A very, very belated Happy New Year! It’s been a while since I last posted here. I love keeping this blog. I love the responses I’ve had to my posts and the people I’ve met in the five years since I first started blogging. But I’ve reluctantly decided I will have to cut down on…… Continue reading What does it take to actually sit down and write your first novel? #amwriting #writetip
It’s the final Round Robin of 2016, and I can hardly believe it! Has someone put me in a time machine and zoomed me to the end of the year? It seems no time at all since I was opening the first page of my 2016 calendar! Talking of endings and beginnings is the perfect…… Continue reading Prologues and epilogues – is there a point to them?
A few months ago I was approached by American author Gemma Juliana regarding an exciting project. Gemma was putting together an international group of authors, whose first release would be an anthology of European-set short stories. I’ve worked with Gemma on a couple of anthologies before – the most recent was the Christmas anthology Exquisite Christmas,…… Continue reading World Romance Writers – a new and exciting group #WRWbuzz
Earlier this week an author colleague posted a link to a review of her latest novel. The reviewer was highly complimentary regarding the author’s writing skill, but he expressed deep disappointment that a writer of her ability was “frittering away her talents in a genre that didn’t deserve them” – ie romance novels. Boy meets girl, boy…… Continue reading Why romance writers are “frittering their talents away” writing a predictable genre
It’s a beautiful autumn day today – the sun is shining, and the sky is a lovely crisp blue. The shops are full of Hallowe’en wares already, and my grocer’s has piles of pumpkins outside the front. It’s the perfect time to host Kristy Tate – an author who writes about witches! Where do you…… Continue reading Good to meet you…author Kristy Tate
I’m so glad Anne Goodwin has called in today. I’ve gone down with a terrible virus and I’m nursing a hot toddy and a temperature, feeling very sorry for myself. I’m well enough to make a pot of tea, though, but sadly all I have to offer Anne is the remains of a packet of…… Continue reading Good to meet you…author Anne Goodwin
Image courtesy of Pixabay Last week I caught the tail end of BBC Radio 4’s Open Book programme. It was a fascinating discussion about how writers actually “hear” the voices of their characters (you might still be able to hear this episode on iPlayer). Dr. Jennifer Hodgson, who was interviewed on the programme, is a…… Continue reading How do writers “hear” their characters?
This year marks 80 years since Penguin Books printed their first paperbacks and changed the way readers thought about books forever. Penguin Books was first set up in 1935 by Allen Lane, who was then a director at the Bodley Head imprint. The story goes that he was coming back from a trip to visit…… Continue reading Happy 80th birthday, Penguin Books
Twitter is a great asset to authors – a place to find out and share information, as well as to tell the world about our books. The trouble is, it does take quite some dedication to make the most of it. And we can’t be on Twitter all the time, because when are we actually…… Continue reading Author Mary Waibel on using Tweetdeck to manage Twitter
There’s a beautiful blue sky today, my snowdrops are out in the back yard – how I love snowdrops; first sign of spring! – but there’s also an icy cold wind. The perfect excuse to stay indoors by the fire, especially if you have a guest who’s come all the way from sunny Australia, as…… Continue reading Good to meet you…author Iris Blobel
Helena Fairfax 