A red patent stiletto pressing down on a globe of the Earth, on a desk in a bright corner office overlooking a city skyline
A novel by Tristan Coates

Not now, dear. I'm gathering my thoughts.

Every quiet revolution begins with a woman gathering her thoughts.

A sharp, witty and quietly cheeky novel about how men and women are navigating a world that's changing faster than anyone agreed to — and the women who, one considered step at a time, are calmly taking the lead.

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Front cover of Not Now Dear... I'm Gathering My Thoughts by Tristan Coates
The story

What happens when
“later” becomes a life?

Not Now Dear follows the tender, complicated business of making a life that feels like your own — for anyone who has ever been asked to be smaller, quieter, or more convenient.

Funny, intimate and full of warmth, it is a story about friendship, family, and the quiet bravery of deciding what truly deserves your attention. It invites you to pause — and then to choose yourself.

There is always time for a good story.
Reader reactions

Kind words
from early readers.

★★★★★
Sharp, tender and quietly devastating. I finished it in a single sitting and immediately wanted to start again.
— Early reader
★★★★★
Wickedly funny about the things we never say out loud. It made me laugh, then made me think about my own 'not now, dear' moments.
— Advance review
★★★★★
Elegant, mischievous, and full of heart. The kind of book you press into a friend's hands.
— Bookshop bookseller
From the journal

Notes, news &
the occasional confession.

Gathered Thoughts 1 min read

The Art of the 'Not Now'

Two small words that can quietly reshape a life. On boundaries, guilt, and the difference between selfish and self-possessed.

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Read the whole journal