The Divide is out now!
One dead girlfriend. One missing girlfriend. Who will believe he is innocent? My short story, The Divide, has been published in The Book of Bristol,… Read More »The Divide is out now!
Writing
‘The Beautiful Game’ – Filled with dread
‘The Perfect Crime’, a collection of crime fiction short stories by diverse writers, is reviewed by Peter Kalu on Writers Mosaic. Peter says, ‘There are… Read More »‘The Beautiful Game’ – Filled with dread
Rejection – Or How to Fail Better at Writing
‘I tried to remind myself of the rejections other authors had faced. JK Rowling was famously told that children did not want to read long… Read More »Rejection – Or How to Fail Better at Writing
What no one tells you about getting published…
(A love story in twenty-five parts) When the Royal Literary Fund asked me to write an article on this topic, I used Matt Haig’s poem… Read More »What no one tells you about getting published…
My favourite children’s book
‘It’s such a moving, powerful story but it’s also beautifully written. It’s about kindness and compassion, about how what we’re like on the inside should… Read More »My favourite children’s book
My desert island book
I’d want to read it on a desert island because it would remind me of the power and passion of human emotions.’⠀ Talking about the… Read More »My desert island book
Wuthering Heights – the novel that has influenced me the most
When I was a teenager, I steadfastly refused to believe that so-called ‘classical literature’ could be better than the assortment I chose from the local… Read More »Wuthering Heights – the novel that has influenced me the most
My Mother’s Secret – Location
There’s a thin band of cream silhouetting the cranes that hover over the half-built office blocks in the city centre. I head home, below an… Read More »My Mother’s Secret – Location
Marketing and Me
‘I don’t much like it. Marketing is about selling & writers, as we know, are about writing and reading. They’re generally not known for their… Read More »Marketing and Me
How to create the perfect villain!
Today I ran a lesson about villains for homeschool with my nine-year-old daughter. She loved it and created a supreme baddie: Galactica, Queen of the… Read More »How to create the perfect villain!
Blueprint for a house…and a story
In May 2017 we bought a house in Somerset. It was originally built in the 1950s and for almost two years we’ve been renovating it.… Read More »Blueprint for a house…and a story
Letter to my younger self
What would you tell yourself if you could? The Royal Literary Fund recently gave me the opportunity to write and record a letter to my… Read More »Letter to my younger self
My writing talisman
My writing talisman is a beautiful painting by artist, Elaine Jones. It’s of Cornwall – have a look to see why I love it so… Read More »My writing talisman
How to write a thriller
In a few days time I’m heading to Ted Hughes’ old house, Lumb Bank, in Hebden Bridge, to teach an Arvon Foundation course on how… Read More »How to write a thriller
Becoming a coach
I’ve just returned to working for charity, First Story, this month. First Story’s aim is to change young people’s lives through writing, particularly those… Read More »Becoming a coach
Diversity in Fiction
I’ve written as a Jesuit priest in Outer Mongolia, a nine-year-old in inner city Bristol, a child abductor, an angry teenager, a man in his… Read More »Diversity in Fiction
My Mother’s Secret: Stories within the Book
I’m delighted to welcome Tasha Locke to my blog this week. Tasha graduated from Bristol University this year with a degree in English Literature. I… Read More »My Mother’s Secret: Stories within the Book
One Year Later
As My Mother’s Secret has been wending its way into the world, I’ve been working on another psychological thriller. It’s called One Year Later… One… Read More »One Year Later
My Mother’s Secret – Launch party!
It’s hard to believe, for me at least, but after doing little else but think about the characters in My Mother’s Secret for a year and… Read More »My Mother’s Secret – Launch party!
My Writing Toolkit
Book blogger and health journalist, Victoria Goldman, asked me to tell her what my essential writing toolkit is for her blog, Off-the-Shelf Books. Here goes: Office… Read More »My Writing Toolkit