I was writing when I heard the news that Terry Pratchett had died, and that made it even more heart-breaking. Is it wrong to cry on the death of someone you haven’t met? I don’t think so – and I am certain I was not alone in doing just that. We all knew it was…
It was magical! How often have we heard that said? People say it about special moments in their lives. About Christmas. And weddings. Birthdays and trips and even unplanned and unexpected moments. Just what do we mean by magical? A couple of weeks ago, magic was the topic of a fabulous workshop I attended, led…
I was going to blog this week about a big hole in the ground in Wales – but got diverted by the sad loss of Leonard Nimoy – universally known as Mr Spock. Spock was possibly my first great love – when I was about 11. Leonard Nimoy and the Star Trek creator Gene…
I recently travelled back in time about 200 years – into the heart of the industrial revolution. I explored the coal pits and the iron works and the factories that were part of that amazing period of history. I found it fascinating, inspiring and in many ways very moving. It was a story of great…
This week the RNA announced the shortlists for the Romantic Novel of the year awards. As the RNA website administrator, I spent a lot of time working with the shortlist images and uploading them for everyone to see. One thing that immediately struck me was the incredible diversity of the novels on that shortlist. Some…
There are times I really hate sex – literary sex, of course – what else? Everywhere I went this week, I was confronted with posters advertising the film version of 50 Shades of Grey. Not exactly unexpected, but it got me to thinking about sex in story-telling. To be honest up front, I haven’t read…
There it is – hovering in the top corner of my screen like some digital vulture. Do you see it on your screen too … the SEND button. I’ve recently sent a new book off to my lovely publisher. And am about to send my equally lovely editor the corrected pages of my soon-to-be-released second…
It’s awards season… We all know what that means – Hollywood on show. Gorgeous men in tailored suits, beautiful woman in fab frocks and far too much time spent on the internet looking at both. But Hollywood doesn’t have a monopoly on awards – there are book awards too. I write romance and women’s fiction…
With a bit of spare time during the holidays, I was able to catch up on some reading (not that my to be read pile seems any smaller). I tried to spread my wings a little and try some new authors as well as some old favourites. Here’s a selection that I thought you…
