A few evenings ago my Writer's Crit group had its monthly zoom meeting. Just three of us this time - usually we are five. I told them...

I’ve neglected to post a blog for far too long. But blame Tommy Head, the charming but clueless civil servant who’s the central character...

I’m now on my third book, but that’s not to say work has finished on the second, ‘Keeper of the Secrets’. Granted, the writing has...

Every author I know says please write a review when I tell them I've read their latest book, especially if I say I liked it. In fact I...

I know many writers never go anywhere without a notebook. It’s the classic writers’ accessory. We’ve all seen them, jotting down...

I'm often asked what my writing routine is, where I write (mostly in my kitchen) and for how many hours a day. Good question, but it...

Another meet the author event – this time with a lively book club in Chiswick, thanks to my sister-in-law Lorna who put Stalker forward...

There I was in the summer sunshine, standing on the front porch of the house I grew up in, clutching a microphone, and fielding questions...

Yes, I’m now on to my next book – another psychodrama/historical novel, and am about a quarter of the way through the first draft. It’s...

Yes, guilty as charged. I’m an unreliable narrator. I cheat. I lie. I pretend to be writing the truth when the actual truth is little...

When I was writing Stalker I gave little thought to marketing it. I'm a writer, not a salesman, so why should I. The book would find its...

Yes, I think so. But only if the person breaking the rules KNOWS what the rules are in the first place. Otherwise there is a danger that...

With thanks to the Durning Library Book Club and the wonderful Edwin Macrae who runs it. Usually a book title in the Lambeth libraries...

This is elusive territory – but I’m told it’s important, indeed essential, if I am to sell my book. Bound up with this is the book’s...

OK, I admit it. I’ve discovered I have a pathetic need for praise. But I didn’t have it before writing a book so why now? I’ve made...

According to my Google searches historical fiction has to be set fifty or more years in the past, demonstrate historical accuracy,...

It has been said that the narrator of a novel is as much a work of fiction as their characters. But when a novel incorporates memoir and...

In my view there’s no question about it – the ending as just as important, and it could be argued even more so. It's the final pages...

History? Mystery? Psychological Drama? Thriller? Coming of Age? Travel? Adventure? This is an issue I’ve struggled with throughout, and...

What’s the first thing you do when left alone in an unfamiliar sitting room? In my case I look at the bookshelves – those vital clues to...