Being realistic in historical fiction

My guest today is Antoine Vanner is author of the Dawlish Chronicles, naval fiction set in the 1870s and 1880s. His latest novel, Britannia’s Gamble, was published last month (October 2017). Royal Navy officer Nicholas Dawlish is a fascinating character, very much in the mould of Hornblower, something that attracted me to Antoine’s novels. The […]

Online etiquette for authors

Few people look at Debrett’s Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners these days. Just for those unfamiliar, this book covered how to reply to an invitation, how to address H M The Queen and which knife and fork to use for each course, amongst other subjects.

Old fashioned as these things sound, they are […]

'Must haves' for your website/blog

Sometimes when I’m looking for a guest post or interview, or a post about writing, or Rome, that I forgot to bookmark digitally but know is there, I’m stymied. Not through my lack of search skills – I’ve been at this digital game for a while – but because there’s no search box.

If I’m […]

Judging for Words With Jam

STOP PRESS: Winners announced!

The quality was impressive; it caused much sweating of the brow and drinking of tea. Congratulations to the three winners, but also to all those on the long and short lists. http://www.wordswithjam.co.uk/2017/07/first-page-competition-2017-winners.html ——————

A few weeks ago, I was delighted (and rather flattered) to be asked to judge the Words […]

The heroines behind the heroines...

Authors often talk about the heroines in their books. You may have caught me mentioning Carina and Aurelia from time to time. (Whistles in the air) But a conversation about heroines and their heroes led to something else…

This post was inspired by author Helen Hollick. It’s mainly in her voice with bits and pieces […]