Welcome to 2019! I hope you've had a fantastic and very restful holiday break. I've spent a few weeks away from my blog and everything that goes with it, and I confess to feeling much refreshed by the virtual vacation. But I'm back at my desk today and ready to do...
Industry Insider: How do you know when a story is ‘finished’?
One of the most interesting aspects of any author workshop is the Q&A section at the end. You might remember this post, wherein I advised authors to be prepared for 'anything' when it comes to this particular aspect of a talk. But I confess I was caught short...
Today’s the day: THE BOOK OF ANSWERS is out now!
Today, my new book came out. THE BOOK OF ANSWERS (Ateban Cipher #2) is out there on the shelves, ready and waiting for someone to just wander on by and pick it up. (Doesn't it look pretty there, standing behind THE BOOK OF SECRETS...) You'll find more details about...
10 things I’ve learnt from writing my debut novel
There's nothing quite like the experience of having your first novel appear on bookshop shelves. And nothing quite like the learning curve involved in getting the book there in the first place. Today, I'm pleased to welcome debut author Louise Allan to my blog, to...
What publishers really want (in their own words)
As Valerie Khoo and I head rapidly towards 200 episodes of our So You Want To Be A Writer podcast, our backlist of fabulous - and by that I mean fabulously useful - interviews grows. Thanks to the attention that our recent interview with publisher Marisa Pintado...
6 tips for getting back into the swing with your writing
My, but my blogging muscles feel a bit creaky. I've been submerged in school holidays for what feels like the last year (really a matter of weeks) - just long enough for my blogging habit to become a faint memory. I've written before about how I used to find blogging...
How to edit your own writing: 5 top tips from an editor
On Monday, I shared my five top tips for editing your own writing, from a writer's perspective. Today, as promised, I'm following up with five top tips from an editor, thanks to the willingness of professional (and respected) freelance editor Nicola O'Shea. "Nothing...
How to edit your own writing: 5 top tips from a writer
"How do I edit my own writing?" "Where do I start editing my own manuscript?" "How do I edit my first draft? When I put out my survey recently, I asked you to let me known the one thing I can help you with this year. The questions above are just a smattering of the...
5 brilliant things you can do for your writing this year
This is an updated version of a post I wrote in 2016, all about five brilliant things you could do for your writing in 2017. Things to help make you (and me) a better writer. What I've realised since I first wrote it is that these brilliant things relate to any year....


















