I read a lot. Anything between two and five books a week, often with several on the go at once. I read hardbacks, paperbacks, proofs and e-books. I read newspapers, magazines, blogs and columns; and if there’s nothing else to read, I’ll read the back of the cereal packet. It’s compulsive. My reading selection is […]
Five reasons to have children
Sometimes, when you’re bleary-eyed through lack of sleep, and your hand-wash-only cashmere cardigan is so encrusted with something gelatinous only a boil wash will fix it, it’s hard to focus on the positives. Let’s face it: kids wreck your figure, your bank balance and your freedom. But it’s not all bad. Here are my top five reasons […]
How to network
It’s hard to go anywhere nowadays without some mention of the word ‘networking’. There are business breakfasts and entrepreneur evenings springing up left, right, and centre, and any event longer than half an hour will invariably incorporate a ‘coffee and networking’ session into its agenda. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if toddler groups were rebranded […]
Cover girl
I wrote a few weeks ago about how I was looking forward to seeing the cover for I Let You Go, which comes out this autumn. I knew my publishers would use talented, experienced designers, and I knew the finished cover would be great, but I couldn’t help but have a few concerns. Would it be […]
Sometimes the news is too hard to bear
Sometimes the headlines are hard to read. Sometimes the news is too much to take, and I have to switch over; switch off; turn away. Sometimes it’s just too real. Right now 18 newborn babies are critically ill. One has died. All have been infected by what is believed to be a contaminated batch of feed, administered […]
A day in the life of…
You know those interviews with authors they put in the back of the Sunday supplements? The ones where they share the content of their fridges, or what they last bought on their credit card, or what their writing day is like? Either they’re all lying, or I’m doing something badly wrong. This is how my […]