Making a readable PDF

“PDF? No thanks.”

How often do you as a writer get that answer back from a possible reviewer, blogger or beta reader? And I can understand it. Truly. My eyes have had enough of squinting at minute text in a silly font when I’ve been asked to read or review a book.

But PDFs (Portable […]

Launching her second book – Fenella Forster

Today I’m welcoming Fenella Forster, writer extraordinaire. Her debut book, Annie’s Story, set in the early 20th century, came out last year with great enthusiasm and was recently awarded the prestigious B.R.A.G. Medallion. Her second book, Juliet’s Story, has just launched. Both books are part of ‘The Voyagers’ trilogy stretching from 1913 to the present […]

Launching books

Last week, I had the enormous pleasure of attending book launches for two writing friends. On Saturday 23 January, I drank bubbly, ate scones and cake with Denise Barnes who launched her second book, Juliet’s Story, at the University Women’s Club. The magnificent library was a perfect setting for us to hear about the research […]

On being unusual and historical...

The Roma Nova thrillers are definitely unusual. Although part of the historical fiction canon, alternate history stories ask readers to follow a speculative but hopefully historically logical path. In a way they are niche, but one which I hope will grow.

Some periods are fashionable like the Tudors, others eternally loved like Regency, others wax […]

Indie writer?  Please don’t do these things

I’ve published 12 books – seven novels, two novellas, a short story collection and two non-fiction (as at 2021) – via the indie route since 2012, but in the preceding three years I learnt how to write for publication. More importantly, I learnt writing techniques: structure, plot, dialogue; how to delete adverbs, adjectives and over-writing; […]