Charroux LitFest - total buzz

Charroux may be a tiny town in the middle of la France profonde, but these last few days it has been buzzing with local, national and international noise. Noise? Yes, the noise of authors talking, writers of every stripe discussing craft, poets and musicians entertaining and provoking us and playwrights dramatising. We learnt, stared in […]

Giving it back - the Denver HNS conference

HNS 2015 selfpub/indie panel. With me are with Geri Clouston, Anna Belfrage, Helen Hollick, Dan Willis. Photo courtesy of Stephanie Moore Hopkins

In front of an audience, my talented colleagues to my left, I caught my mental breath. Here I was, chairing a panel at the prestigious US 2015 Historical Novel Society conference. […]

World-building - not just for alternative history stories!

Today, I am delighted to welcome historical novelist Jean Fullerton to the writing blog. Born into a large East End family, Jean was brought up in the overcrowded streets clustered around the Tower of London. Her Victorian stories shining with authenticity have delighted both readers and critics. Jean’s latest book, Fetch Nurse Connie, set in […]

Off to Denver!

Well, I’m packing my bags this weekend for a long trip to the USA and Canada. On the last weekend of June, I’m attending the Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver where I’ll be able to meet ‘virtual’ friends of several years’ standing in the flesh. Quietly excited… 😉

But more than that, on the […]

The Indie Author Fair 2015

Nick Stephenson, Rachel Abbott, Mark McGuiness, Steena Holmes, CJ Lyons, Joanna (JF) Penn

Things have been in a constant whirl since the London Book Fair, but such an important event took place on the Friday immediately afterwards as part of the fringe that I have been feeling enormously guilty at not posting about […]