Choosing a character’s name should be a fun part of writing a novel. Whether you have a name you’ve always wanted to use, perhaps even created a story specific to it, or relied on random selection, the book will always be known in your head as ‘so and so’s’ story.…
I do like researching. I'm a natural researcher when it comes to digging up information and for many years that was my main career: finding and managing information. These days, the closest I get to researching is watching programmes like Who do you think you are? It's not the celebrity…
A common question writers debate amongst themselves is do you write linear or not. Is it better for a writer to start at the beginning and move through the story to the end, or go to the part of the book that appeals most and start from there? Now, I…
Today I'm visiting some wonderfully named book bloggers. I would like to think my book is devilishly delicious, especially as it opens with a chocolate birthday cake and a quirky ritual involving blowing out a solitary candle. Devilishly Delicious Book Review - Review Splashes into Books - Review Nemesis Book…
Once again I'm off gallivanting around the country, and the world. I'm taking my book, The Last Thing She Said, to The Netherlands, Ohio, where part of the book is set, and Bristol, where I happily lived for several years as a student. B for Bookreview - a Q&A about…
I wanted to set a book near Hunstanton. I have memories of Hunstanton that have stuck around and it seemed as good as place as any to write book. The choice of location reminds me of a debate I once saw on Facebook amongst authors - do you use real…
A cluttered desk - is it a sign of a disorganised mind or a busy one? I've a jotter pad with things scribbled on it, which at the time of writing meant something, but a few days later has lost all hope of being something. Stacked next to me are…
... or how it didn't turn out quite how I expected it to. When writing the first draft of The Women of Heachley Hall (codenamed: a year and a day), I had a good idea where I wanted to end up. The writing unfolded naturally to that conclusion and my…