September 2020
August 2020
The big news this month is that I have signed a new contract for a further two books – number 8 and 9 for Lake Union so I’m thrilled. I also finished the first draft of The Unwanted Inheritance and spent a week in Kefalonia where I revisited the beach and cave that feature in The Last Piece!
JULY 2020
I left my desk! I went on a walking trip to Northumberland where I took a few days off. I’ve written every day since before Christmas and I hadn’t realised how welcome a break would be.
Also, The last Piece has been published which is super-exciting.
JUNE 2020
I’ve been writing in lockdown! I’ve started a new book currently called The Inheritance which I’m having great fun. Sadly, though there’s not much else to do just at the moment!
MAY 2020
Well ! What can I say? A couple of very strange months of lockdown. I haven’t published any blog posts during lockdown (although I wrote a couple) because I couldn’t work out what I felt or wanted to say.
But instead I’ve been writing! I finished the first draft of Book 7, currently called Dear Friends . . . and I completed the structural edit of Book 6 (which STILL has no title!) On top of that, I’ve had new ideas for what might come next and so I’ve been researching and thinking about those. To be honest though, I have had enough researching at my computer. I’m desperate to get out there now and start actually seeing things again.
APRIL 2020
So, the country is in lockdown but my life as a writer continues much the same as usual. I am halfway through the first draft of Book 7 which is going really well and am also due to be undertaking the structural edit of Book 6 next week. I really must give these books titles – it would make things so much easier!
MARCH 2020
Well, I didn’t win the Contemporary Romantic Novel Award but I had a great evening at the Awards Ceremony and I’m still delighted at having been shortlisted.
This month has mainly been about cancellations due to COVID-19, most noticeably the LONDON BOOK FAIR, the major event in the book publishing diary. However, I did get to go to another conference which ran as planned and met up with lots of lovely author friends, so that was great.
Also, I have been approached by several agents recently and, after a great deal of thought, I have signed with Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV and Film Agency and specifically Catherine Cho. I went to meet them all in their very trendy offices in London and was so impressed that I signed on the dotted line. And now I’m very excited. This is a new development for me and I can’t wait to see what will happen next!
February 2020
It’s very exciting! WHERE THE STORY STARTS has been shortlisted the the Contemporary Romantic Novel Award 2020. I’m up against some formidable competition and of course my books don’t really sit neatly in the Romantic genre but I am thrilled to be in the list. The Awards ceremony is on the 2nd March so I’ll report back afterwards.
JAnuary 2020
A new year and a new decade and it’s got off to a flying start. I have just delivered my sixth, currently untitled, novel to my publishers. As ever, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my new characters and I shall miss them now that they have gone away for a while, or at least until the editing process begins.
I intend to spend the rest of this month being outside and pondering my characters for novel number seven which I will start writing next month.
DECEMBER 2019
I’m delighted that WHERE THE STORY STARTS has now reached 100,000 readers. In fact, it hit that milestone just before its sixth month anniversary so I was even more chuffed and I got a lovely email from my publishers congratulating me. A gift will follow apparently!
I’ve also just received the cover for the German version of THE THING ABOUT CLARE. It’s so interesting how they position books differently for different markets. Here they wanted to focus on the all important letter. The translation will be out next year.
The next book now has a definite title. It’s going to be THE LAST PIECE. As soon as I get cover artwork then I’ll let you see it. I also finished the first edit too so now it has winged its way back to the publishers for them to do the next bit.
In the meantime, my editor loves the book after that (book 6) and I will spend the rest of this month putting the final touches onto it so that I can get it delivered in the new year.
November 2019
This month it’s all about the edit! I have just had the notes back from my editor for my next book THE FINAL PIECE and I’m thrilled. She says that it’s ‘beautiful’, ‘heartbreaking’ ‘fresh’ and ‘powerful’. But I can still improve it so that’s what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks.
Also, POSTCARDS AT CHRISTMAS is now out and steadily climbing the charts which is lovely to see. Hopefully it will join the other two in the Amazon Top 50!
October 2019
So it’s been quite hectic! The German translation of Postcards From a Stranger fly to the top of the kindle chart in Germany and stayed there for 29 consecutive days. Then Where the Story Starts reached number 1 in the UK Kindle chart securing me a 100% record so far!
This month my novella POSTCARDS AT CHRISTMAS will be published. I am also finishing the first draft of a book currently titled Miss Mountcastle’s Diary which I’m hoping will be released in Autumn 2020 and I had a lovely trip to Southwold in Suffolk to research it. More on my blog about that.
JULy 2019
This month I’m focussing on my new book. I’m trying to outline ( always a struggle for me!) and actually I’m really looking forward to just getting properly started. I’ve also just signed a new four book deal and Postcards has come out in translation in Germany as WENN DEINE KEILEN MICH BERÜHREN which is a new experience for me. So far so good!
June 2019
This month I’ve been editing a novella that will be published later this year. I’m really excited about it because it features some familiar characters who are very close to my heart. Watch this space for more detail.
May 2019
It’s been a very busy few months as I’ve been working on two new projects which I’m hoping will become books before too long. The first draft is always my favourite part of the process as it’s when the real magic of story telling happens for me.
The next thing will be the launch of my new book WHERE THE STORY STARTSon 28th May. I’m really excited about this one and I hope that you will enjoy reading it.
February 2019
S0, right now I am 25,000 words into my new novel which currently has no title (not that convenient when I want to refer to it!) I’m loving it so far and really enjoying getting to know the Nightingale family. I’m still at the stage when the whole project is beyond exciting and I haven’t written myself into any dead ends that I can’t get out of just yet. Long may it continue.
I’ve also had ideas for a couple of other stories so I’m trying to think about those too to see if I can sort them into some kind of order rather than just the jumble of thoughts that they are at the moment. Watch this space to see how I get on with them.
October 2019
At the moment I’m in the middle of the edits of my third book WHERE THE STORY STARTSwhich is due to be published next May.
No spoilers but it’s the story of two very different families from the north-east of England who discover that they are linked in ways that they could never have imagined.
I spent a few days earlier in the year scouting Whitley Bay for locations and found some wonderful spots. Here are just a few that may or may not have found it into the book! You’ll just have to wait and see.
I’m also working with my publishers on the cover design so as soon as I have something to reveal I’ll let you know.
