Another month of the year has gone by, and a terrible month it’s been, both for the world, and for me personally. So I’m especially glad this month to welcome the topic of our authors’ Round Robin, set by author Rhobin Lee Courtright. What messages do your books hold for your readers? I write –…… Continue reading The positive messages of romance novels
Author Sharon Booth – member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and fellow Yorkshire lass – has a series of posts on her blog this year inviting writers to share five photos that mean something to them. The authors’ posts have been fascinating, funny and moving. When it came to my turn to take part, I…… Continue reading Five photos that show how a writer’s voice evolved
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
“Show, don’t tell” is one of the most well-known pieces of advice for writers – and maybe one of the most difficult to follow. I’ve been thinking about this advice this past week as I edit one of my own books, and I understand just how hard it is to spot for yourself when one of your own passages is…… Continue reading #writetip: Why “show, not tell” is such a hard slog
Patience Bloom is a senior editor with Harlequin in the US, and I’ve been following her blog (Romance is My Day Job – great title!) for quite a while now. Although Patience doesn’t post very often, when she does it’s always useful, and I’ve picked up many a tip, especially on things to avoid when…… Continue reading Starting in the right place and staying focused on your story. 5 tips from Patience Bloom
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
A long while ago I wrote a post on the rise of the geek as romantic hero, and I’m delighted to say that today’s guest, Chris Redding, has a whole series of nerd romances. I’m looking forward to checking them out! Where do you live, Chris? New Jersey. I’d rather not get more specific than…… Continue reading Good to meet you…author Chris Redding
Well, another month has passed, and it’s time for our Round Robin already. Where do all the weeks go? It’s a good question to ask for this post, since this week’s theme is on the subject of time – namely, how do we find time to read, and time to write? My answer to the…… Continue reading How to put down your book and start writing more productively
A couple of days ago I read an article in a newspaper about two people who decided to recreate a 1997 experiment devised by psychologist Arthur Aron. The experiment consisted of two strangers asking each other 36 set questions within the space of an hour, after which they had to stare into each other’s eyes…… Continue reading 36 Questions to Make You Fall in Love
Helena Fairfax 