We flew out of a cold and rainy Dublin early that morning, so blue skies and warm, sparkling sunshine were a welcome start to our holiday when we stepped off the plane in Naples airport. By lunchtime we were sitting in a shaded corner of the herb-scented hotel garden in Sorrento, relaxing with Panini, cappuccinos,… Read More
Blog
Happy Reading!
‘I was gripped from the beginning and was left wondering what on earth was going on, and what secrets were going to be revealed next!’ I’m happy to share a couple of recent reviews for A Husband’s Confession with you. The above is an intriguing snippet from Chloe’s Chick Lit Reviews and you can read… Read More
C is for Conflict *
If I mention the movie ‘Gone with the Wind’, what’s the first thing you think of? The cinematography of the sweeping landscape? The historical accuracy – or otherwise – of the battle scenes? Scarlett’s pursuit of Ashley? Chances are, it’s none of these. Chances are what springs to your mind immediately are the characters of… Read More
From scouring the bestseller lists to scouring the cooker!
This time last week the bubbly was popped in honour of a happy occasion – thanks to all you lovely people who bought the book, I’m still excited and delighted that A Husband’s Confession cracked the original fiction bestseller list at Number 4. It’s every writer’s dream to get that special phone call from their… Read More
A Husband’s Confession
The umbilical cord has been cut. The few remaining edits have been sent to the typesetter. Nine months gestation and five months of editing and proofing have come to an end and the next book has been borne off to the printers. I just have to wait a little longer until I’m holding my precious… Read More
Bookdeals, deadlines and 9 months to go…
You’ve signed a book deal. Congrats! Chances are you’ve signed a two-book deal on the strength of Book 1, which has already been written and accepted and, happy days, you’ve a whole year to produce Book 2. If you did it once, you can do it again. But now you have something to contend with… Read More
10 Tips for getting over Writer’s Vacuum *
Some people tie up their package of carefully aligned A four sheets in pretty pink ribbons and make a wish over it when the moon is rising. They cross their fingers ceremoniously as it is swallowed into the great maw of the post office box. Others hold their breath, count to ten and click ‘send’… Read More
Are there any socks??
I’ve talked about going to Annaghmakerrig, the residential workplace cocooned in the beautiful heart of County Monaghan. I’ve considered a visit to Anam Cara, the tranquil retreat in the magical West Cork. And my friend in the office keeps urging me to take off with my laptop and spend at least three months with the… Read More
Life, death and celebration
There almost wasn’t a book party. The Compromise hit the shelves in April and those important family members who were necessary to the event – in addition to lending it a touch of glamour as well as bringing a host of their friends – had already planned to take themselves off to northern Spain around… Read More
Book tour: The heart of getting your book out there.
Do you know your URL from your #hashtag? Can you create an interesting post with dynamic and visual content? How effective is your on-line platform or visibility? Can you name more than ten social media tools? Or keep your head above water in the global Twitter stream? Gone are the days when writers sat in… Read More