Is writing and editing a novel a process?

Yes and no.

Writing a novel is creative – you have to have a purpose, some characters and a setting which all interact. Throw in a triggering act to stir them all up and get the story going. Storytellers have known this since the year dot.

A modern novelist is basically a storyteller with a […]

To AI or not to AI? That is the question

Alison as a Roman (AI created)

AI – artificial intelligence – seems to be with us. Will it be a horror show stripping us all of jobs, or will it be a useful tool, shortcutting a lot of donkey work and letting us get on with more important creative stuff?

Let me be […]

Books I've read and enjoyed in 2023

As in 2022, reading books has given me enormous pleasure. This year, I published a special 10th Anniversary hardback edition of INCEPTIO with a gorgeous case cover and dust jacket by Jessica Bell Design, plus contributed a story called ‘My Sister’ to a collection Historical Stories of Exile.

Enough of me, the writer; in […]

No writer is an island

Author photo, Château du Rivaud

Sadly, there have been reports on social media and in the national press about a debut writer running a review campaign against her fellow writers. Using a number of accounts she created under different names, she’s been marking down all her perceived “competition” with 1-star negative reviews on […]

Why do I host guests on my blog?

Top row: David Penny, Clare Flynn, Liza Pratt, Anna Belfrage, Keith Dixon. Middle row: J J Marsh, Debbie Young, Antoine Banner, Elizabeth Buchan, Helen Hollick. Bottom row: Tony Riches, Jane Davis, E M Powell, Susan Grossey, Ruth Downie

I like having guests on my writing blog. Unlike my thriller blog which is all […]