My Blog
A Buzz At The London Book Fair
I spent Monday afternoon at the London Book Fair and, whatever else anyone tells you, it was buzzing. OK, so the buzz was mostly concentrated around the bigger name publishers with queues in particular at the HarperCollins, Orion and Penguin stands. Wiley was also...
The Horrors of School Visits
I've been guesting on the Litopia After Dark writers' podcast again, this time expanding on my theories about technology spoiling traditional plot devices (see A Cell Phone Ate My Plot). My theories were borne out when my Skype connection kept dropping - I missed...
Free Mags!
In these crunchy times a freebie is always welcome, particularly if you are a writer or even an ex-banker contemplating a career change. For you, my lovely readers, I have ferreted out a pretty cool deal. The Telegraph is running a promotion where you can download...
Will Lana Have the Last Laugh?
Throughout the farrago of the Phil Spector court case the one who interested me most was the victim, Lana Clarkson. Her Wikipedia entry makes for depressing reading. Look between the lines of what is obviously a bio designed to counteract the smears resulting from...
A Cell Phone Ate My Plot
Great piece in the New York Times about how technology is ruining classic plot devices. You know the sort of thing - a missed connection, one character not being able to get hold of another at a vital moment...All of this is particularly applicable to thrillers and,...
Writing for Teens
Puffin has recently released a debut book for teens, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant, under the Penguin logo. Although the book has been edited and marketed by the children's department at Puffin, the Penguin logo allows it to be stocked in adult...