The kindness of strangers

Writers enjoy going to new places, meeting new people, seeking out new experiences. Sometimes, they meet up with old friends, longstanding colleagues or relatives they haven’t seen for years. All grist to the mill.

I love travelling – the planning as well as actually taking the train and plane – and talking to fellow travellers. […]

Summer vacuum – the time of little writing

Pergola and swimming pool in summer

Updated and republished

Hooray! Summer is here; warm, lazy days, extra wine, days out with the family and friends, a holiday away. Mmm.

We have two scenarios before us:

The first:

You have a deadline looming, your fans are waiting, your muse is bashing away in your head with fantastic scenes you simply must write. […]

Carol Drinkwater's notes on writing

I’m delighted to welcome writing friend Carol Drinkwater to the blog. She’s a multi-award winning actress and writer, possibly best known for her portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC’s original television series, All Creatures Great and Small.

Carol is the author of twenty-four books, both fiction and non-fiction. She has achieved bestselling […]

Keeping cool in the heat

Closed windows

Summer is here – warm, lazy days, extra wine, days out with the family and friends, a holiday away. But when the temperature is persistently over 30C, I tend to wilt. Yesterday reached 39C in the shade. My Muse has gone for a protracted lie down somewhere in a cool cave several metres underground.

Enter […]

Being 'FATE-fully' collective – Jean Gill

I’m delighted to welcome Jean Gill, the award-winning Welsh author and photographer now living in the south of France. Her claim to fame is that she was the first woman to be a secondary school headteacher in the Welsh county of Dyfed.

Best known for her adult medieval adventure fiction, […]