Kiss, Marry, Murder is set in the leafy environs of Barnes in south-west London. I call it ‘urban cosy crime’, because while it borrows some of the tropes of a traditional murder mystery, it also flouts the rules occasionally with – gasp! – sexual exploits, bad language and not a pensioner-aged sleuth or village vicarContinueContinue reading “Crime, Women and Comedy: an insight into writing humorous female-led fiction”
Category Archives: writing
APRIL: FOOL
FOOL to think the winter was over! Sitting here today, I’ve seen sunshine, rain, hail, thunder and lightening while I work – talk about four seasons in a day, I think it was four seasons in an hour! There’s not been much going on this month. I’m waiting for final edits from my agent toContinueContinue reading “APRIL: FOOL”
March: The longest month
Anyone else just waiting for this month to end or is it just me? I am very definitely NOT a winter person, so this final slog towards spring always leaves me bad tempered and emotional and desperate for company while being fully, one hundred percent aware that I’m the person you least want to callContinueContinue reading “March: The longest month”
February: Old friends, new friends, no friends
My feet have just about touched the ground again after four weeks of mayhem, starting with jetting off to Dubai for the wonderful Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature at the start of the month, which I was lucky enough to be invited to as a speaker and workshop facilitator. I don’t think there is anyContinueContinue reading “February: Old friends, new friends, no friends”
The subjectivity of comedy
Last week I made an off the cuff remark on Twitter about teenagers being worse than toddlers and it got more hits than almost anything else I’ve ever posted. Some people laughed in recognition, some mothers of toddlers were horrified at this window onto the future, some people told me off for stereotyping and oneContinueContinue reading “The subjectivity of comedy”
A year! A WHOLE YEAR!
Where the hell did my publication year go? I can hardly believe it’s a matter of days until it’s over. It’s been hard work. Super fun. Massive learning. I will admit, though, it’s all a bit weird now any semblance of excitement is gone. Back to square one, only not square one… Sometimes I wonderContinueContinue reading “A year! A WHOLE YEAR!”
Doing a number two
I learned a lot about writing from Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy; certainly, my writer toolkit has improved dramatically and while writing my new manuscript I’ve patted myself on the back a number of times for not falling into any classic bad-writer traps this time around. But if I thought I was done learning how toContinueContinue reading “Doing a number two”
How it started… how it’s going…
Someone asked me last week, what it was like to be a debut author. It’s weird, because to be honest, I don’t feel very debut-like anymore, although as far as the glacial timelines of the publishing industry go, it’s entirely possible I could be considered ‘new’ for another 23 years. But the initial excitement andContinueContinue reading “How it started… how it’s going…”
Six things I’ve learned from publishing a book
It’s six weeks since I woke up a published author. SIX weeks! I can barely believe it, still – and yet I don’t rightly remember what it was like before I painted my nails to match my book cover (oft-commented on during signings, although looking a little off-season as winter looms) or wondered if anyoneContinueContinue reading “Six things I’ve learned from publishing a book”
Mad (wo)men
With just under two months left to go until publication day, I thought I’d reflect on the journey so far. It hardly seems real, still, that my book will be in the actual shops in eight weeks’ time. The creative process has been relatively smooth sailing, if I’m honest. The hard stuff is all theContinueContinue reading “Mad (wo)men”