Speculative heroines

Some reflections for International Women’s Day…

All fictional characters are, er, fictional. We borrow, mine, or lift characteristics from Real Life, but unless we want to get sued, the finally moulded form is a construct. We can gender mirror (I love using that expression – also made up), we can speculate, we can imagine.

Ditto […]

Selected for CrimeFest!

Super exciting news! I’ve been chosen to be a panellist at the prestigious CrimeFest in May! I’ll be on ‘The Indie Alternative’ at 9.30 Sunday 20 May with fellow Alliance of Independent Authors writing friend Debbie Young, and authors Ian Andrew and Karen Millie James, with Zoë Sharp in the chair. Do have a […]

Radio star!

Last Thursday, I was delighted to be internet-based ExpatRadio‘s special guest on ‘The Scribblers’ spot. They let me witter on (in between music) for an hour. No, it was more of a conversation with Mike Madden, Wendy H Jones and Eilidh McGinness. I’ve met Wendy several times before – we both spoke a the last […]

Why do we write?

A plot in a novel gives the reader the main character’s goal; the challenges the character has to overcome to achieve the goal, what’s stopping her/him and the dire consequences if she/he doesn’t succeed.

My own goal is to produce a readable, entertaining and thought provoking book at least once a year. But every now […]

In conference

Speaking at conferences is one thing – you know what your defined role is, whether giving a talk, being a panel member or running a workshop. You are on the inside track, you prepare materials, you mix with attendees, carrying on discussions from your talks. You are giving back.

Attending a conference as a delegate […]