There are a whole bunch of children’s/YA authors in my patch of North London… SF Said, Sita Brahmachari, Keren David, Emer Stamp, Fiona Dunbar, Sophie McKenzie, Kaye Umansky, Ros Asquith, Steve Lenton and more. There was also Jonny Zucker, a brilliant author and all-round brilliant person (pictured here at a book festival a couple of years … Continue reading
IT’S CHRISTMAS!!! There. I’ve said it. Now I know there are lots of you shaking your heads, wagging your fingers and tutting, ‘It’s not even December, yet.’ (Although, might I add that I’ll bet everyone doing that is over 25). I know it’s not actually, officially, properly December but I have an excuse – this is … Continue reading
Characters can come alive with great dialogue. They can jump off the page, surprise you, make you laugh or make you cry. And it’s so much fun to write. Through what your characters say, their personalities shine through. Let me show you what I mean. Imagine a teacher asking the class if they have done their … Continue reading
Are you excited? Once my husband’s birthday has passed, we are ready for Christmas to begin. 1st December, and we are ready to put up decorations. Christmas traditions are important to us, and one of our traditions is the stories we read at Christmas. Every year, I read ‘A Christmas Carol’ – and I know … Continue reading
It’s such fun when there is a new part added to the Wizarding World, isn’t it? One of the great joys of being a reader since the 1990s is enjoying the rock star treatment of J K Rowling’s story world. Harry Potter is a phenomenon like the Beatles and unlikely to be seen again – … Continue reading
I’ve always been interested in politics, particularly women’s rights. It’s something I studied at university, and even when I’m lost in a land of unicorns, troll and mermaids, I still like to know what’s going on in the world. But, right now, I’m not convinced anyone knows. There is a general air of bafflement and confusion … Continue reading
During December I’m running a promotion to encourage grown ups to buy lots of books for young readers this Christmas. Now, you Girls Heart Bookers probably get lots of books as presents – I hope you do – but some adults don’t consider books a ‘real’ present or are confused by the age groups and … Continue reading
It’s finally done – after a long weekend writing at the beach I’ve finally completed the edits to Draft 3 of my latest book. And it’s now ready for the scariest step of all – the Beta Readers! My husband and my daughter have read the previous versions, and they will get to read this … Continue reading
I’ve been really struck this week by how as a writer one is flipping all the time between inner and outer worlds. Perhaps this is because I have recently had my head down working on a first draft for a new book. Last week I spent the whole week at home, at my desk, staring … Continue reading
When Alice Jones: The Impossible Clue first came out, I wrote a short post on my top tips for writing a mystery for the Chicken House Blog (you can find it here). My last and final rule was to ‘play fair’ with your reader. It’s no fun reading a mystery when the author keeps a big clue … Continue reading
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