Before I began writing novels, this was a question I often asked myself. I thought novelists belonged to a special kind of club only accessible if you knew someone already in it. I had only written short stories up until then and I wrote alone – I thought that was how it should be done. … Continue reading Is it ‘who you know’, or ‘what you know’? Does having industry contacts help a writer get a book deal?

My good friend Lydia and I went to see the amazing Margaret Atwood last week. She talked about her recent novel Hag Seed, which is based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Lydia and I celebrated (writers celebrate EVERYTHING!) with these: So, although I did make some notes, they are largely jibberish and a shorthand of a … Continue reading As One Would

Okay - so maybe more than ninety-nine..... This has been created as part of the Lancashire Encounter Festival by environmental artist Steve Messam in Preston city centre. Made up of 4000 red balloons, this installation forms The Red Rose of Lancashire. Amazing!   PS - Welcome to my new blog! And my first ever post … Continue reading 99 Red Balloons in Preston!