I was delighted to be asked to run a workshop at the Manx Literature Festival, where we talked about the ingredients for successful storytelling and had some fun drawing the shape of our stories. I picked my debut novel, The Ragged Valley, and decided the highs and...

I flew to a swelteringly hot London to attend my first Romantic Novelists’ Association conference, and it didn’t disappoint. My genre is historical saga with a generous helping of romantic intrigue, and I was keen to explore that side of my writing and – excitingly -...

I want to talk about the sometimes-maligned trope. You might be unfamiliar with the word, or struggle to define it, but I can guarantee you’ll immediately recognise it in every genre fiction you read. Are you a fan of enemies to lovers, or rags to riches (and vice...

Imagine taking a book down from the shelf and discovering the content was, partly or wholly, machine-generated? Or, as a book reviewer or influencer having to debate whether to read an ARC (advance reader copy) that has caught your eye because it might not be a...

I recently co-hosted, with my agent, a writers’ workshop on creating memorable characters. Putting together this workshop led me to reflect on the characters that have peopled my novels, and whose lives I’ve followed as the sagas progress through time. The idea behind...

‘There aren’t many libraries you can visit in your slippers.’ - Wise words from one visitor to the library bus when we made a stop outside her rural home. Hitching a ride for the day, I learned there’s more to this mobile service than the stacked shelves of books I...

Nine ways readers can support authors - for free Write a review. Entice others to open the book you’ve enjoyed. Suggest an author you like to your book club. Attend author events. Most are free and involve a glass of wine, or a bun, or both, and are a great...

I’m really delighted to unveil my second historical saga trilogy. This series is inspired by a real-life institution caring for destitute women and girls. The House of Help for Friendless Girls was set up in 1885 at number 1 Paradise Square. Among the women who sought...

My first novel began life in a Word document under the working title The Flood. It’s not bad. Does what it says on the tin. But, The Ragged Valley is so much better, isn’t it? I have to thank my agent Kate Nash for coming up with this title, which simultaneously...

A writer in the querying trenches caused a bit of a stir on social media recently when they claimed they don’t read. I have to admit that if I’m deep in edits or on a roll with a section of the novel I’m writing, my TBR pile mounts ever higher. But I can’t conceive of...

There’s a piece of dialect – Oo wer she wee war she wi im or war she wee hersen – that will be instantly recognisable to Yorkshire folk. Here’s another – tin tin tin. And why is a Sheffielder known as a Dee Dah? Nah den dee what’s da doin’? I recently received a...

Nerves got the better of me at the talk I delivered for Sight Matters’ annual Author Breakfast at the Comis Hotel. The event was to raise money for the charity, which does wonderful work on the Isle of Man helping visually impaired people. This was the biggest...

Welcome to my blog, where I’ll be sharing musings about my work and the terrifying and thrilling rollercoaster ride* that is the writer’s experience of the publishing industry. I’m going to start by answering a question I’m often asked. Where do the stories come from?...