environmental upheaval. Sisterhood transports the reader, to a church cell in Wilmington, where three women await their trial in the morning. Soothing and passionate storytelling interweaves the stories of these three women with vestiges from three modern women's lives, to reveal an immediate and clear association.

 Jolie has also written a collection of short stories for children entitled "Megafun Forest Chums, Volume 1" which can be purchased from Lulu Publishing.

In the magical Megafun Forest you will discover the majestic and ancient Megafun Tree, around which resides all of the awesome and wonderful Megafun Chums. Follow their adventures across realms, by time travel, baking cakes and in galaxies far, far, away. For adults and youngsters alike. PG cert.

And a single short story for children entitled "The Wonderful World of Why Not" which can also be purchased from Lulu Publishing.

Join Eric the Snail, Jolly Cabbage the Fairy Godmother, and Wednesday the Raven in their exciting adventures through the World of Why Not? There is something for everyone in this book. Pictures for young children to colour in, a story written for 5 to 7 year olds, some elements that teenagers will find amusing and some jokes snuck in for the adults.

Blogging

Jolie has been blogging since 2006, starting with Confessions of a Bogwitch back in the day of Myspace, and currently blogs about theatre at Kriya Arts and Hip at the Fringe for Fringe Review. Before that she set up feminist online webzine Flow Magazine, which operated successfully as a monthly publication for two years. She is an experienced guest blogger, having written for Vintage Brighton, Perform Magazine, The Nomadic Academy of Fools and others.

Features / Editorial

Jolie was creator and editor of Flow Magazine which shot to fame when Julie Burchill wrote an entire piece on it in her column in the Guardian, and has written many features and articles for print magazines, newspapers and websites over the years. An archive of some of these can be found here.

Copywriting

Jolie is an experienced copywriter for print and online. A sample from her portfolio can be found here.

Academic Writing

Back in 2002, Jolie Booth completed a BA in English at Nottingham Trent University. Her research interests focused on post-modernism, feminism and Shakespeare. Her dissertation was a creative writing story entitled “The Complete Works of Judith Shakespeare”. Final mark: 2:1 BA (hons).

Poetry

Jolie’s poems have been published in Stamp, Back Street, Flow Magazine and others.