A busy week researching the first place setting for my latest murder mystery and current work in progress. Any guesses where in the UK this is? Clue: Another nod to my East Anglian heritage.
Fiction genres are malleable. Books move in and out of popularity and often straddle several genres. Genealogy fiction is a sub-genre, usually combining murder mystery and crime with genealogical research. But what defines genealogy fiction? Must the protagonist be a genealogist to qualify? My first foray into genealogy fiction was The Blood Detective by Dan …
It’s the first day of a week away from work. The weather is disgusting. My dog is sullenly pacing round the house eyeing me with disapproval. It’s so foul outside, that today we are going nowhere. I like a walk. It keeps the dog happy and my Fitbit from nagging. Today my Fitbit sits redundantly …
This new book, published by Poppyland Publishing with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund and Overstrand Parish Council, tells the story of all the soldiers, sailors and airmen of Overstrand and Suffield Park who died in the First World War. It also gives accounts of those who returned to the village after the conflict. …
Autumn has landed with a vengeance in my little corner of Gloucestershire. In true Hygge fashion, I’m snuggled on the couch covered with a wool blanket, sipping a hot drink and letting the smell of cappuccino truffle waft around the room from a burning candle. The research for my next novel is almost finished; just the small …
I’m not a full time writer. Like many others, I have a day job; to be completely accurate, I have two. So holiday time is valuable and self, husband, son and aged border terrier were looking forward to a fortnight off in the splendid scenery of Northumberland. My husband has a thing about castles. Something …
Two years ago we became the proud owners of a brand new home where my writing desk now dwells. We hadn’t intended to buy a new home but fate stepped in and gave us a shove in that direction. We had been searching for the perfect home for several years. Living in or near the …
I painted the kitchen this weekend – well seven eighths of it to be exact. My task was rudely interrupted by the failure of my footstool to stay intact. After twenty year’s loyal service, it split in two while I was cutting in around the carefully masked cooker hood. I shattered my wrist while the …
So, you’ve carefully crafted your plot, nurtured your creation and developed a story. But what do you call your characters? Perhaps a name evolves along the way, but if not, where do you turn for inspiration? Sometimes luck strikes and a name appears out of the blue. In Beau Garnie & the Invisimin Mine, Beau’s …
“The Professor emitted a series of squeaks and six paws shot into the air, each little rat trying to reach the highest. Professor Rodoric tapped a small grey eared rat on the shoulder. He clapped his little paws together and rolled up a sleeve, whiskers trembling with excitement.
The grey eared rat plunged his paw into the liquid then removed it from the mixture shaking droplets back into the bowl. His paw had vanished.”
