How Filofax kept me organised at the RNA Conference

Remember Filofax? Like many people in the 1980s, I toted a black, approx A5 sized leather folder which not only contained my diary, notes and address book, but also expenses sheets, stamp and card holders, to do lists, maps, vocabulary lists – in short, my life.

Came the electronic revolution, I waved it bye-bye. The […]

Confronting my first novel...

When I starting this scribbling business in 2009, I wrote the second part of my trilogy first. I didn’t know I had at the time. I sat down one morning in front of my computer and typed for three months.

As a professional translator, I knew it would have to edit anything I produced. I […]

Submission, submission, submission

This morning, I wiped away a tear when I re-read my post last March about the first time I submitted my three chapters and synopsis to agents. I think I was partly touched by my cheerful optimism and partly sad that I had fallen into the classic mistake of submitting too early.

Looking through my […]

Weekend in Wales - A bit of a Roman(tic) holiday

Last weekend, I was in Caerleon, South Wales attending the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference. It’s a joyous event, where you re-affirm old friendships and form new ones, where you’re are reminded of old things you’ve forgotten and learn new ones. Talks on characters, publishing contracts, marketing; presentations by those who have made it and those […]

A new writing critique group where cake always matters

This afternoon, I launched a rocket-fresh new writers’ group.

When I arrived in my new home in France, I eagerly searched out existing groups. Like any new relationship, it takes a while to mesh with established groups, so I went to several meetings, full of optimism and using my best networking and charm skills.

I […]