Since becoming a published author, the same questions have come up again and again. There are some lovely questions (will you sign this? how does it feel to be published? how did you come up with the idea?) but there are also some absolute howlers. Here is what not to ask an author: 1. Can I […]
Writing
What's the cost of a bad review?
A couple from Cumbria have been ‘fined’ £100 after leaving a one-star review on Tripadvisor for a hotel they stayed in during the summer. Their review doesn’t sit on the fence: entitled ‘FILTHY, DIRTY ROTTEN STINKING HOVEL RUN BY MUPPETS’, it contains such choice critiques as ‘weak tea and coffee. YUMMY!!’ and advises prospective guests, […]
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 […]
Research matters
Research is one of my favourite things about being a writer. I hate the idea that my books might be inaccurate, and whilst I don’t believe facts should necessarily get in the way of a good story, I do think it’s important to make an informed decision about whether artistic licence should be employed. I didn’t […]
Foreign rights, a new school year, and good intentions
I’m a big fan of September. There’s something about the smell of sharpened pencils that makes me twice as productive as other times of the year, not least because the school holidays which precede it have usually trained me to fit my work in to much less time than normal. Sadly, by the time October […]