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Hannah: Welcome to Happily Ever After the podcast where we talk about life's big stories from great sex to sexual trauma. Break-ups and breakdowns. Icky secrets and happy endings. It's the stuff that makes us human. And boy, do we cover it all. I'm your host, Hannah Harvey. I'm a writer and a parenting blogger at Mumsdays dot com. That's M.U.M.S.D.A.Y.S .com. I would be very grateful if you could subscribe and leave a review because it means more people can find the podcast. And I also really, really, really love hearing from you, so please contact me through Instagram @Mumsdays with all your stories of life and any thoughts you might have on the episode or even questions you want answering. You can find all the details from this episode in the show notes.
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Hannah: Hello and welcome to Happily Ever After with me, Hannah. And today I'm joined by none other than the best selling author and blogger Katy Cox. Hi, Katy.
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Katy: Hi. How are you doing?
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Hannah: I was trying to think back and think the last time I saw you in person, it was like 2015 and I was really drunk.
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Katy: Oh, my God. You were drunk.
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Hannah: Do you remember it?
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Katy: I was so drunk. I actually remember holding on to, like, a pregnant woman's belly, and she escorted me back to the hotel with her pregnant belly because I was so drunk.
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Hannah: You just hung on.
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Katy: She was so nice. Can't remember her name, but she was so nice. But yeah, it was the free wine, wasn't it? It was that lindeman's wine. I haven't touched it since. It's just we drank so much of it because it was free. Yeah.
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Hannah: Well, barely. I think I had to go get a bloody train. I had no bellies to hang onto, just my own.
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Katy: Yeah, well, it was fun. It was that blogging awards, wasn't it? That bibs the brilliance in blogging awards.
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Hannah: It was. I was trying to remember. I knew it was something to do with blogging and parenting blogging, but couldn't really.
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Katy: Just like hundreds of mums in a room with free wine. Like, what's going to happen, you know?
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Hannah: What could possibly go wrong?
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Katy: Yeah.
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Hannah: The one night off a year and we're like wahhhh. In London baby.
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Katy: Yeah. Yeah, it was. That was a fun night. Fair play. Fun. Well, I'm sure it was fun. Can't remember much of it, but I'm sure it was brilliant.
00:02:26 - 00:02:38
Hannah: It was definitely fun. And I remember you being absolutely hilarious. I think it was like the first proper time I've met you in person. Um, but do you not remember there was a bit of a mean girls vibe?
00:02:38 - 00:03:12
Katy: Totally. 100%, Yes. I mean actually was standing in the toilet, and, um, this woman came up to me, so I was there for my. My blog. Carry on, Katy. And I was up for um, was it Fresh Voice award or something like that or, you know, whatever. That's like a best newcomer or something. And I was standing in the toilet and this, this mum blogger came over to me and she went, Oh, she goes, You're Katy, are you? She goes, God, you're so much older than I thought you'd be. Oh, she said that to me, the toilet. I was like, oh, okay. Thanks. Yeah. Like, what are you supposed to say?
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Hannah: That's like so many insults in one.
00:03:14 - 00:03:20
Katy: I know. I just smiled. And you know, what can you say? It's like, Yeah, you know, I'm of an age. Yeah.
00:03:21 - 00:03:23
Hannah: I am mature. I promise.
00:03:23 - 00:03:28
Katy: Yeah. Mean was a lot younger then. When was that? 2015. Yeah.
00:03:28 - 00:03:34
Hannah: 2016. I think I sort of stopped blogging pretty soon after that. Yeah.
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Katy: Yeah.
00:03:36 - 00:03:38
Hannah: Maybe that experience put me off.
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Katy: Well, it was. It was quite kind of. It did feel a little bit like one of those, like, school movies in high school and you got like, the cool crowd and then everyone else is like, you know.
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Hannah: Sitting around the edges being like, Oh, we're still quirky.
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Katy: Yeah. It's like, nobody likes me. Who can I talk to?
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Hannah: It's so silly, though, because I'm sure everybody feels like that, even when you're in the crowd.
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Katy: Exactly. I mean I did it. I did it twice, actually. I did go back another time. Um, I think it was the following year. I don't think you were at that one and didn't know a soul. I didn't know a soul. And I was just sitting there kind of twiddling my thumbs. I think I spent most of the time hiding in the toilets. Yeah, but. But it was full of, like, A-list A-lister kind of writers and bloggers. So I sat on a table, like with young mumsy mum who was lush and and a few other people, and I just thought, Oh, and Hoorah for Gin was there. She's, she's amazing. But I just didn't have the guts to talk to anyone so yeah. Probably would now mind. But yeah.
00:04:39 - 00:04:41
Hannah: Now you've got your own accolades.
00:04:41 - 00:04:43
Katy: Well, not really. I wouldn't go that far.
00:04:45 - 00:04:51
Hannah: Because since then you've written your hilarious and honest. Well, you're blogging obviously. And then your book.
00:04:51 - 00:05:00
Katy: Yeah, the blog. I haven't written anything on the blog for a while because I've just been too busy trying to write books. I mean, I've written two books now and it takes. Time.
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Hannah: I don't know how you've done it.
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Katy: It takes ages. Yeah. So the next one is out on June the 1st. So you have to go through all the editing stages and it's just, you know, rewriting whole chunks of it and pulling stuff out and moving stuff around. It takes hours. So yeah, I've had no time to blog. Yeah.
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Hannah: You are very active on your socials though.
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Katy: Yeah, so
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Hannah: When I say blog that's what I mean. I'm like,
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Katy: Oh, is it
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Hannah: Instagram posts. And you know, you're writing lengthy chunks of stuff. They probably could be considered a blog back in the day.
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Katy: Yeah, I suppose so. Yeah. Good point.
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Hannah: Yeah, I think it's just slightly changed. I was. Do you remember, um, What Katy Said?
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Katy: Yes, I think so.
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Hannah: Very dark hair. She's still very much blogging. And so I interviewed her back before Christmas, and she was just kind of re-explaining what the landscape is like these days.
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Katy: Yeah, she got, like, brown, curly hair and she puts up. She's got three kids.
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Hannah: Yeah. Decluttered and things like that.
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Katy: Yeah. Yeah. No, Yeah. Follow her. Yeah.
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Hannah: Yeah. So she's obviously done really, really well, but she was saying how everything went hugely Instagram after I stopped and now it's more like your blog is like editorial content.
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Katy: Oh, really?
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Katy: You see, I don't understand Instagram. I'm a, I'm a Facebook person, and I think I know how it works. And when's the right time for me to post and all that sort of stuff. But Instagram haven't got a clue. I don't know how to share stuff. I don't know how to add links, don't know what a story is. I don't know what the difference between a story and a reel is. I've got no idea. And I've tried asking like the youth, you know, the youth of our generation. And they don't.
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Hannah: Maybe they don't wnow. They're like, err TikTok?
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Katy: Yeah, well, yeah, TikTok is another one, you see. So. So TikTok. Um, I was on tour last year, right? It was. It was right as my first book M is for Mummy came out and I was on tour with Michael Bublé, and I thought, you know what? I'm going to ask him if he'll hold the book and, you know, take a photograph with it. Um, and I've never I've been working with him for like 20 years and I've never asked him for a photo or anything. I'm always like, cool and thought, you know what I could really do with some help. So I said to him, I was like, Um, actually my friend said she had the balls to do it. She was like, Michael, is there any way you could just hold that book? And, and he was like, um.
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Hannah: And do this with your mouth? I'm smiling.
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Katy: Yes, please. And he was like, Oh, my God, you've written a book. That's amazing. He goes, Let's do a TikTok about it. And I was like, Yeah, okay, that'll be amazing. And he was so excited about it. And he was like, Right, give me the book. I'm going to go and I need to come up with an idea concept, you know, because you can't just stand there and hold the book and be like, buy the book. He needed to have a funny way of presenting it.
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Hannah: Oh really?
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Katy: So yeah, well, yeah, if you if you look at his channel, he does really funny things like voice overs and yeah, he's really funny. So, um, so we took the book away for a couple of days and I was thinking, Oh, he's not going to do it. He's not going to do. He's forgotten. He's forgotten and he hadn't forgotten. He kept on coming up and being like, Katy, I've got an idea and thought, Oh my God, he knows my name. Can't believe it was ridiculous. You know, even though I've worked with him for 20 years, I was like thought, Oh my God, how weird. You know my name. That's amazing. And, um, one night, I can't remember where we were in a field somewhere. He was like, Right. He goes, I've got done the video. Let's post it now. He goes, What shall I write? So he was standing there with me and he goes, What's your TikTok handle? So I was like, Oh my God,
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Hannah: Did you create one?
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Katy: Yeah, well, I have an account. So I opened it. And then he was at this point there was literally like 20,000 people waiting for him to go on stage. Like they were all screaming. You could hear them all screaming. And he's standing there with me trying to write this thing. And I was like, Michael, listen, we can do this later. It's totally fine. Just go on, go and sing.
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Hannah: Do the thing you're here for.
00:08:42 - 00:10:39
Katy: And then this is not a hurry you're here for. Yeah, It's like, Dude, it's fine. And he was like, No, no, no, we're going to get it done now. We're going to get it done now. And so he goes like, Load up your TikTok for me. And I loaded it up and he looked across and he was like, Oh, I had like 37 followers. And his face, he was like, horrified. Yeah. He was like, okay, right. Well, we've got to get you some more followers. And then he posted it on his channel like, Let's blow this girl's TikTok up. And then I bought him a present to say thank you because I just thought, what a lush guy to, like, help me, you know, promote it. He didn't have to do that. So I went out and bought him a silly sausage. You know that game where it's like a sausage and you got to, like. It's funny. It's a real fun. It's for kids, but like, it's funny. It's a sausage with like, a funny face on it. And it's like you pass it around, it's funny. And. And I bought him, um, uh, he's really into ice hockey, and I bought him an ice hockey Cardiff Devils jumper which had couriered to the middle of Warwick Castle. Um, and anyway, so I went to go and give it to him and, and he was like, No, no. He goes, This is exactly the sort of thing you should be putting on your TikTok. He was like this. He goes, Go away and come back and give it to me again. But this time film it. So all of my friends are standing there, all the other. Players. Yeah. And there I am giving him this sausage. And I said to him something like, Um, here's the funniest sausage you'll ever play with. Give him the give him the sausage. And he was like, I doubt that. He was like that. But, um, yeah, but even even filming that, even having a video of him, it only had about 15,000 views, you know, because. Just don't know. Yeah. Just don't know how it works at all where you know, his video of him holding the book had like 4 or 500,000. Yeah but yeah I mean even, I mean that's how hard it is, I think, to be seen on social media. You just have to know you know what you're doing and don't know what I'm doing basically, apart from on Facebook, you know. So
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Hannah: I've got Facebook nailed. Yeah, you do. Whenever I'm on, I'm like, oh she's got loads of likes.
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Katy: Well yeah, the people seem to like the more, kind of, um, the more emotional stuff, the more sensitive stuff I find, you know? Yeah. Much more than the funny stuff, you know? So like, they like posts about my kids and autism and how they're getting on and they want to know. And I've had quite a few mums writing in to me saying, my child's in the same boat, can you help me? Like, what? Can you suggest anything? There's like literally hundreds of people who have children like mine who are stuck, you know? So, um, yeah, I'm actually might write a blog about it today, my first blog in a long time. So yeah.
00:11:21 - 00:11:23
Hannah: I guess you've written two books about it too.
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Katy: Yeah, yeah. But the stuff that's more I mean, the second book is what happens when the autistic character Stanley goes to school. So I'm actually holding the proof of it here, look.
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Hannah: Oooo. Lovely. So that's coming out in June, isn't it? The motherload
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Katy: June the 1st yeah. But that's, that's not the actual copy. That's a proof copy that's going out to like early readers and reviewers and book bloggers and stuff. Yeah. It's pretty though isn't it?
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Hannah: It's really good.
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Katy: But um, yeah. And that's what happens when the little. So the first one is about the little boys like four years old. And the second one is when he goes to school and what happens. But I'm hoping to write later. I want to write what happens when he goes to comprehensive school and things like that, because that's more, you know, got a lot of material for that.
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Hannah: You're living that now, aren't you?
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Katy: Oh, I am. It's it's like this you know.
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Hannah: Yeah.
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Katy: It's very up and down so. And the hormones aren't helping at all. God bless him. So. Yeah.
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Hannah: And you've they're quite your boys are quite similar in age. Like there's not much in it is there.
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Katy: No, there are two years. Yeah. They're both very, very different you know. So the older one is a lot more kind of, um. He's a lot more kind of blunt and kind of explosive, but the little one's like a little he's like a little cherub angel and he's very sensitive and sweet, you know, to your face. And then behind your back, he'll, like, memorise your credit card information and buy whatever he wants. Yeah, literally does. Yeah. He. He bought himself.
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Hannah: as a child.
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Katy: He is. It's not even a case of like, he clicked buy it now button. He literally memorised the 16 digits and the expiry date and the three numbers and he bought himself a lot of robux you know.
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Hannah: Sweet.
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Katy: So we had to, like, break our cards and order more in and hide them from him.
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Hannah: Blank out the details on the.
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Katy: Yeah. He's got like, an insane memory, but like, you know, you would never think he would do that because he's so sweet and like. Yeah.
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Hannah: See, on your TikTok. I've seen him dancing. Dancing in the street.
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Katy: Yeah, that was in New York. Isn't that so sweet? Yeah.
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Hannah: I loved it. I wanted to join in.
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Katy: It's proper kind of festive Christmas, you know, Samaritan's Buckets with the. Yeah, that was, like, a lush day. But, yeah, we took them to New York because they were obsessed with America, but they were really young. I can't believe we did it. They were like six and four or something or and we literally took them in the snow at Christmas time and, you know, all over New York. And of course, the older one became obsessed with pressing buttons on the lifts. And everywhere has got a lift, hasn't it? There's all skyscrapers.
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Katy: Like elf.
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Katy: Yeah but if anyone else pressed the button, he'd go mental. So he was like screaming at old ladies. And then he ended up having a meltdown in the middle of Macy's because someone touched the button before him. So yeah, it was. It was fun. It was a fun, fun challenge.
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Hannah: Oh, God, yeah. When you think of like so some of the stories you tell in M for Mummy, it's like I've experienced some with the child. I guess the difference is, is every time you go out you're like.
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Katy: Yeah, you have to know like what's going to what might be a trigger and kind of avoid that at all costs. So for example, like whatever we do on holiday, any holiday that we go on, whatever happens on day one, that's what will happen every single day. So especially with my older son, he will expect
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Hannah: That's the theme
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Katy: Yeah, he will. He will expect to sit in the same seat, eat the same food and do literally exactly the same thing. So when we went to New York, we took him to the M&M store on the first day and then and there's a machine in there where you can stand on it and it tells you what colour M&M you are. And straight away he was like, I love this. And so we had to go there every single day and he had to go on it five times. And so no matter where we were, we were schlepping across New York in the snow because we had to do the M&Ms.
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Hannah: Gotta do that first, and then we'll go from there.
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Katy: Yeah. So it's, um, it's difficult. But yeah, he's getting better as he gets older. He's much more open to trying different things. But the last holiday we went on, he spent a lot of the time pacing backwards and forwards in the corridor of our hotel because he just wanted to think. He calls it thinking time. So we were quite restricted. We couldn't really go out and do things, you know, like like most families probably would. I don't know. But yeah. It's still nice to be away in the sunshine.
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Hannah: It is, sit on a balcony. You can walk along the corridor. Yeah.
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Katy: Whatever floats your boat, I guess, isn't it?
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Hannah: Yeah. So how much of the book. Because I was thinking it was an it was like a memoir and then, you know, got into it in the main character is called Lucy, who is, like, hilarious. By the time I'd finished the book, I spent about a week. Whenever I did something stupid, I'd be like, It feels like something Lucy would do or. Or. I wonder what she'd make of this. Like at one point one night, I was, um. I'd already got into bed. I'd switched the light off, and I was like, I'm really thirsty. So I got up, got a glass of water, and then spotted some waxing strips on the sides that I'd bought earlier to see if I could have a go at doing my own bikini line.
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Katy: Oo yeah.
00:16:40 - 00:16:55
Hannah: So I thought I'd practice on my own lip. And then before I knew, it was like stood with like a waxing strip stuck on my lip after I'd already gone to bed at like 11:30. And then I had to try and, you know, whip it off. And I was like, this is definitely something Lucy would do.
00:16:57 - 00:17:02
Katy: And me, that's definitely something. I've got some terrible waxing stories for you, but I just.
00:17:03 - 00:17:05
Hannah: FYI I cannot wax my own bikini line that.
00:17:07 - 00:17:26
Katy: Don't do it. It's not worth it. I mean, I've had some some awful, awful mishaps in that area. And in fact, actually in the second book, there's an entire chapter devoted to when Lucy goes and has her her fanny waxed for she's going on holiday. She's going on a caravan holiday. And there's a whole thing of.
00:17:26 - 00:17:28
Hannah: Why would you need your fanny waxed for a caravan holiday?!
00:17:29 - 00:17:48
Katy: Because she's got to get in the pool and she's worried about what strangers will think of her mum bod. So she and she's hoping she's hoping that her and Ed are going to have a bit of, um, you know, a horizontal mambo. Yeah. And, you know, and basically, Charlie, her best friend, tells her that her bits look like, um, like Brian May.
00:17:51 - 00:17:52
Katy: Yeah. The chapter is called Brian May.
00:17:53 - 00:17:55
Hannah: We've all been there. Yeah.
00:17:55 - 00:18:01
Katy: So she needs to sort out her Brian May so that Ed can find her pleasure pip. That's a direct quote.
00:18:01 - 00:18:05
Hannah: Oh, that's lovely. You've got such a beautiful way with words.
00:18:05 - 00:18:05
Katy: I know.
00:18:06 - 00:18:12
Hannah: What was it I messaged you when I was partway through? It was something like the 10 10 tits or something. No, a six pack of tits.
00:18:12 - 00:18:13
Katy: Oh, yeah.
00:18:13 - 00:18:18
Hannah: She's trying on a bra and I'm like, oh yeah, I've got quite a few back and front.
00:18:18 - 00:18:33
Katy: I mean, actually it's really more like 12 because you get six at the front and six at the back don't you. Like if the bra is too tight it's the overhang. Yeah. So yeah, I've got about 12 or so right now actually I need to sort myself out.
00:18:33 - 00:18:34
Hannah: You're looking great.
00:18:35 - 00:18:41
Katy: Oh, I'm not. I'm feeling. I'm feeling tired and old today, I got to say. But, um, you know, it is what it is.
00:18:41 - 00:18:48
Hannah: Do you not think it's partly like in our heads, though, because, honestly, you look fantastic. I know about this.
00:18:49 - 00:18:55
Katy: Look at the bags. You know, gorgeous. And the chin hair, the moustache. It's not great.
00:18:55 - 00:18:58
Hannah: Well, mine isn't much better thanks to midnight lip wax.
00:19:00 - 00:19:11
Katy: Yeah. Amen to that. Maybe I should give it a go. I'm a little bit afraid that I'll, like, rip it off and it'll pull off my whole face, you know? I mean, these are things I've been tested. I'm sure they're okay. They're safe.
00:19:12 - 00:19:19
Hannah: Partially, yeah. So, yeah. Is it. I mean, some of these stories, are they autobiographical or is it just.
00:19:19 - 00:20:20
Katy: This is such a tricky question. So, um, yes, it's basically pretty much all of it is true. Um, some of it's a lot of it. Some of it is exaggerated. So for example, the Doctor Tom situation in the book. So when the character, her best friend ends up going out with the guy who delivered her baby, that is based on when I was having my stitches in hospital and the doctor doing it was called Tom. And I know this because I met him a week earlier in an antenatal appointment. And so when he was doing my stitches, I asked him if he was single because I thought he was rather handsome. I know. I thought he was rather handsome. I thought he'd make a great boyfriend for my, um, one of my best friend who was single at the time. So that's where the inspiration from that came from. And I did ask him if he had GCSE textiles when he was doing it as well. That did happen, but the characters are all kind of like a mishmash of my friends.
00:20:22 - 00:20:24
Hannah: Yeah I love Charlie. She's hilarious.
00:20:24 - 00:20:33
Katy: But my, my, my best friend says to me that she thinks that I am Charlie, so she thinks I've written myself as Charlie. Yeah. Um, like.
00:20:33 - 00:20:50
Hannah: She's almost like Sergeant Major Horsey type. Yeah, because I did the audiobook, um, because I was doing loads of driving when I was doing my yoga teacher training and I was like, Oh, I'll listen to this as I'm driving backwards and forwards. And the voice she gives Charlie is like quite. Come on, girls.
00:20:51 - 00:20:57
Katy: Yeah, that's exactly what she's like. Yeah. That's so good. Come on, girls. Right. You know, call in the cavalry. Yeah, she's. She's great.
00:20:58 - 00:21:00
Hannah: Let's get a sparkly cock on your head, and let's get partying.
00:21:01 - 00:21:10
Katy: Yeah. Yeah. Haven't listened to all of it. Actually, I've only listened to, like, a few chapters, but, I mean, she was great. The actress, wasn't she?
00:21:11 - 00:21:13
Hannah: Yeah, she's. Yeah, she's really good.
00:21:13 - 00:21:24
Katy: But yeah, so it is, it is true. But a lot of the, um, some of the characters. So for example, the character of Stanley, the little boy he is, both of my children merged into one.
00:21:24 - 00:21:25
Hannah: Okay.
00:21:25 - 00:21:32
Katy: Um, but he's more like my older son. He talks away, my older son does. So my. My older son talks in lists. Um, you know, number 1.
00:21:32 - 00:21:34
Hannah: I have 17 things to tell you.
00:21:34 - 00:21:48
Katy: Yeah, that's what he does. He literally does that. And then he'll pace backwards and forwards as he's telling you. He does it less now. But when he was little, he did it a lot. And, um, and the mother in law character, which is a bit of a tricky one because I didn't want my own mother in law to think it was her.
00:21:50 - 00:21:52
Hannah: Yeah. You had to do somebody else's mother in law. Yeah.
00:21:52 - 00:22:04
Katy: Well, what she is actually a combination of about 5 or 6 mother in laws rolled into one of all, you know, experiences that my friends have had with theirs. Um, yeah, but all true.
00:22:05 - 00:22:08
Hannah: Isn't it funny to think, we're going to be one of those one day.
00:22:08 - 00:22:18
Katy: Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, I don't want my kids to be with anyone that you know, they're going to stay with me forever and I'm going to make them dinners and that's that. And, you know, I just don't trust anyone else to be nice to them, frankly.
00:22:18 - 00:22:20
Hannah: Well, no, exactly.
00:22:20 - 00:22:24
Katy: Yeah. Just lock them up and keep them at home, you know?
00:22:24 - 00:22:38
Hannah: Yeah. And speaking of interesting women, is Marcia a dick? So Marcia is one of the The Mummy characters or is she just misunderstood? Do we do we get to see a bit more of her?
00:22:39 - 00:22:47
Katy: I think in the second in the second book she's she's in it. Yeah. Marcia is a dick. But we all know that Dick, don't we. We all do.
00:22:47 - 00:22:53
Hannah: I was going to say, like, we've all met that person, but I worry that there's a bit of that in all of us as well.
00:22:53 - 00:22:57
Katy: I don't think so. It's not in you. I'd be able to see it, but there's.
00:22:57 - 00:22:58
Hannah: Oh good
00:22:58 - 00:23:51
Katy: There are those. Yeah. You're not a dick. You're not a dick. But I mean it, man. But, um. Yeah, you do meet those women. And I found there's a lot more of those women when I was in London than. Than where I live now in Wales. But they're definitely there. And they're very kind of like, you know, Well, my son is doing this, this and this, and, you know, and then especially if you have a child that's not meeting their like, milestones, it's just it's really hard anyway without having someone rub it in your face. And I've had a few, a few people like that do that to me. And um, was in the park one time and this woman was like, um, my, my son. I put him down on the floor and there was like wood chippings on the floor and they were getting caught in his sandals and he refused to stand on the ground. And she was like, Oh, you know, your child is autistic. etc. etc. This is before I knew. And she just made this kind of, like, huge, kind of get that to you.
00:23:51 - 00:23:52
Hannah: She said that to you?
00:23:52 - 00:24:06
Katy: Well she did yeah. Yeah. She was just like, oh, your child has sensory issues. He's obviously autistic. And I was like, Dude, I don't even know you for you to say that. And yeah, like people just chip in and make comments and like, yeah, go away. Turns out she was right though.
00:24:06 - 00:24:08
Hannah: F*ck her.
00:24:09 - 00:24:09
Katy: Yeah!
00:24:10 - 00:24:11
Hannah: There's a place to be right.
00:24:12 - 00:24:51
Katy: Yeah. Go away, man. Yeah, but it's, uh. Yeah. So Marcia is based again on quite a few women that I've met in my time. Rolled into one. Yeah, I mean, at one point, I wrote the mother in law character and, um, gave it to my friend, and she said, You have to make her not so bad because she's not believable. And I'm like, Well, some of the things that my mother in law's, you know, of my friends have done, these things have actually happened that are so outrageous. But actually it was considered not believable. But it's true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I had to soften her up a bit, you know? I know, I know.
00:24:53 - 00:25:25
Hannah: She's very good, though. I can totally imagine that sort of just, I guess a bit of 'my son can do no wrong'. Yeah. Head in the sand type. Thing and then it's, you know, don't want to spoil the book, but it takes Lucy to kind of work a few things out and be like, Oh, yeah, yeah. It's, yeah, yeah. Interesting. And just yeah, some of the meltdowns you describe, it's like. It's so physical.
00:25:26 - 00:25:30
Katy: Yeah. The one in the book, actually, that again, is based.
00:25:30 - 00:25:33
Hannah: The McDonald's one had me in tears.
00:25:33 - 00:25:34
Katy: Did it? Oh.
00:25:35 - 00:25:38
Hannah: Because you can just imagine, like, how physically exhausting it is.
00:25:43 - 00:26:50
Katy: It is really sad. The McDonald's one is complete fiction, actually. But the one at the birthday party, that actually did happen and it happened when we were moving back to Wales from London. And one of the kids that was going to be in his new class was having a birthday party. And so they, you know, we were invited so he could get to know his class members. And anyway, we were in the the party. He was probably around. Probably around five or something, 5 or 6. And in the party he was doing really well. And, you know, with all these kids, he didn't know. And then they they had, you know, those chocolate Cadbury's chocolate finger rolls and he went to go and get one because everyone else had one and they'd run out. And because of that, he just completely lost it. And we had to me and my sister had to carry him outside and he was literally punching and kicking both of us and two of us, you know, grown adults couldn't, like, hold him, basically. So you're like, lay him down on the floor. And this is at the point where all of his future classmates were leaving with their party bags and their balloons and. And it was.
00:26:50 - 00:26:50
Hannah: And their finger rolls.
00:26:51 - 00:27:12
Katy: Yeah. And their finger rolls. Little punks. Yeah. And he was just lying on the floor, like, completely. It was the worst meltdown he's ever had. Like, ever. And then, you see, when he. When he comes out of it, then he's completely he's as white as a sheet, and he's just kind of really, really sad, you know, about it. It's really sad. So that's what that was based on. Yeah. Um, bless him.
00:27:13 - 00:27:24
Hannah: And do you like, was that the kind of thing that going forward you were able to avoid because you like I can imagine it was like total overwhelm meeting all these brand new people
00:27:24 - 00:27:24
Katy: Yeah.
00:27:24 - 00:27:41
Hannah: I mean, just not having something. I've got fundamental memories from when I was like 2 or 3 being at a disco and they ran out of a hot dog and it's been one of those memories that have stayed with me of like, um, it's almost like self-worth related.
00:27:42 - 00:27:42
Katy: Yeah!
00:27:42 - 00:27:45
Hannah: They didn't have enough for me. And nobody got me one or, you know,
00:27:46 - 00:27:47
Katy: Oh love I'm sorry!
00:27:47 - 00:27:50
Hannah: though, like, you know, it happens, doesn't it? And
00:27:50 - 00:28:17
Katy: It does. Yeah. But you see, it wasn't about the chocolate finger roll, it was about mean. And this is the thing, you don't realise it at the time. And now that I'm kind of more experienced and I know him better, I never would have put him in that position and taken him there in the first place. But it was about not only the stress of moving house, but the fact that he was going to be and it was building and building and building. And then basically the chocolate roll was just what, you know, broke the camel's back, you know? Um, yeah, my, my younger.
00:28:17 - 00:28:22
Hannah: Could have been anything. It might have been having a blue balloon instead of a red balloon and your party bag or.
00:28:22 - 00:28:50
Katy: Yeah. And so, but, so if someone didn't know him or the situation, they'd probably be like, oh, you know, what's going on with him? The spoilt little thing, you know, didn't get a chocolate roll, pull yourself together. It's like, no, it's not about that at all. It's about it's so complex. Yeah. And that's what he's like now. So he'll, he'll hold it in for ages and ages and ages and then one day he'll just explode. So more recently he exploded and ran away from school and he hasn't been back since. So for a whole year he held it together.
00:28:50 - 00:28:56
Hannah: Facebook things. But it sounds like some real positives have come out of it. Yeah.
00:28:56 - 00:29:53
Katy: Yeah. So I've now enrolled him. So he basically had a huge meltdown and he actually punched someone. He punched his best friend who's a lush, lush kid who really cares about him. But you know how boys are. They were bantering with him and teasing him, but just in jest. But he just cannot take that at all. And he just completely lost it, punched his friend and ran away. Um, and the school didn't even let me know he'd gone missing. Just absolutely shocking. And so by the time found him. He was in full meltdown. And he said, I'm never going back. And I was like, Fine, you're not. Yeah. So he's been home ever since and he's literally like a different kid. And we've signed him up to an online school. And then he went away on that adventure weekend last week. Um, and all the kids in his dorm were autistic and they were all lush and he had like the best time. So it's now he wants to, he's only doing three subjects at the moment, but now he wants to do way more. So he's, he's in it to stay. Just got to find the money to pay for it so.
00:29:54 - 00:29:55
Hannah: What, online school?
00:29:55 - 00:29:57
Katy: Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:57 - 00:29:57
Hannah: Pay for it.
00:29:58 - 00:30:17
Katy: Yeah. It's like proper teachers, you know, lessons. And if you miss a lesson, you can, like, watch it back and, you know, you have homework and, you know, it's like an accredited proper school, but, you know, you got to pay for it. So. But it's not it's not anywhere near as expensive as like a private school. But you've still got to pay for it, you know, And I'm a I'm a poor musician, so, um.
00:30:18 - 00:30:20
Hannah: I think you need to tap Mr. Bublé up.
00:30:20 - 00:30:30
Katy: Yeah, Either that could try the Bublé, or I could sell a kidney or just, you know, do some hooking or something. I don't know. Awesome. I don't know. Iron naked on the Internet.
00:30:31 - 00:30:33
Hannah: Maybe we'll just get everybody to buy your book.
00:30:34 - 00:30:35
Katy: Oh, that would be great. Yeah, that.
00:30:35 - 00:30:39
Hannah: Should we do that? Why don't we sell the thing you've got?
00:30:40 - 00:30:47
Katy: Yeah. And then if all that falls apart, then I'll sell something or, you know, go down King's Cross and do what needs to be done for the city.
00:30:47 - 00:30:48
Hannah: Let me know. I'll come too
00:30:49 - 00:30:50
Katy: Yeah. Thanks, man.
00:30:52 - 00:31:15
Hannah: Oh, so, um, obviously, like, you've. You've got one teenager and one nearly teenager. Do you feel like support for you and, you know, your son's with autism has changed at all? Or is it sounds like there's still a lot. Further to go if he's not getting the support he needs from school.
00:31:16 - 00:31:34
Katy: In terms of support, I get absolutely nothing at all. And this is what happened in the second book. I mean, she talks about it. And if you talk to anyone whose children have been diagnosed with autism, ADHD or whatever, you literally get handed a piece of paper saying, yes, your child is autistic. See you later,
00:31:34 - 00:31:35
Hannah: A certificate.
00:31:35 - 00:33:38
Katy: Yeah, yeah. And you get like the only thing is that you can apply for like a disability allowance. Okay. But I mean, my youngest son was having a lot of problems with his mental health, and I contacted CAMHS, you know, the mental health, and they basically zoomed in to the top of the queue and they called me up and the moment they found out he was autistic, they're like, Oh, no, we don't help autistic children. We're not trained for that. And they basically said, no, they couldn't do anything for him because he's autistic. Um, yeah, because apparently your anxiety comes from a different place. I mean, just, you know, he's a child. He's. He's incredibly anxious. You know, you have the skills to help him, but they wouldn't help him. So basically, no one helps. At school there's various things. You know, there's like, um, you know, they take him out a couple of times a week and stuff, and he has like a regulation station. This is the little one now. And he goes on a beanbag and just chills out behind a screen. But um, but yeah, other than that, there is nothing. So it's a case of having to either pay for services yourself or, there's an amazing online community of like, you know, families in my position. So I'm kind of get a lot of advice, get a lot of advice from autistic people as well, which is a really good thing to do. Yeah. So, um, one of them is a guy called Chris Bonello. He's amazing. He's autistic, not weird. And you can write in there and he will, you know, other autistic people will answer your questions and help you. So that's the best thing to do, to speak to somebody who's actually been through it, who was going through it. But yeah, but there is no support. It's really sad. And I see so many parents, Oh, my child is on the waiting list, you know, to be assessed. And what they don't realise is that if and when they are, that's it. It's sort of game over. There's, you know, there's, there's no one, there's no magic kind of service that's going to help you or help help your child because you just have to. You're kind of on your own. It's sad, isn't it?
00:33:39 - 00:33:40
Hannah: Yeah, it is.
00:33:41 - 00:33:42
Katy: It really is. Yeah.
00:33:43 - 00:33:57
Hannah: And that's why, you know, things like your Facebook community is so thriving is because you're offering real stories. You know, there'll be people that are kind of behind you with younger children that are like, okay, now what?
00:33:58 - 00:34:41
Katy: Yeah. And there's also there's people with like grown up children who've written to me saying, God, I wish, you know, my child is so unhappy at school, You know, they're an adult now. I wish that I'd taken them out. I wish I was brave enough to do it. Um. You know, So it's just whatever you do. You're constantly living with kind of like guilt and anxiety and like, is this the right thing. How can you know? Is he going to be okay? How about, you know, how are you making the right decisions? It's massive. Um, I have no idea if I'm doing the right thing. I'm just winging it for now. But what I will say is that he is significantly happier. Um, but I'm worried that, you know, in the future, is he going to be really isolated? What happens if I drop dead tomorrow? How is he going to cope? Um.
00:34:42 - 00:34:48
Hannah: The fact he's now got a whole community of friends. Yeah. Yeah.
00:34:48 - 00:34:54
Katy: And they're not physically in person here. They're all dotted around all over the country. But, you know, he's in touch with them.
00:34:54 - 00:35:02
Hannah: And that's the same as, like, my son's friends. When he comes home, doesn't really see them. He's just online with them and. Yeah.
00:35:02 - 00:35:03
Katy: How old is he, your son?
00:35:03 - 00:35:04
Hannah: He's ten now.
00:35:04 - 00:35:06
Katy: Ten. Oh.
00:35:06 - 00:35:18
Hannah: So, you know, they see they've got their mates at school and he does football and things like that. But really, once they come home, it's not like when I was a kid and you'd go round to your mate's house and we'd play. It's it's all online, isn't it?
00:35:19 - 00:35:42
Katy: Exactly. I mean, frankly, you know, I don't think I'd want my kids out anyway in the streets these days. It's like, you know, I'd be too frightened to let them out, but they don't want to go out anyway. But yeah, I mean, it is different. We socialise in a different way now, don't we? I mean, really, there's no need to leave the house ever. You can do schooling, you can do degrees online, can't you? You can work from home.
00:35:42 - 00:35:45
Hannah: I mean from our houses.
00:35:45 - 00:35:55
Katy: Yeah. Just lovely. Like hanging out in your pyjamas, doing a bit of maths, whatever, you know, have some cake. Nice. So, yeah, I don't know,
00:35:55 - 00:36:05
Hannah: like the, um. I always think homeschooling is really tough though. If you're the one who's going to be at home making sure they're doing it.
00:36:06 - 00:36:50
Katy: Yeah. I mean, he was so desperate to not go to school that he kind of he's thrown himself into this and he's like, No, I really want to do this because and I'm like, It's okay. We'll just, you know, take it easy. We haven't got to do like ten subjects. And, you know, so we're kind of easing him in. But he's determined to make it work because he just doesn't he won't even leave the house at school times. He doesn't want to bump into anyone from the local school. And then we've got a couple of neighbours, you know, two doors up who go to that school and he won't walk out our front door until he knows there's no one there because he's so traumatised by his time there. So, um, yeah, so, so I mean I personally couldn't have sat and taught him because in lockdown it was a disaster. I mean, was it the same for you?
00:36:50 - 00:36:51
Hannah: It was the worst.
00:36:51 - 00:37:21
Katy: Yeah. Yeah. It's like, let's do this. No, no. You know, you're not my teacher. Yeah. Yeah, you have the same thing. It's horrendous, wasn't it? And had all these great ideas. I was like, Cool, let's get some Pokemon characters and write a paragraph describing them. And they were like, No, no. And I was like and made I made a shop and got all these items out and put prices on them. Let's do a shop and add everything up. No, I was like, You know, my teacher's way more fun than you. And I'm like, I'm really fun. I object to that, object.
00:37:21 - 00:37:25
Hannah: I'm so fun. You should see what people write about me online.
00:37:25 - 00:37:46
Katy: Yeah, I'm, like, so fun. Yeah, but they they didn't see it that way, so there was no way. There's no way I could teach it myself. I can't do it. So that's why we're doing this online school. Yeah. Yeah. So at least he has to answer to other adults, you know? So they say, Can you do this? And he'll do it. But if I ask him to do it, it'll be a flat out hell no. Yeah.
00:37:46 - 00:37:56
Hannah: My mum was a primary school teacher for years and she said it was easier teaching a group of 30 kids than it was my or me or my little brother. Anything.
00:37:56 - 00:38:18
Katy: Yeah. Yeah, I can totally relate. I mean, I used to teach kids usually, like one on one, like teaching them the cello and things like that. But then go to teach my own children, try to teach them the piano. I mean, literally throwing stuff at me and I've got no patience. I just, you know, I got patience with everybody else's children, but not mine. You know.
00:38:18 - 00:38:29
Hannah: They're just different. Everybody performs a bit more, don't they, when they're like, think they're being watched? Yeah. Everybody that isn't their parents, you're just an extension of them as far as they're concerned.
00:38:29 - 00:38:36
Katy: Yeah, that's true. Yeah. Couldn't do it. But there's other luckily don't have to do it so yeah.
00:38:37 - 00:38:41
Hannah: Teach other people's kids. So you're like total rock star then?
00:38:41 - 00:38:42
Katy: I'm not a rock star at all.
00:38:42 - 00:38:44
Hannah: Is your husband as well?
00:38:44 - 00:39:03
Katy: My husband, um, plays the bass guitar. Um, he's lush, he plays his main gig is Rick Astley. So, um, yeah, yeah, he does. So he's been doing that for quite a long time. Um, and they're, they're doing all the festivals this year and then think they're going on tour at the end of the year.
00:39:03 - 00:39:05
Hannah: So he's away quite a lot.
00:39:06 - 00:39:30
Katy: Um, he, he was away a lot kind of when we first moved here, like Rick was really busy, but so far this year. He hasn't done as much. So he's sort of one minute he's on stage in front of thousands of people or he's like in his Spiderman pyjamas, you know, making toast for the kids. So it's, it's very, um, you know, all or nothing with him. Yeah. So at the moment, I'm the breadwinner.
00:39:31 - 00:39:36
Hannah: I was going to say, if you're off, you know, hanging out with Michael Bublé, you're doing a tour soon, aren't you, with him?
00:39:37 - 00:39:43
Katy: Yeah, so our first gig is on Sunday this week in London, Is it? Sunday? Yeah, Sunday.
00:39:43 - 00:39:46
Hannah: Do you go and come back. Or is it like you're on the road now?
00:39:46 - 00:40:01
Katy: No. So it's very bitty, this tour. So there's two gigs in London and then there's nothing for two weeks. And then we're doing all like Manchester, Leeds, all of that. Yeah, I think that's at the end of. I don't even know what month it is. What month Is it now?
00:40:01 - 00:40:03
Hannah: It's currently March.
00:40:03 - 00:40:30
Katy: March. Yeah. It's sort of like it's more so the bulk of it's like the end of April and half of May. So yeah, some of the times we're staying out, some of the times I'm coming home. One of the gigs is in Cardiff, so it's down the road from me and Birmingham will commute that and stuff. And so luckily my husband's around so we can make it work. But if he was away then it would be, you know. It would be a nightmare, but got my mum and dad around the corner, so I'm sure they'd help. So, yeah.
00:40:31 - 00:40:36
Hannah: Uh, is your mum actually looking at everybody's fannies?
00:40:36 - 00:40:56
Katy: My mum has seen the fanny of everyone in my village. Yeah. Yes, Yes. And she's. She is Irish as well. And she's always saying she goes, I saw your teacher there today. And you know, she literally like and all of my friends that I went to school with, I'd say so-and-so was asking about you. Yeah. Because, you know, she was.
00:40:56 - 00:40:58
Hannah: Whilst their legs we're spread.
00:40:58 - 00:41:02
Katy: Yeah. Yeah. She. She has seen every fanny in the village. Yeah.
00:41:02 - 00:41:04
Hannah: Aww
00:41:04 - 00:41:13
Katy: Yeah. And then she's always telling me to wear my lipstick, you know, she'd be like, Where's your lipstick? You know, Because if I'm not wearing it, she thinks I'm, like, gravely ill. Are you okay? Where's your lipstick?
00:41:13 - 00:41:16
Hannah: You should get your lips tattooed. That's what I did.
00:41:16 - 00:41:24
Katy: Yeah. Is that. Oh, you've done that? Yeah. Oh, my God. So my sister has just done it as well. Literally last week. Yeah.
00:41:24 - 00:41:34
Hannah: Painful thing I've ever been involved in, but you can get lip numbing cream. So the second time she just put a ton of that on and it was great. But afterwards you're like.
00:41:35 - 00:41:37
Katy: You didn't have the numbing cream the first time.
00:41:37 - 00:41:46
Hannah: Well, I did, but I'm so sensitive. She was like, I'm going to have to get like a whole new tube just for you because I'm like the biggest baby haha.
00:41:47 - 00:41:50
Katy: Totally worth it though. You look like you're wearing gloss. It looks amazing.
00:41:50 - 00:41:51
Hannah: Do I?!
00:41:51 - 00:41:51
Katy: Yeah.
00:41:51 - 00:41:56
Hannah: I feel like it's gone in quite a bit lighter, but it's nice just having it there. So then you can be like.
00:41:58 - 00:42:03
Katy: My brows I'm going to do, I think because I don't have any, because I've plucked them all out in the 90s and they never came back.
00:42:03 - 00:42:11
Hannah: Yeah, look at mine. I can't be arsed though. I feel like it's going to that fashion's going to go and then I'll be like, Huh? See? I've got no eyebrows.
00:42:11 - 00:42:22
Katy: Yeah. You got a nice set, love. They're lovely. See, the mine are just not there. See, they're just plucked them all out when I was like 13. Yeah. They never came back.
00:42:22 - 00:42:33
Hannah: I shaved mine at one point, and then I think I slipped and it ended up being like, I had to do this with my fringe for anyone who can't see, I have my fringe in front of my face.
00:42:34 - 00:42:37
Katy: Um, we've all been there. We've all done things we shouldn't have done.
00:42:38 - 00:42:39
Hannah: We've all done it.
00:42:39 - 00:42:46
Katy: Yeah. When your mum says don't shave your legs, you'll regret it. And then you do. And then. Yeah, yeah, she was right. She was right.
00:42:46 - 00:42:56
Hannah: But that's because I wasn't educated the first time I shaved my legs. Like I think I was given £10 for something. So I went straight out and got a Gillette. Um.
00:42:57 - 00:42:58
Katy: Oh, Posh.
00:42:58 - 00:43:05
Hannah: Nobody told me that you're meant to wet your legs and use soap. So dry. Shave them.
00:43:06 - 00:43:07
Katy: Oh, my God.
00:43:07 - 00:43:12
Hannah: So my legs were so soft. They were like Barbies, but they look like a piece of ham.
00:43:13 - 00:43:36
Katy: It's like that scene in that movie, Cabin Fever. Have you seen that? When they get the girl? Um, there's like a virus in the water, and he's like, six people are staying in a cabin, and they all get this flesh eating virus. Oh, the girl sitting in the bathtub shaving her legs and her legs are, like, coming off, like. Yeah. And she's just sitting there crying, shaving her legs. It's really grim. But yeah, that's what I imagined when you said that, then.
00:43:37 - 00:43:42
Hannah: Yeah, that's basically what happened was like, feel how soft they are. Just don't look with your, you know, close your eyes.
00:43:43 - 00:43:47
Katy: Like Freddy Krueger face. Legs. Yeah. Nice. Oh, grim.
00:43:48 - 00:43:52
Hannah: Oh, well, Katy, thank you so much. This has been amazing.
00:43:52 - 00:43:55
Katy: I don't even know what we've talked about. It's really weird.
00:43:56 - 00:44:02
Hannah: This happens to me every time I get, like, all cold and sweaty afterwards, and I'm like, what did I say?
00:44:03 - 00:44:07
Katy: No, I'm thinking, what am I? I don't know what I've said about.
00:44:07 - 00:44:15
Hannah: I'll give you the synopsis or like the breakdown we've talked about Michael Bublé. Oh, yeah, we've talked about autism and your kids.
00:44:16 - 00:44:19
Katy: Oh, talked a lot about that. Go on a bit. I'm sorry.
00:44:19 - 00:44:27
Hannah: That's fine. Because I think from what you've been saying, people need to hear it because there'll be people who are just, you know, finding out that the kids have got it and they're like, now what?
00:44:29 - 00:44:33
Katy: Well. I don't know what the answer to that is, but what I would say is.
00:44:33 - 00:44:43
Hannah: Well, the first thing is buy your book M is for Mummy. Then follow your Facebook. And you've also mentioned a few people that you go to for support.
00:44:43 - 00:44:54
Katy: Actually, I think I will write a blog and I'll write down all the people that I follow who I think are amazing. And my number one favourite at the moment is Heidi Mavir. Do you know her?
00:44:54 - 00:44:55
Hannah: No.
00:44:55 - 00:45:11
Katy: Oh, she's amazing. As we speak, she's on her way to Downing Street to hand in a petition to stop the government fining people whose children can't go to school because of special needs and etcetera. She's amazing. She's my new Beyonce.
00:45:12 - 00:45:13
Hannah: Oh, lush.
00:45:13 - 00:45:15
Katy: Yeah. Go and check her out. She's really funny.
00:45:15 - 00:45:25
Hannah: Yeah. The other thing about autism, I think, is that loads of, like, grown up people, especially women, seem to be just finding out now.
00:45:28 - 00:45:41
Katy: Yeah! There's literally I, I know so many autistic adults, um, and some of which don't even think that they realise that they are as well, but can see the, see the traits in them.
00:45:41 - 00:45:42
Hannah: Yeah. Um, yeah.
00:45:42 - 00:46:23
Katy: And my husband, you know, is that, that is again what happens in the book, but that has happened in real life as well that we've decided, well he's decided to come to the conclusion that he is autistic as well. And it just kind of makes so much sense to how like how he handles the world and how his brain works and stuff. And yeah. And I think for him, it's kind of really it's really helped him, like, the self-awareness of it. And he's able to go back to his childhood and realise why certain things happened and why he found things so hard and. But yeah, but he found it. He found music and that sort of saved him, I guess. Yeah. All hail music. Brilliant. Yeah.
00:46:23 - 00:46:26
Hannah: Oh, I've got one rockstar story for you.
00:46:26 - 00:46:27
Katy: Oh, go on, love it.
00:46:29 - 00:47:02
Hannah: At this very moment. Remember the M people? Yeah. So, shovel, Who was the, um. The percussionist in the M People? He lives near me, and he does sound baths and, like, he's a shaman, like this super magical being. So I went to one of his sound baths on Saturday night as like, a pre birthday treat. Um, and he left his power sticks there. They're like these. I don't even know what they are. They're like, beautiful wooden carved, um, like a walking stick.
00:47:02 - 00:47:03
Katy: Yeah.
00:47:03 - 00:47:19
Hannah: There's four of them. And he's always had them on stage, apparently, and been all over the world with these sticks as like a, you know, creating the power fortress for his performances. And he left two of them at my friend's studio. So I've got two of them in my house right now.
00:47:19 - 00:47:21
Katy: Oh, you should get them out.
00:47:22 - 00:47:23
Hannah: Yeah.
00:47:23 - 00:47:27
Katy: If you got them that like, show us, like, are they upstairs?
00:47:27 - 00:47:33
Hannah: No, they're downstairs. I'll put a photo. Well, I'll have to ask his permission because I don't know if you want their photos everywhere.
00:47:34 - 00:47:36
Katy: I can't think of which one he is. Is he good looking?
00:47:37 - 00:47:38
Hannah: Yeah.
00:47:38 - 00:47:41
Katy: Right. Well, why don't you go and return the sticks?
00:47:41 - 00:47:43
Hannah: Oh, he's coming to pick them up later.
00:47:43 - 00:47:44
Katy: Right. Well, what are you going to wear?
00:47:46 - 00:47:48
Hannah: He's, um. He's got a beautiful family.
00:47:48 - 00:47:51
Katy: Oh, Happy. All right. I forgot to ask if he was single.
00:47:52 - 00:47:54
Hannah: And I'm not single either, you know?
00:47:54 - 00:48:00
Katy: Oh are you not?! Thought you were So who you see? Well, you don't want to tell me.
00:48:00 - 00:48:04
Hannah: Well, I call him the art teacher on my account.
00:48:05 - 00:48:07
Katy: I haven't seen that. I haven't seen.
00:48:07 - 00:48:10
Hannah: So I'm dating, dating him.
00:48:10 - 00:48:12
Katy: And he's an actual art teacher.
00:48:12 - 00:48:16
Hannah: Actual art teacher. He's really tall and dark and very handsome.
00:48:16 - 00:48:22
Katy: Oh, my god. I love it. I'm going to go back and read through. Yeah, I didn't know. I didn't know you were seeing someone.
00:48:22 - 00:48:25
Hannah: I've only mentioned it a few times, so I'll forgive you.
00:48:26 - 00:48:34
Katy: Oh, I love it. Especially that he's an art teacher. I love that. Creative with a regular employment. Important.
00:48:34 - 00:48:35
Hannah: Exactly.
00:48:36 - 00:48:46
Katy: Exactly. Yeah. Best of both worlds, isn't it? And like being with a musician who one day is employed and then not employed for a month. That's no good.
00:48:46 - 00:48:47
Hannah: And he's in his pants. Does he have action figures?
00:48:48 - 00:49:01
Katy: Oh, yeah. He has action. Action, man. I mean, if I opened the cupboard behind me. It's full of Star Wars figures. Yeah, they're all his. He's 51. Yeah, I know. He loves his action figures. He loves Marvel. He loves it all.
00:49:01 - 00:49:09
Hannah: Yeah, I think that's. That's going to be your direction for TikTok is videoing having a little interview video with each of the characters.
00:49:10 - 00:49:11
Katy: Yeah. Yeah.
00:49:11 - 00:49:13
Hannah: A unique take.
00:49:13 - 00:49:23
Katy: I'm going to have to do something because when I see Bublé on Sunday, he's going to be like, What happened with your TikTok? I think I've got like 200 followers now. And he's he's like, Why aren't.
00:49:24 - 00:49:26
Hannah: Say your followers did nothing for me.
00:49:26 - 00:49:54
Katy: Yeah, It's like, yeah, they didn't Yeah. Mean I have all these fake Michael Bublé's, um, following me. Um. Oh yeah. And I have a lot of, um, Rick's fans following me as well, which is quite funny. And one of them wrote, wrote to me the other day saying, you know, I am Rick's kind of get it all the time, the spam. I'm Rick's kind of manager. And, you know, if you want to meet him, you need to contact me. And I'm like, No, you're not.
00:49:54 - 00:49:56
Hannah: You certainly are not.
00:49:56 - 00:49:59
Katy: Yeah, I've got loads of messages like that, actually.
00:49:59 - 00:50:03
Hannah: Yeah, That is so weird. The Internet is so weird.
00:50:03 - 00:50:15
Katy: Yeah, I know. It's weird, but yeah, he's got some diehard fans who will, uh, who will do those sorts of things. Yeah. Anyway, I'll stop blathering now. I'm sure you've got things to do.
00:50:16 - 00:50:18
Hannah: I'm just really looking forward to action man Tiktok.
00:50:20 - 00:50:30
Katy: Yeah, it'll be great. We've got. We've got everything. We've got Barbies in there. We do? Yeah, he's got all the outfits. You know, we've got, like, a commando guy. We've got, like, a, you know, karate guy. We've got it all.
00:50:32 - 00:50:42
Hannah: Right. And I'm also very much looking forward to The Motherload out in June. Watch this space.
00:50:42 - 00:50:45
Katy: There's a chapter all about vaginal waxing.
00:50:47 - 00:50:56
Hannah: Yeah. I also think in the future, you should get Charlie to read some, like, alien porn, because I think that would make a really good chapter. I'll send you a link.
00:50:57 - 00:51:01
Katy: Yeah. She's pregnant in this book as well, which makes for some fun times.
00:51:01 - 00:51:02
Hannah: I'm looking forward to finding out how she gets on.
00:51:02 - 00:51:09
Katy: Yeah. She has a lot of issues with her nipples in this book. Um, but yeah, we'll see. Yeah, we do.
00:51:12 - 00:51:16
Hannah: Thank you so much, Katy. I want to see the comic book version as well one day.
00:51:17 - 00:51:20
Katy: Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll do that. No problem. I'll just whip it up. No problem.
00:51:20 - 00:51:21
Hannah: Thanks, gorgeous.
00:51:21 - 00:51:24
Katy: Lovely to speak to you, love. Take care. Okay.
00:51:24 - 00:51:25
Hannah: Thank you.
00:51:26 - 00:51:27
Katy: Bye. Good luck with the art teacher.
00:51:28 - 00:51:52
Hannah: Thank you so much for listening. And I'll see you next time for another episode of Happily Ever After with me, Hannah Harvey. It would be wonderful if you could leave a review and subscribe. And of course, if you've got a friend who might enjoy this episode, then please do pass it on for anything else. You can get in touch with me through either Instagram @Mumsdays or through my website Mumsdays.com
