Writing with SAD

Fed with with the news and weather? Low energy and bored with most things? Eating more chocolate? Even though brilliant December days lighten the feeling, many of us dislike that grey dull period stretching from dismal November to that liver-yellow time in February and view with relief the first flower burst in spring.

But for […]

Flocking together

Readers need books. Writers want to write. Seems like a match made in heaven, doesn’t it?

Writing is a solitary occupation. But publishing a book can’t be done without others: beta readers, critique partners, editors (structural, developmental, line, copy) and proofreaders. Take your pick.

Then we need a marketing team: advance readers, blog hosts, friends/colleagues […]

What is an editor? Joanna Maitland reveals all

This week’s guest, multi-published Joanna Maitland, knows all about loving her characters, but to ring the changes from the ‘Love me, love my character’ series, I’ve asked her to give as some of her valuable expertise. What am I talking about? Read on…

Joanna Maitland’s first historical romance went through the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New […]

Gadding about - and finishing in Bristol fashion

With Rachel Abbott at the SilverWood Books social in Bristol

If you read this blog regularly, you’ll have seen that I’ve almost earnt a frequent flyer gold card!

No, not really, but I seemed to have trudged along miles of airport corridors and lived in so many hotel rooms I can’t remember which […]

Carole Blake and I

I can reveal a secret. Carole Blake often told a story of the pitching pest anonymously. The day after it happened I wrote a post called Pitching at Parties. Yes, dear reader, “Sensible and Savvy Agent” was Carole and “Sensible and Friendly Author” was me. Wild horses tearing me apart in the arena will not […]