Time for Bed by Tamsyn Murray

I don’t know about you but I used to love hitting the hay when I was a teenager. I didn’t go to bed to sleep, though; I was a reader. A read-past-lights-out reader, with a torch under the duvet, promising myself I would go to sleep as soon I reached the end of the bit that … Continue reading →

Where Stories are the Stars by Tamsyn Murray

I’m currently on a plane, flying home from the most wonderful few days at my very first international literary festival, in Dubai. In amongst all the book stuff, I’ve ridden on a camel, wandered through spice souks and met lots of amazing new people. But the thing I will remember the most about the Dubai … Continue reading →

Being Romantic by Tamsyn Murray

I was thrilled, honoured, proud, delighted, over the moon, happy and excited to find that my book, Instructions for a Second-hand Heart, had been shortlisted for the 2017 Romantic Novelists’ Association awards (from now on called RoNAs) . I’ve been a member of the RNA for around seven or eight years now but I’ve only … Continue reading →

Do You Hoogah? by Tamsyn Murray

Picture this: it’s a dark wintry evening. Outside, the wind is blowing and the rain is pattering against the windows. But inside is warm and cosy, with soft lights (there are probably candles) and hot chocolate. You might be wrapped up on the sofa or tucked up in bed, reading a good book. That safe … Continue reading →

Tangling with Tigers by Tamsyn Murray

As some of you already know, I’m writing a series of books set in an animal park. It’s possibly the best thing I could write, given how much I love animals – I mean, imagine being animal-crazy and being practically required to go and visit zoos as part of your job…sometimes I can’t believe how … Continue reading →

(In) Frequently Asked Questions by Tamsyn Murray

I was asked an unusual question during my school visit yesterday. I’d mentioned that the book I was there to talk about had taken me four years to get right (which is a long time by anyone’s standards) and one of the students asked me if I had ever grown bored of the story while … Continue reading →

Writer’s Block by Tamsyn Murray

I’ve got to be honest – I had no idea what to write about today. Every time I thought about writing something, my mind just sort of hid, leaving me with an extremely blank screen and a mild sense of panic. I had a mental block. And then I thought about the school events I … Continue reading →

Falling Down the Research Rabbit Holly. By Tamsyn Murray

You know the bit of Alice in Wonderland where Alice peers into the rabbit hole and then tumbles headlong into the darkness? Sometimes book research is like that. Continue reading →

Instructions for a Second-hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray

Every now and then, a special book comes and finds me. Most of the time, it’s a book I’m reading, written by someone else, that grips me and won’t let me go until The End. But for the last four years I’ve been gripped by my own book. I first had the idea for Instructions … Continue reading →

A Special Olympic Team by Tamsyn Murray

I’m pretty sure you must know the Olympic Games are on right now: you know, that global celebration of human sporting achievement sometimes called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth!’ You can’t turn on the TV without finding yourself watching (and caring about) a sport that you have no interest in at any other time. We … Continue reading →