This time last week it snowed. Snow can be a big problem for elderly isolated people and stranded motorists but I defy anyone, when they open the curtains on the first morning after snow has fallen, not to gasp with [...]
I have recently returned from a short holiday in 'Paradise' - or to be more accurate a tiny island in an isolated atoll in a wide ocean - or to be more precise: Fonimagoodhoo Island in Baa Atoll in the [...]
January 2018 is memorable (or rather unmemorable) for having the longest number of sunless days and hours of any January since records began, so I'm told. It was a dark, dismal, dank month - and - to add adverbs (now [...]
A year ago I retired from a long-term part-time job, which gave me plenty of time for writing. I intended to transform my life and re-brand myself as a full-time professional writer. So why have I written so little and [...]
At last my voice is beginning to return to how it used to be, though it still sounds pretty ragged to me at times. I lost it back in April and I'm disappointed that it is still strangely hoarse. [...]
Nine weeks ago I woke up, tried to say good morning to my darling husband and found I could not speak. I couldn’t even to croak - nothing! Very strange. My vocal cords had gone AWOL. The evening before, having [...]
You need to put words on pages to make books. It's more about quality than quantity but you must have both. And it takes time and hard work. Right now I'm focused on writing a new novel - my fourth [...]
We hear a lot about Apps and rather less about Abbs, unless you happen to be into bodybuilding. People who talk about their abbs are generally into flaunting their well-toned abdominal muscles. But an ABB could be an abbreviation of [...]
Here are five reasons why I write fiction: Because I love stories and storytelling. Because creating believable characters is a challenge. Because I am fascinated by the human heart and mind. Because I love words, language, learning and communicating. Because [...]
I've just read a book by well-known author that was beautifully written, with an ingenious plot and memorable characters - but it did not have an ending. There was an intriguing story with tension, insights and twists but with no [...]