In the last twelve months I have spoken at around thirty festivals, book shops and literary events. Occasionally I attend these events with one or more of my children – often because of childcare issues, but sometimes because it looks like it’s going to be a fun trip. Right now I’m on holiday with my […]
Writing
Should fiction be accurate?
Novels come from an author’s imagination. They are the printed (or digital) product of days and weeks and sometimes years of glorious day-dreaming, created so that readers, too, can disappear into this make-believe story for a few hours or days. But should fiction be accurate? In the last few weeks I’ve been fortunate to receive […]
How books are made
Last week I went to Clays in Suffolk to find out how books are made, and to watch the paperback of I Let You Go being printed. It was a fascinating and incredibly emotional day, and if you are an author and ever have the chance to see your book being made, I’d wholeheartedly recommend […]
Throwaway words
I haven’t blogged for a while. I’ve had my head down, working on a rewrite of my second book, which means Christmas and New Year passed in a bit of a blur. For three months I got up at five to write before the school run, stayed at my desk all day, and returned to […]
How readers can help authors
It’s a curious switch, from reader to writer. Not that you suddenly stop reading yourself – all authors I know read voraciously – but simply that you become more aware of how readers matter. I’ve been overwhelmed by the support I’ve had from friends, family and followers, on the e-publication of I Let You Go, and it made […]
Ten things to do instead of NaNoWriMo
For thousands of writers around the world, November is all about NaNoWriMo: the online challenge to write a book in a month. It’s a great way to get the creative blood pumping, connect with other writers, and get those words – all 50,000 of them – down on the page. But what if NaNoWriMo isn’t […]