Ideas for Christmas presents – extracts from November newsletter
My blog this month is another in the series about crime fiction. This time it's about unusual narratives, which is more interesting than it sounds! Yes it's a bit niche, but whether you're a writer or a reader, I think you'll enjoy seeing the many different ways...
Top Ten Weird and Wonderful Crime Novels – unusual narratives.
As part of a series of blogs about crime and thriller novels, September's blog focused on the top ten locations. This month I take a look at unusual narrative forms. While we probably all recognise the groundbreaking work of those writers from the Golden Age of...
Writing Spooky. Extracts from October’s newsletter.
I've had a productive few weeks which has resulted in me sending four completed projects to my agent - with profuse apologies, but she said something interesting. She said this time of year was often a 'finishing off and unloading' time of year for her clients, and I...
Top Ten Scariest Novels of all Time
Halloween is fast approaching, so why not get yourself in the mood by reading your way through my list of the scariest novels of all time? A few of these are supernatural, but not all; instead they are the kinds of books you just can't put down and which are...
It’s all about place. Extracts from September’s newsletter
September - it's all about place. Firstly apologies for the lack of newsletter in August. The book festival took over - in a good way! It was lovely to be involved in chairing events this time round, not least because of the lovely room we were allocated! Various...
Top Ten Crime and Thriller – Locations
Despite the fact that I read dozens of crime and thriller books every year, I've never done a top ten list, but as I started to remedy this, I realised it was going to be a really, really hard task! So instead I've broken it down to focus on different aspects of the...
Top Ten Bookshops in Edinburgh
It's August, it's Edinburgh, so it's festival time! If you need a bit of time off from the mad dashing around, here are my top ten bookshops to visit while you're here. 1. Portobello Bookshop - 6 Portobello High St, Portobello, Edinburgh EH15 1DA One of my favourite...
Writing in sunshine? Extracts from July newsletter
July: summertime is... writing time? I remember a blog I wrote in 2013 about whether it was easier to write in summer or winter. Personally I find it impossible to sit in the sunshine and write, but I was at Moniack Mhor for their midsummer retreat in June, the...
Top Ten Beach Reads
Yeah, the world is opening up again! Time to pack the bikini and go! Are you going to brave the airports, trains, and other covid-y methods of public transport to get somewhere different this summer? Maybe you've decided to go by car so you can sit in an endless...
It’s nearly festival time! Extracts from June newsletter
Getting ready for the Edinburgh International Book Festival (wherever you are). It's so exciting to think that after two years, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is back. And it's even bigger. There are over 600 events happening over the fortnight (last two...