The Alien Corn – Why I wrote a sequel for the first time

The Alien Corn – Why I wrote a sequel for the first time

I love to write standalone stories. Maybe it’s because I have a very low boredom threshold, but I want to move on at the end of a book.  I felt the same way when I finished The Chalky Sea, but then as the days went by, I kept thinking about Jim, one of my two...
Interview with author Antoine Vanner

Interview with author Antoine Vanner

I’m delighted to welcome Antoine Vanner, author of the “Dawlish Chronicles” series of naval adventures.  The series is set in the late Victorian era when technological progress was more rapid than at any previous time in history. This time is also one of...
A beautiful new cover for Kurinji Flowers

A beautiful new cover for Kurinji Flowers

I recently held a workshop for five other authors so we could all share marketing ideas and critique each other’s websites, cover designs and social media presence. It was a fun day and we all came away with loads of useful ideas as well as some new friendships....
Why Do NaNoWriMo and How To Make it Work for You

Why Do NaNoWriMo and How To Make it Work for You

Yesterday was a big day – I’ve completed my third NaNoWriMo in a row, with four days to spare. In case you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is – it’s NationalNovelWritingMonth – entrants are targeted with writing fifty thousand words during the month of November –an average...
Short Breaks – Big Inspiration

Short Breaks – Big Inspiration

Apart from planned trips to India and Australia to research two of my books, these days I usually plan my holidays around painting – choosing locations I’ve never visited before and where I think there might be interesting landscapes. There have however been two short...