Category: On Writing
Better Together
Five years ago, I was close enough to having a finished manuscript for my first novel, Even in Darkness, that I began to seriously explore how to get it published. The novel was a fictional rendering of the life story of a relative I’d known and admired and whose resilience and glass-half-full life philosophy deeply […]
She Is Fierce: Collecting Women’s Poetry
It’s an exciting time for poetry. Slams and performances are attracting huge audiences; book sales are booming; some of today’s biggest online superstars are poets. Women are at the forefront of this movement: winning prizes, headlining festivals, topping bestseller lists and connecting with thousands of readers in digital spaces. It has not, however, always been […]
What Makes A Brilliant Book?
What makes a brilliant read? That is a very good question. What makes you pick up a book up in a bookstore or hit click on your e-book store? I have to be honest; I’m a bit of book buying addict. I’m sure even by reading at least two books a week (which is about […]
How Stories Begin: I Was a Coward and Became a Writer
Stories, including those that develop into novels, begin in all kinds of ways. A real-life person you wonder about, a situation you read about in the paper, an intriguing name you feel would make a great character, something that keeps gnawing at your imagination—there are as many ways as there are plots. In my case, […]
The Post-Publication Blues
Launch Day for my debut novel BABY TEETH was amazing. My agent Sarah was in town and we spent the day together, and then we joined dozens of friends and family members at the bookstore that was hosting my launch. I’ve never had a proper graduation, or a prom, or a wedding, or any other […]
Writing for a New Generation – How Inclusive Writing Benefits Everyone
Every book is a journey. It starts with an initial idea and evolves continuously, as more people are brought into the fold and made a part of the project. For Indie authors this can be a daunting ride, or an invigorating one, depending on their amassed team and proclivity for adventure and risk. The long […]
Oh How I Envy The Dead Lady Writers
Lately I’ve been obsessed with women writers who killed themselves because I’m a woman writer who wants to kill herself. Don’t be alarmed. This isn’t a cry for help in essay form. I’m too pig-headed to give just up yet. But most days I don’t want to be here because most days are simply agonising. […]
Writing with Cattitude by Cat Lavoie
It only takes a quick glance at my Instagram feed to know I’m not kidding around when I call myself a crazy cat lady. In my latest novel, Messing with Matilda, leading lady Matilda Hart is not a cat person. But things get a bit interesting when she’s forced to share her childhood bedroom with […]
Living and Writing in Two Countries
All writers ruthlessly exploit their own knowledge and experiences, adapting, reimagining. In my first novel Ignoring Gravity this meant using my years working as a journalist and living in Wimbledon. The choice of Málaga as one of the settings in Connectedness, my second book, was a pragmatic choice based on two things; proximity to our […]
Penguin European Writers: The Lady and the Little Fox Fur by Violette Leduc
Penguin European Writers is a new series of forgotten classics by European writers, with introductions by acclaimed contemporary authors. As a former student of French and Italian, I felt compelled by the current political climate to begin a new initiative to promote European literature to British readers. Translated fiction offers a unique insight into another […]
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