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In the company of women
Today I am delighted to welcome my friend Sara Sartagne to my blog. Sara is the author of several novels which cross genres such as...
20 hours ago3 min read


The accurate representation of diversity in historical fiction.
In recent times I have been challenged to ensure that my historical novels accurately represent the diversity that would have existed in...
Aug 307 min read


History & Fiction
Writing historical fiction is a bit like time travel. Both the writer and the reader must be willing to enter the machine, the reader as...
Aug 194 min read


Early reaction to The Standing Stone on the Moor
My new book is now released, and beginning to attract some positive reviews. "Another jewel in the Talbot crown" says one and, " a...
Jun 226 min read


Bookable Space podcast with Yvonne Battle-Felton.
I had a wonderful time chatting to Yvonne about writing, and reading three excerpts from The Cottage on Winter Moss. The podcast lasts...
Feb 181 min read


What’s in a name?
One of the questions I get asked quite regularly is how I come up with my characters’ names. The answer? I take inspiration from...
Jan 234 min read


My gift to you
As we approach the holiday season, my thoughts turn to gifts. I dislike buying 'for the sake of it' or just so that someone will have a...
Dec 9, 20243 min read


Welcome Back!
It's been over a year since I added to my blog, and although no one seems to have missed it much, I feel that I've been slacking. So, I'm...
Oct 12, 20244 min read


Women's Fiction
When you self-publish you are asked to place your book into up to two categories or genres. There are a finite quantity of these and it...
Jul 4, 20233 min read


A touch of something odd
A few years ago someone suggested that I have a go at writing a ghost story. The person in question was of the opinion that my...
Jul 2, 20233 min read


The Significance of Characters with Disabilities in Literary Fiction
Today I am thrilled to host my first guest, Deirdre O’Grady, who was my sensitivity reader for The Cottage on Winter Moss. What is a...
Jul 5, 20224 min read


An excerpt from The Cottage on Winter Moss
My new book is set in the area where I am lucky enough to live, on the wild northwest coast of Cumbria. Walking along the dunes one day a...
Jul 1, 20223 min read


Getting ensnared in multiple story-threads
Personally, I love a book with multiple story-threads, especially when each thread concerns a different character. My ‘Widows’ books are...
Jun 30, 20222 min read


A book about writing a book
My new book, The Cottage on Winter Moss, was inspired by my local landscape. I wanted to pour into it all the colour, texture and...
Jun 22, 20225 min read


Sneak Preview - an excerpt from The Cottage on Winter Moss
My new book is set in the area where I am lucky enough to live, on the wild northwest coast of Cumbria. Walking along the dunes one day a...
Mar 31, 20223 min read


Books Recommendations
I’ve been busy since November writing a new novel, which is almost ready to go to the editor. While I am writing I like to read books...
Mar 25, 20224 min read


Many Rooms - A story of the New Year
St Quentin’s square is somewhat off the main thoroughfare of the city’s streets; traffic is admitted under sufferance and parking is not...
Jan 1, 202212 min read


Why reviews matter (and how to write good ones)
I am an avid reader and always try to write reviews for the books I read. Reading a book - like writing one - can be a solitary business....
Dec 9, 20216 min read


Work In Progress (WIP)
About this time last year, during the second lock down here in the UK, I was writing The Lady in the Veil. I was early on in the job...
Dec 2, 20213 min read


Trying to do the right thing
Eighteen months ago, upon the killing of George Floyd, there was a long-overdue upsurge in calls for proper equality and inclusion in all...
Nov 25, 20213 min read
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