Week four of lockdown and I’ve learned a lot about myself. Before I go on, I just want to say that I hope you and your loved ones are safe and well, and continue to be. The past three weeks have been a frenzy of initial panic at the food shortage, then a glut of […]
Oldham gets a lot of bad press, including misrepresentation from Nigel Farage this week claiming that many areas in Oldham are ‘no-go areas’. It just so happens that the venue for my author event was smack bang in the centre of one of these areas. Alexandra Park, a beautiful Victorian space in the heart of Oldham, is often pitched by racists as somewhere race war battles are in full force every day of the week.
The mass market paperback of Perfect Ten was released this week and WH Smiths, Asda and Sainsbury’s have agreed to stock it.
Never, ever let anyone tell you that you are too old to start a writing career. You have something to say. Say it.
inishing the first draft of a novel is a great feeling. You have worked on the story, lived with the characters and in their world for a significant amount of time – but what’s next?
Patience. It was all going so well. Too well. My writing tackles difficult subjects while still trying to keep the shape of the embedded stories that resonate with readers. In my current WIP I’m looking at issues around grief and stress and what they can do. But the story is uplifting as well as a quest narrative. It’s complicated. Because of this I know […]
Writing with friends. Today was the first Oldha Writing Group of the year Oldham Library. We sat down with coffee and each other and talk about our work. This is such a valuable process, where we get to air the inevitable self-doubt that working in isolation brings. We also share and receive tips and experiences. Last night we looked at opening […]
Every so often I talk to other authors.
Early mornings. That’s when I love to write. Before the day really starts.
I love my plotting chart because it helps me to avoid the soggy middle that plods along.