Category: Uncategorized

  • Spread the (book) love

    I love books. You might have noticed. I don’t love ALL books, though, that would be impossible (and ambitious, given how many now exist in the world). I have my go-to genres, and even within them there are books I pick up and put down, books I abandon after reading the first couple of pages, those…

  • A life of its own

    There’s Magic in them there words! There’s something magical about writing. Well, yeah, I would think that, wouldn’t I? – but it’s true. However badly written a book, I’ve never yet found one that didn’t convince me that its story was true. I might condemn the characters for being one-dimensional or acting irrationally or stupidly.  I…

  • Dare to Dream: imagination and the Space Station

    This week is “Brits in Space” week – Major Tim Peake has finished his years of astronaut training by blasting off to the International Space Station. I’ve been watching with utter absorption because I love the ISS – to me it symbolises everything that’s right about the human race. Yes, there’s wars and inequality and…

  • What you need to finish a book:

    … tea, chocolate, and desperation (oh, and Post-it notes). Tea. I’m British, and this is the national curative. Just been in a minor accident? I’ll make you a cup of sweet tea for the shock. Bad exam results? Have a nice cup of tea and remember there’s always re-takes. Leg bitten off by a crocodile?…

  • The Last Dreamseer’s theme tune

    I always write with music on in the background. Writers have strong feelings about this. Like plotter-vs-pantster debates, fellow writers either consider music a vital adjunct to the creative process, or a barbaric derailment of inspirational flow. While I’m sure I could write without music I like to have some noise going on in the…

  • Superpowers

    Creating the world of Fane has made me ponder about superpowers, because everyone on Fane (and fanes when they visit other planets) demonstrates some extraordinary abilities that human beings would consider superpowers. Deena, the heroine of The Last Dreamseer, has probably drawn the short straw. Her superpower is the ability to see the future in visions.…

  • Re-filling the Well

    As I mentioned last week, I’ve been pretty busy with the nitty-gritty of publishing lately. The Last Dreamseer is now live at e-retailers and ready to launch on 27th November (yippee!), but the pace hasn’t let up as I’ve been liaising with friends who have kindly agreed to blog on my behalf to publicise the launch,…

  • The art of knowing when to stop

    I am in the thick of final, final, FINAL proofing for my next novel, The Last Dreamseer. Somehow, I thought it would be quicker than this. I’ll explain my editing process: I’ve written the book, had writer friends look at it, revised and revised again. It’s then been to a professional editor for substantive edits…

  • Divide and Conquer

    As my adventures in self-publishing continue, I’m learning (slowly) how to juggle the many hats I need to wear. Key, for me, is to have the discipline to change hats and not keep the same one on all day. I love writing, and I’d be very happy to become a stereotypical writer, sitting in a garret…

  • Laser-like focus

    Pinch, punch it’s November 1st so for once I don’t need to struggle to think of a topic to blog about: it’s NaNoWriMo time. I’m a firm fan of NaNoWriMo, because it matches the way I work, splurging a dirty draft of something into the world as quickly as possible, which can then be revised…