Work as an author, writing advice and tips.
Who wants to be an allrounder? Back in school, my form tutor once wrote: "If Nikki were a cricketer, she would be called Ian Botham. One of the best allrounders we’ve ever had." Sounds lucky, right? And yes, it’s led me down a unique and varied path with five switches...
It’s not often that I anticipate a book as keenly as Elizabeth Macneal’s Circus of Wonders which is published today! I first came across Elizabeth after I entered Pivotal into the Caledonia Novel Award in 2018 and despite being unsuccessful myself, I followed the...
Meet Anna I found my brilliant editor, Anna Barrett (née Hogarty), through Reedsy (think CheckaTrade or RatedPeople but for writers) where you can search for professional editorial support, read testamonials and match to your requirements. Within her business, The...
This week on the Pivotal Anniversary Tour the focus is on Liza’s story. Does she thrive or just survive? The book explores the impact of a mysterious bequest on the four leading characters’ mental health, particularly in relation to their relationships with parents,...
At the launch of Pivotal on 17th October 2019, Antonio Riva of Tango Bridge UK treated everyone to a surprise Tango demonstration. Antonio had agreed to collaborate and I billed him as ‘The Mystery Man’ beforehand in order to keep the Tango connection with the book a...
The People’s Book Prize organisers have extended the voting deadline to 30th May 2020. But what is the People’s Book Prize, why do literary prizes matter to authors and why does your vote matter? The People’s Book Prize There are many literary awards and competitions....
Sometimes life brings you a reminder of just how short it is and what's really important. Sometimes the thing you were striving for one day seems the most trivial and unimportant thing the next. Before becoming an author, I was fortunate enough to have found two...
Earlier this Month in More Books Than Bikinis, Part 4 – Seeking out a Publisher, I promised to bring you up to date on Pivotal’s journey to publication. If you have been following me on Social Media you will know we have reached an extremely exciting stage, with the...
More Books than Bikinis 4 – Seeking out a Publisher To start this, the next instalment in my writing story, I began by looking back at part 3, Final draft to Submission and realised how much time had passed by – a year! I have not been sitting on my hands waiting for...
I feel very fortunate to have met and interviewed Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House (which I loved), The Girl Next Door, (just published and saved for my Easter holiday reading – I can’t wait!) and Editorial Director at Orion imprint, Trapeze. Her passion for...
After a couple of months working on lots of new and exciting projects for The Writers’ Pod, I’m back with another author interview from the Writers’ Pod Presents series. I originally met Jenny Ford at a local business networking event. I seem to bump into authors and...
Navigating the publishing world as unpublished author can sometimes feel like you are on a solo mountain expedition, without a map or a guide, naively trying to reach the summit without any equipment. The problem is you don’t know what you don’t know. How do you know...
After my visit to this year’s London Book Fair last month, already documented in my latest post, I realised there was a gap in my writing story. Part two covered the writing of Pivotal, from concept to first draft but as readers of the Book Fair post will already...
Making the Most of the London Book Fair – A Writers View Each year at the London Book Fair, the world of publishing convenes at Kensington Olympia. Every available exhibition space, from the Grand Hall to the Club Room, is crammed full of industry professionals and...
Creative Inspiration in a Cemetery On a crisp winter afternoon in late February we drive through the gates to Foster Hill Road Cemetery, a little late for our appointment. A well known mapping tool under-estimated our journey time by about ten minutes, eating into the...
Hands up if you are trying to make it as a writer. Is 2018 going to be the year where you pick up that pen or open that blank document and start? Being a writer and making a living from your passion are not necessarily the same goal. With my first novel under my belt...
They say a good writer should also be a good reader, so I suppose I must have been off to a good start when I had already learnt to read before beginning school. In those days Ladybird books, in the Peter and Jane series were the bread and butter for early readers. On...
THE WRITERS’ POD PRESENTS…TOULA Toula is a successfully self-published author, with several books already under her belt. I met with her recently in a coffee shop, on behalf of The Writers’ Pod, to gain insight into her world and the self publishing option. We shared...
Quit Being a Lonely Writer – Live a little When people ask me “What do you do?” I answer with confidence, mixed with a smidgen of bravado, “I am a writer.” It still gives me a thrill to hear myself say the words out loud. Usually the conversation then goes one of two...
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