A library in Cumbria is wrapping books in plain paper, to encourage readers to expand their choices and pick up something they wouldn’t normally read. It’s not a new idea (Google ‘blind date with a book’, and you’ll see what I mean) but it’s a great one. Covers are hugely important. as I write this, […]
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Writer in Residence: position sought
I don’t like driving. Not only is my track record rather poor (at the last count, I had written off more cars than I have owned), but I find it a phenomenal waste of time. I like listening to the radio, and short journeys at least give me the chance to sit and catch my […]
Book review: Someone Else's Skin, by Sarah Hilary
There is surely no tougher critic of a police procedural than an ex-cop, but Someone Else’s Skin did not disappoint. Sarah Hilary’s debut crime novel is meticulously researched, and the characters so brilliantly real I could have been reading about my former life. What the back cover says: Detective Inspector Marie Rome. Dependable; fierce; brilliant at […]
Punctuation matters
Guerrilla grammar campaigners with indelible marker pens are on the rampage in Cambridge following the blanket removal of apostrophes from street signs by the city council. The decision was taken following advice issued by the National Land & Property Gazetteer (NLPG), who maintain the definitive list of place names in England and Wales, and ensure […]
Write what you know
The advice ‘write what you know’ is familiar territory for anyone embarking on literary creation, and it is the reason why so many first novels are startlingly similar to the author’s real life. The first book I wrote was about a woman returning to work after having children. I’ve never worked as an estate agent, […]
The Book With No Name has a name!
I wrote last year about The Book With No Name. The book which is due to be published later this year, which has been written and rewritten more times than I can count. Choosing a name is a hugely difficult process. It needs to take into account the story itself, as well as the intended […]