Not A Dry January!

Posted on January 22, 2026 by blogaboutwriting

I am trying to make this my writing motto for 2026!

Hello, how are you?! Isn’t the weather AWFUL!

I know it’s a bit of a first world problem but yesterday it didn’t stop raining here and it was freezing cold too and it was a tiny bit depressing.

But today was a bit better so.. hopefully better days are coming! (and on the subject of ‘Dry January’, no I have NEVER done that and do not intend to!)

Honestly, the only thing that’s kept me going through January has been The Traitors on the TV, which, despite – or perhaps because of – featuring a couple of mad women, has been brilliant!

As you may know, crime writer Harriet Tyce is one of the contestants and apparently her book sales and popularity have soared as a result.

And I can confirm that I was in the library today, collecting a book from the shelf of reserved books and someone had reserved ALL FOUR Harriet Tyce novels (a fifth is out next month), so, from my limited findings (ie: one shelf of a library) I can confirm that it’s TRUE.

Re. Traitors, I had a very definite ‘what am I going to do once it finishes on Friday?’ feeling. But then – joy! I discovered that the Irish edition of The Traitors starts on BBC 1 on Saturday! And I am IN!

Still on a cheery note, we have put up our new solar-panel-powered bird box with a camera, full of optimism and hoping that the great tits that usually nest in a (different) birdbox on that same site, will be back again in the spring and this time we’ll be able to watch their antics and hopefully their babies!

I will keep you posted.

(Please don’t anyone tell me that we’ve left it too late for this year. I need only good news at this time).

Short Story Competitions

A couple of short story competitions here, if that’s your thing:

Writers and Artists Short Story Competition c/d 13th Feb 2026

This one is free to enter, as always and you can win a place on an Arvon course, worth almost £1000 (eek! How did they get so expensive?!) and publication on the Writers & Artists website. Details here.

The Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition c/d 31st March 2026

If you fancy writing a crime short story (with a protagonist from Scotland) and the chance to win 1,000, publication of your story on the Bloody Scotland website and a guest appearance at the Bloody Scotland Festival in September 2026 (or a runner’s up prize of £500), then read more here.

You’ve got until the end of March to submit your max 2000 words (not previously published) story, so plenty of time to start working on it! It’s one entry per person and it appears to be free to enter and open worldwide! Hurrah.

And if you want an idea of the kind of story they might be looking for, you can read some of the previous winners here.

Slush Pile Day – Saturday 9th May 2026 10am – 6pm

Novelists and all-round brilliant writing tutors, Alison May and Janet Gover are running a ‘Slush Pile Day’ in London in May.

This sounds like a great opportunity for anyone who has a book ready (or almost ready) for submission, whether you’re currently unpublished, or are a published author seeking to lift your career to a new level.

Price – £89.50 but book before Feb 9th and get a 20% early booking discount, making the day £71.60. (There is also a bursary available to one person who couldn’t otherwise afford it).

All the details are here.

Right, fellow Faithfuls, I must love you and leave you as I have to get ready (ie: pour wine, find slippers, sit on the sofa) for you-know-what!

Posted in Competitions, Short Stories, Television | 1 Comment

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 5, 2026 by blogaboutwriting

Helloooo! And Happy New Year to you (ah, the relief of not having to think of a fancy title for this blog post. ‘Happy New Year’ does the job very nicely).

I hope you had a good Christmas (seems like ages ago now, don’t you think?) and let’s hope 2026 is a great year for all of us.

NY’s Resolutions – Yay or Nay?

My New Year’s resolution is to learn how to use Canva to make fancy (or even not that fancy) pictures and stuff for my social media accounts.(Or anything! Do you use something that’s better than Canva? Let me know!)

I am sadly lacking in the ability to do even basic things, purely because I haven’t taken the time to learn.

Don’t laugh, but you’ll notice, for example, that the ‘99p’ on the book cover below (and yes, the book really is on offer at the moment for that bargain price), was printed off the computer, placed on the book and then I took a photo of it! I know, how old-person-ish is that?!

The last in the Highland Girls/lumberjills series is on a Kindle deal at the moment (“for a limited time”!) for just 99p, just in case that should be of interest…!

But honestly, given my lack of skills in that department, it was quicker for me to do that than faff around trying – and probably failing – to do it digitally.

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions? Good luck with them, if so!

National Year of Reading

2026, as you may know, has been designated by the government as the ‘National Year of Reading’ – which can only be a good thing, imo. Children – and adults – are reading less and less (booo!) and the ‘National Year of Reading’ aims to “(re)connect people of all ages with reading as a meaningful, modern, and social activity.”

There are going to be lots of events and activities throughout the year to support the National Year of Reading (in libraries as well as in schools and elsewhere). Here’s the website if it’s of interest. Not much in the way of ‘events’ on there yet but I’m sure it’ll get populated as the year gets going!

40 Books in 2025

Talking of reading, I managed to hit my challenge (which I set on Goodreads) of 40 books read this year. I know it’s not *amazing* compared to the number that some people get through but I don’t have a lot of time to read (I usually manage about 2 pages in bed before I fall asleep and in addition, I always have an audiobook on the go in the car), so I was pretty happy with that.

My top 3 reads of the year were, in no particular order:

The Wedding People – Alison Espach (on a Kindle deal NOW for just 99p if you want to give it a go!)

A Ladder To The Sky – John Boyne (similar theme to ‘Yellowface’, if you’ve read that, but, imo, about ten times better!)

In The Blink of An Eye – Jo Callaghan (first in a series and I devoured the next 2 books and I’m looking forward to the fourth – and final book – coming out in May).

Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton and American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins – both thrillers that I read for my book club in 2025 – were also good and memorable reads.

So, what have I got in store for 2026?

Last year, I had a book out but I didn’t write anything new (well, I started a new Lumberjills book as you may remember but the publisher decided they didn’t want any more WW2 books from me. Fair enough).

However, I did get a new contract for a stand-alone historical novel (not 1940s this time but a bit later in the century!) So that’s what I’m working on now, with a deadline of 22nd April to deliver the first draft, so I have to really start working hard and I’ll be a bit of a hermit between now and then. And I know that seems like a long time to write 85-95k but I am S.L.O.W and I need a lot of thinking time. I can’t just sit down and bash words out (my bad!). 😦

At the end of 2025 I – sadly – gave up the class (‘Sunny Side Up’) that I’ve been teaching on a voluntary basis in Stratford-on-Avon for nine years and that means I’m not doing any teaching, for the first time in a couple of decades! Feels a bit weird. But hopefully I will still take the odd workshop and who knows, I may well start teaching again at some point but for now, I just don’t have time.

At the Evesham Festival of Words in the summer, I’ll be running the quiz night with my friend Chris (Friday 26th June) and on Sunday 28th June, I’ll be interviewing a bookish hero of mine – AJ Pearce, who wrote the Emmy Lake (‘Dear Mrs Bird’ et al) series – and who is also now writing something in a different era – will be interesting to find out more!

I know it seems a long way off (and let’s not wish the year away!), but you can book tickets now, should you so wish!

See you there?! And Happy New Year! (again)

Posted in Books, West Midlands | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Christmas Is A-Coming…!

Posted on December 17, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

Is it wrong to get excited about a water butt?

I recently mentioned (in passing!) to my husband that we really need one (the last one rotted, probably because it was wooden and currently there’s an ineffective washing-up bowl catching the water and as it’s been raining a lot, I am emptying the water onto the garden every half hour).

Anyway, he sprung into action and researched water butts on t’internet and yesterday he asked me what colour I wanted (green marble is the answer) and gradually, it has dawned on me that this water butt, dear reader is My Christmas Present! (Hopefully not the only one!).

Other women are showered with perfume and diamonds (perhaps you are one of them?) and I get.. a water butt! Ah well, serves me right for mentioning something I wanted when he was clearly in a ‘what-the-heck-can-I-get-her’ frame of mind!

I am sure it will be lovely and I may even post a photo of it when it arrives, so stand by for that.

Sad News

On a bit of a sad note, for a second…

Lots of writerly people have died in the last couple of weeks, as you may know.

Firstly, the lovely, funny Sophie Kinsella, whose books never failed to cheer and make me laugh. A particular favourite of mine is ‘The Undomestic Goddess‘ which is so good. If you want to ‘escape’ over Christmas, that’s a good ‘un.

Then, Joanna Trollope, she of the ‘Aga Sagas’ (a name she detested, apparently). I read – and loved – all her books in my younger days and went to see her interviewed in Birmingham, many moons ago. She seemed like a nice person and was an early inspiration to me.

And finally, Jonathan Telfer, former editor of Writing magazine, who phoned me once when I’d pitched several articles to him (I thought he was going to tell me to STOP! But actually he was phoning to accept them and ask for more).

I’d never spoken to an editor before and I was in awe and barely able to speak. But he was lovely and very encouraging.

Ah, all very sad and it seems especially poignant when it’s just before Christmas.

The sky this morning at 8am was rather amazing

Room 204

If you’re a West Midlands based writer, applications are open for Writing West Midlands’ writerly support programme ‘Room 204′ so if you qualify (in the first instance, by living, working or studying in the West Midlands), then have a look at the requirements and see if it’s something you might like to apply for. It’s free and the deadline for applications is midday on 7th January. Good luck!

The Wedding People by Alison Espach

If you can remember that far back, you may recall that when I wrote my last post, I was listening to the audiobook of ‘The Wedding People’ and despite all the recommendations it had had, I wasn’t overly struck…

Well, I stand corrected. It got better. I laughed out loud and by the end (at which point I shed a little tear), I LOVED it. So I can highly recommend it BUT be prepared for quirkiness and a bit of a slow start (in my humble opinion).

Happy Christmas

I am already half-person half-turkey, as I’ve been out for three Christmas meals and (stupidly!) chose the traditional meal each time. (Because last year I deliberately chose something different and had menu envy when everyone else’s turkey dinner looked so delicious).

Anyway, I’m sure I’ll manage to eat some more on Christmas Day!

It only remains for me to wish you a very Happy Christmas! I hope you have a good one, whatever form that takes and that you get some nice books to read, if that is your thing (and also, that you get time to read them!)

And if you want to do some writing over the Christmas holiday, The People’s Friend have come up with a ‘seven day writing challenge’ – ie: 7 prompts, one for each day of the week.

See you on the other side!

Posted in Books, The People's Friend, West Midlands | Tagged | 14 Comments

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble*

Posted on November 28, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

Hello, how are you? I hope you’re well!

Apologies, I haven’t posted for over a month, which is very remiss of me but I’ve been sooo busy. It’s the time of year, perhaps? It may well be the same for you.

Last time I wrote, I’d been to Birmingham and I’ve been back to the Second City since then, for an RNA Chapter meeting (in which I ate the world’s biggest pizza. No photo, I am too ashamed!) and I’ve also been to London for the Waitrose Food & Drink Festival (hmm, there’s a bit of theme here, I feel).

RNA Bham Chapter meeting (after the food had all been cleared away!!)


As it’s Black Friday, just a quick plug for two of my books which are on offer for 99p on Kindle at the moment. (Just in case you’re in a spending mood…!)

They are: my debut ‘A Wartime Secret’ and ‘The Highland Girls at War’ which is the first in my 3-part WW2 Women’s Timber Corps series.

I’ve Been Watching…

I’ve been to the theatre 3 times (in the same week). Bad planning on my part because I don’t know about you, but I can’t cope with too much ‘going out’ these days!

The first theatrical extravaganza was the musical Six, based on the six wives of Henry VIII and something I’d wanted to see for ages.

What can I say? It was good, I enjoyed it and the singing and dancing were amazing (in a Spice Girls concert kind-of-way! I did wonder how much my OH was enjoying it, but then, I sat through a ‘Yes’ concert for him!).

BUT.. (there’s always a but).. it’s only 80 minutes long (no interval) which seemed very short!

The show started at 8pm and by 9.20pm we were putting on our coats and preparing for an hour-long journey home. So, I wouldn’t rush to see it again and I wouldn’t put it in the same league as something like Mamma Mia, which is such a feel-good production (Six probably would be too if it were a bit longer!).

Next, I saw an excellent Am-Dram production of Neil Simon’s quartet of playlets, London Suite which my friend Chris was in (she was the best actor and I’m not just saying that because I know she’ll read this!!).

And, finally, I saw Macbeth The Scottish Play at the RSC, which starred Outlander heart-throb Sam Heughan (I know, I know, I had to look him up too). It was really excellent, if a little gory (my OH had to tell me to ‘mind the blood’ as we made our way out!).

Here is he, Sam Heughan as Macbeth (set in a Glasgow pub, with Macbeth as a gangster-landlord)

On the TV, now that the fabulous Celebrity Traitors is over (sob!) I’ve been consoling myself with Trespasses the Channel 4 four-part series based on Louise Kennedy’s novel (which was one of my favourite reads from last year). Very good (but quite gritty!)

I’ve Been Reading …

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (for my book club). Tense and shocking in parts, it’s about a Mexican woman and her young son on the run from a drug cartel. It was quite dark but it was a really good read (and most people in the book club thought the same).

And now I’m listening to The Wedding People by Alison Espach, another American author, which lots of people have recommended to me but.. hmm, the jury’s still out. The premise is great (spoiler so I won’t reveal it) but it’s very slow at the moment. I will persevere and see if it gets better but looking at the reviews, it seems to be very much a ‘Marmite’ book and I may well (gasp!) Not Finish It.

I’ve Been Writing …

I have started to write something new! Eek. I’ve even signed a contract and my deadline for the first draft is April, so I need to crack on. (* Re the title of this post, there is actually no ‘trouble’ but there is quite a lot of toiling going on!)

I can’t tell you about it because a) it’s still a big fat muddle in my head and – partly – in my laptop and b) if I tell you about it, it’ll spoil the ‘magic’ and I may lose all enthusiasm for it, so I shall just pootle on with it (I was going to write ‘plough on’ but I’m definitely not ploughing – I am pootling. Writing a first draft is TORTURE for me. It’s like wading through treacle).

All I can say is.. it’s not WW2 because my publisher (as I told you back in August) doesn’t want WW2 – at least, not from me!

Events
Oh, how grand that title sounds! But I DO have something coming up, on-line, in January:

Suze’s Reading Club

Suze is a qualified librarian and literacy specialist and she runs weekly reading clubs for children and a monthly book club for adults, on-line.

The adults’ book club meets on the first Thursday of each month, via Zoom and they sometimes have author appearances. On January 8th, I’m going to be part of the book club meeting, as they will have read my book ‘The Highland Girls at War’ and we’ll be talking about it and I’ll be answering questions.

If you want more information about the book club, then drop Suze a PM on Facebook or email her at: suzesreadingclub@gmail.com.

It costs £20 for three meetings and membership to the WhatsApp group (which is used for bookish chat between meetings).

Right, I’m off. hopefully I’ll be back with you before Christmas..!

Posted in Books, West Midlands | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Goodbye NaNo, Hello NovNov

Posted on October 27, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

I was in Birmingham last weekend, having a most enjoyable time. I did a lot of eating and drinking, including at a wine tasting lunch at Hotel du Vin involving 13 wines! (eek! I didn’t drink all 13 glasses, I hasten to add. Most of them, I just sipped. But some people DID drink everything on offer! And were still able to stand!)

We also – the next day – popped into the Ozzy Osbourne exhibition at the Art Gallery (sshh, just between us, my OH was a bit disappointed with that because there’s hardly any mention of Black Sabbath and he’s a big Black Sabbath fan). But, anyway, that explains the photos!

NaNo? No, no!

It’s usually about this time of year that some of us mad people start thinking about doing NaNoWriMo. You know what that is, I’m sure: the attempt to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November.

It was started by American freelance writer Chris Baty in 1999. In that first year, just 140 people took part in the challenge but by 2024 numbers were up to over 400,000, all over the world (resulting in hundreds of published novels, over the years).

But sadly, NaNoWriMo is no more.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the not-for-profit organisation would be closing. They cited financial problems but there were also controversies involving the company’s stance on AI (they refused to completely ban its use during the challenge, for example) and alleged inappropriate behaviour by some moderators and volunteers.

I think what most of us enjoyed when we took part in NaNoWriMo, was that sense of community and ‘togetherness’. I didn’t even take part in any of the real life write-ins or the on-line writing sprints or chats but I still felt a part of something. And so for that reason, if nothing else, I think it’s a shame that it’s had to fold (it was also FREE and there aren’t many programmes for writers that don’t charge for the privilege).

But all is not lost – someone else (and I’m sure there are others) – has stepped into the breach. ProWritingAid, which is “an online editing software and writing coach that helps authors, academics, and professionals improve their writing by checking for grammar, spelling, and style errors,” has set up ‘Novel November’ (‘Nov Nov’) which is free and looks to all intents and purposes, very similar to NaNoWriMo, so may be of interest to those of you who are mourning its loss.

Of course, once you’re signed up and ProWritingAid have your contact details, you will get marketing emails from them but there’s always the ‘unsubscribe’ button, so I wouldn’t let that put you off.

Do report back if any of you decide to give it a whirl!

Joanna Cannon’s Writing Tips

Dr Jo Cannon, one of my favourite authors (and, ahem, I have interviewed her twice for Evesham Festival of Words, which I *may* have mentioned), has started a series of writing tips, in video form and the first one popped up today on my socials and it’s ‘find the pebble in your shoe.’

Really interesting – and useful! Definitely worth a watch (and it only takes about a minute).

I am now off to find my pebble…!

Posted in West Midlands | Tagged | 4 Comments

Bring Back The ’70s…!

Posted on October 20, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

Aw, isn’t it sad about Jilly Cooper’s untimely death? I say ‘untimely’ because although she was 88 and therefore well past her ‘three score and ten’, she seemed so full of life.

Only a couple of weeks before she died she was headlining at The Queen’s Reading Room Festival at Chatsworth House and having a ball, judging from the photographs I’ve seen on-line.

I loved her books. Particularly the pre-bonkbuster ones – ‘Bella‘, ‘Harriet‘, ‘Octavia’ et al. I was only discussing them the other day with a friend, who’d ordered the whole series from the library (when we heard the news about Jilly she texted me to say how shocked she was and added, ‘I’m just reading ‘Prudence!’)

Those books seem very dated now (they were first published in the ’70s and there’s lots of smoking in the office and bottom smacking) but they’re still great fun and beautifully written.

My neighbours’ friends, whom, for reasons I won’t bore you with, I see every other New Year’s Eve, live in the same village – Bisley – as Jilly and they’ve met her at various village events, including the book club and for a few years now, I’ve harboured a secret hope that I might get invited along to something in Bisley where I’d meet the wonderful Ms Cooper but sadly it was not to be.

Celebrity Traitors

On a more cheerful note, the TV programme I have been waiting for ALL YEAR – Celebrity Traitors – is screening now and it has not disappointed!

The thing I especially love about it is that sooo many people are watching it (over 11 million of us at the last count), that you can chat to almost everyone about it. A bit like the good old days – yep, the ’70s again – when everyone watched ‘The Morecambe & Wise Special’ on Christmas Day.

(And now I’m expecting about ten of you to comment, saying you’re NOT watching Celebrity Traitors and never would and what a load of old garbage! Fair enough, each to their own. But you are Missing Out!).

Short Story Competition c/d 30th November 2025

Literary Agent Kate Nash (who used to be my agent, once upon a time), is keen to raise the profile of small publishing presses and she’s supporting a local press in Chipping Norton – Inkspot – by judging their inaugural short story competition.

Sadly, Chipping Norton Literary Festival closed in 2024 and Inkspot have, in Kate’s words, ‘stepped up to plug the gap for a locally-organised but open-worldwide short story competition.’

The Inkspot Short Story Competition, sponsored by World Privilege Plus, is open to all writers worldwide. The deadline is Midnight GMT, Sunday 30th November 2025. Full details are here.

And do bear in mind, that if you enter (there’s a fee of £10 or £15, depending on the length of your story but there are cash prizes, including a rather tasty £1000 first prize), you’ll be supporting a small press that “strives to publish books that are diverse in thought, style, and content.”

BBC Maestro – Guest Passes

I have got a year’s subscription to BBC Maestro, which I won in an Instagram competition (ahem, am spending too much time on Instagram. That has to stop, forthwith).

I have referred to BBC Maestro before, because I took out a subscription in 2023, principally for the Jojo Moyes course (which was very good, by the way) and I mentioned it here.(Scroll past Clive Myrie).

Anyway, there are lots of writing courses on there (you watch them in your own time – it’s not Zoom or anything like that) and my year’s subscription includes 3 x guest passes, giving 14 days access.

Does anyone want one? (SORRY FOLKS, ALL GONE NOW!)

You’ll need to send me your email address I think but it’s all free of charge and you’ll get marketing emails from them after that but nothing more. Just reply in the comments if you want one of them and the first 3 to ask, will get them (as long as I can work out how to do it!)

I grew up in the 1970s but I never had a space hopper #deprived

Posted in Competitions, Television | Tagged , | 18 Comments

Autumn: And the Invention of a New Genre

Posted on October 6, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

Autumn book stack – click on it if you want to make it bigger

Not sure what’s got into me, but I’ve gone mad for autumn!

Do you like my autumn-coloured bookstack (it’s a mix of favourite reads and books still on my TBR list – including the new Richard Osman Thursday Murder Club novel. How many of these have you read?) and I’ve even ordered some autumn bedding, which should be arriving today and will be washed, dried (and, erm ironed.. yes, I still do that) and on the bed before you can say, ‘cosy season’!

Perhaps I’ve been influenced by one of the (excellent) talks at the recent RNA ‘Summer Fling’, in which Charlotte Ledger, from ‘One More Chapter’ (part of Harper Collins and currently open for submissions, by the way, according to their website), gave us the inside story on the development of the TikTok phenomenon The Pumpkin Spice Cafe, which, you could argue, started a whole new genre: autumn books.

I’m sure you’ve noticed, over the past decade or so, how ‘Christmas books’ (or ‘Holiday Fiction’ if you’re in the US) have become a thing, in the run up to the Festival season.

I know Dickens did it with ‘A Christmas Carol’, back in 1843 (and I’m sure you can think of other classics, set at Christmas), but it’s a fairly new invention, isn’t it?

From the end of summer, they start appearing in book shops and by November, they’ll be everywhere. And clearly, lots of people (perhaps even those who don’t read the rest of the year), like to get in the mood – and perhaps relieve some Christmas stress – by reading something Christmassy.

And now, there’s another new genre that’s popping up everywhere at this time of year: Autumn!

As I learned from Charlotte’s talk at the RNA event, the clever people at ‘One More Chapter’ spotted an autumn trend, led by Costa coffee, for ‘pumpkin spice lattes’. (Hmm, I’ve never had one of those but perhaps I should?) and decided to tap into that mood for cosy autumn vibes and comfort reading.

They came up with the idea for the Pumpkin Spice Café (small town America, based very much on popular TV series, The Gilmore Girls, which is also a thing I know nothing about. Something’s telling me these books aren’t aimed at me…!).

They designed the cover and even invented an author’s name – Laurie Gilmore – before they had anyone to write the book!

Then they approached Melissa McTernan and asked if she’d be interested in writing a steamy, cosy small-town romance (now a series of 6 books) and the rest is history. The book won TikTok Shop Book of the Year 2024 and is a Sunday Times and USA Today bestseller. There’s an interview here with Melissa if you want to read more.

So there you go – tap into the cultural mood, (even if that means piggybacking onto something someone else has invented – i.e. Costa’s pumpkin spice latte*), create a new genre and you’re onto a winner!

*Actually, I see that Costa has already ‘moved on’. This year’s autumn drink is: the Maple Hazel range… now see if you can create a genre out of that…!

Posted in Books, Novels | Tagged | Leave a comment

Getting Gin-Spiration

Posted on September 27, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

I’ve been a busy bee since I last wrote.

Shipston Bookfest
Last Sunday I ran the 2-hour writing workshop for Shipston Bookfest which I *might* have mentioned on here once or twice. It was a SELL-OUT, with all 18 places snapped up and I was really thrilled with that (I don’t think it’s ever happened to me before).

The workshop was billed as ‘Starting to Write Fiction’ but, as it turned out, only 4 or 5 of the attendees were actually complete beginners, so I had to juggle things a little and try to cater for everyone. Hopefully it worked!

I gave them all a handout at the end, with links to competitions and resources that I thought they might find useful.

And one of the competitions was this one – just launched – the 2026 Discoveries Prize, which is a great opportunity for unpublished female writers. You’ve got until the New Year to polish up your submission:

Women’s Prize – ‘Discoveries’ Novel Competition: closes 12th Jan 2026

Open to unpublished and un-agented women writers. Submit the opening of a novel – up to 10,000 words – for the chance to take part in a bespoke creative writing course, secure personalised mentorship packages, an offer of literary agent representation and a prize of £5000. The novel doesn’t have to be finished. Free to enter. More information here.

I’ve also attended a couple of Shipston Bookfest events as a ‘punter’: firstly, the launch event last Saturday night, at which The Bookshop Band were playing (they write and perform songs based on books) and I had an author table for selling my books.

Here I am with fellow local author, Sophie Flynn (who writes psychological thrillers and is also the managing director of Jericho Writers, who run on-line courses and editing services).

We shared a table (and the box of Heroes chocolates that she’d brought!).

As it wasn’t really a book-selling event but more of a social evening, I didn’t expect to sell many books and, indeed, I didn’t (I sold 8!) but I had a nice chat with lots of people and taking part did force me to upload and learn how to use the ‘Sum Up’ app on my phone, so that I could take credit card orders. (Which reminds me, I need to work out how to get the money off it now!).

Today, I went to the David Larbi event (“a well-being and journalling talk and workshop”), based on his book ‘Frequently Happy’ which I really enjoyed.

We did some writing from a prompt and it was interesting to be on ‘the other side’, as it were.

One disappointment – I queued up to buy his book and get it signed but they’d sold out! So I will have to buy it elsewhere.

I’ve just followed David on Instagram (other social media platforms are available) and he posts ‘practices’ on there and helpful tips for mindfulness and being kind to yourself (he has over 800,000 followers!)

Out and About

And in other news, I’ve had two friends staying for a couple of days and we’ve been out and about having a nice time.

We went to Wood Bros Distillery for a tour and tasting of their gin and vodka (ahem, quite a lot of ‘tasting’ – thank you to my husband for driving us!) which was fun.

And the next day we took our headaches to Sudeley Castle, where Katherine Parr – Henry VIII’s last wife – lived and is buried. It’s only half an hour from me but I’d never been there before.

Portrait of Katherine Parr, in the National Gallery and by an unknown artist

Well worth a visit, especially if you’re into history because Sudeley Castle has a LOT of history!

A still at Wood Bros distillery (I think this one was called Frank)

Posted in Books, Competitions, Cotswolds, Events, West Midlands | Tagged , | 6 Comments

A Definite Nip In The Air!

Posted on September 15, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

I don’t know what it’s like in your neck of the woods, but around here it feels as though we’ve jumped from boiling hot summer to windy, rainy autumn in a matter of a couple of weeks! All a bit discombobulating! (And hence, it’s time for the autumn header on this blog!)

My Pilates classes have started up again, after a 5 week break over the summer, during which my friend and I took the plunge – literally – and went to the outdoor pool in Chipping Norton each week, instead of just going for a coffee.

And most enjoyable it was too. Really warm water and lots of nice people, ready for a chat – oh and a hot drink and sometimes cake, at the end. What’s not to like?

‘Operation Birthday’

Since I last wrote I’ve been busy with ‘Operation 90th Birthday’. My mum’s to be precise, which was on 12th September. It was all pretty full-on and hectic!

Firstly, we took over the weekly coffee morning at her retirement village and decorated the room and provided champagne, sandwiches, tea, coffee and cake (lots of cake!).

At the last minute, I suddenly realised that we needed music, so I got my brother to bring his guitar. It had been many years since I’d heard him sing (but he is in a band, so I had fairly high hopes…) and he was really good! (Although we did have to veto the Taylor Swift medley). And everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, not least my mum, which was, of course, the main thing!

It looks as though there wasn’t anyone in the room but there were about 30 people, honestly!

Then, on her actual birthday, two days later, I took her for a hearing test (long story but you can’t afford to turn these things down if you’re given an appointment for a not-entirely convenient date!), followed by lunch with me and my OH. Only fish and chips at the garden centre, so not the most glamorous of locations but she was quite happy (especially as she’d just spent an hour opening all her presents and her 24 cards).

And finally, yesterday, we had a family lunch for 7 at our house, so that was all quite busy too. Even though I said, ‘They’ll just have to take us as they find us!’ I was, of course, frantically hoovering and cleaning (and shopping!) all morning and ….phew, I am glad it went well but I’m also relieved that it’s now all OVER!

My mum’s at the back under the blue balloon!

Author Breakthrough Club Social Media Challenge

Those of you who follow me on social media, may have spotted this, but I’m taking part in a challenge for September, organised by the Author Breakthrough Club, to which I subscribe.

A prompt is given for each day and the idea is to post something in response on social media (I’ve been putting mine on Instagram and Facebook but other social media ‘channels’ – is that the right word? – are available – e.g.: TikTok, which is still a mystery to me).

They’re things like, ‘Pitch your story like you’re sitting around a campfire talking to friends.’ (Ooh, that was a tricky one because if I really were to find myself sitting round a campfire with friends, I’d probably be saying things like, ‘Is anyone else cold?’ or ‘Pass the mulled wine!’ or ‘Can someone put another log on?’ rather than pitching my book).

Anyway, I haven’t missed a day yet and we’re half way through the month and it’s been fun!

Next Novel

And of course, all this faffing around on social media has just been another form of procrastination vis-à-vis the ‘next book’ scenario. No news, as yet. But I will let you know when there is!

Shipston Bookfest

I have mentioned this before, but I’m running a ‘start to write fiction’ workshop on the afternoon of Sunday 21st September in Shipston-on-Stour (North Cotswolds), if that’s of interest! (And you don’t live too far away, of course).

It’s going to be quite ‘hands on’ and practical – i.e.: you will be writing and doing stuff, not just listening to me rabbit on for 2 hours. So even if you’ve done some writing, you should get something out of it.

Details of that and other events are on the website here.

Posted in Cotswolds, Events, Novels | 3 Comments

A Week Of Ups and Downs

Posted on August 28, 2025 by blogaboutwriting

UP: I have been out and about, picking dahlias, riding a pink tractor and dining on a grazing board (with prosecco) in a horse box, since I last wrote (all at Flora Fields at Webbs Garden Centre in Wychbold, Worcesteshire).

It was great fun and the dahlias we picked (two lots of 20 stems) are, amazingly, five days later, still looking fresh and alive in their vase of water (I was convinced they’d all die within a day).

In the horse box, with our grazing board (no hay or carrots to be seen!)


DOWN: I’ve also been beavering away on what was to be the fourth in the Highland Girls series. Although the last book did bring the main story (Seffy and Callum’s), to a conclusion, the characters started to ‘speak to me’ and tell me what happened from June 1944 onwards (sorry, that sounds a bit pretentious but there’s no other way of putting it!).

And so, I pitched it to my editor and started to write it (to give myself as much time as possible, once the dreaded deadline was given) and, many hours and 40k into the first draft.. (cue the “boom, boom, boom..” Eastenders theme tune) I’ve found out today that my publisher doesn’t want it.

The feeling is (and I’m sure they’re right), that it wouldn’t work, to publish another in the series so long after the last book (it would be September ’26 at the earliest, which would be 18 months after the last one).

Saga readers are voracious and in order for them to really get behind a series, there needs to be two books a year (so I suppose I’ve been lucky up to now, because I’ve only ever managed one book a year!).

UP: But the good news is, they still want to work with me and to publish something else, so I am back to the drawing board.

I have a few days to come up with some ideas for another (probably a stand-alone) historical novel (not WW2 this time!), which will then need to be pitched and probably a synopsis submitted before I get the green light. (Ahem, any ideas or suggestions would be most welcome as I am currently short on ideas!)

And apologies to any of you who were hoping for another Highland Girls book (I was too!) 😦

DOWN:

The folk at People’s Friend magazine have announced the end of their weekly Twitter #PFWritingHour which I – and many other writers – really enjoyed!

It was a simple formula: at 11am every Tuesday, PF would pop up with a few questions and people would answer them. The first one was usually something like ‘How is everyone? What good news have you got to share this week?’ and the other questions would be writing and reading-related (Eg: ‘What are you currently working on?’ ‘What new author have you discovered this year?’) Occasionally they would post writing prompts.

Several people joined in with their comments, from all parts of the globe (mostly – but not all – PF writers) and by the end of the hour, I really did feel as though I’d had a ‘chat’, albeit a virtual one.

Ah well, all good things come to an end, right? But there is a move afoot, I see today, for some of the writers to take over the #WritingHour and run themselves/ourselves (but perhaps on Threads, instead of Twitter – eek, panic, I am not, yet, on Threads) so perhaps all is not lost. I will report back anon!

UP: Best Magazine – Spooky Short Story Competition c/d 28th Sept 2025

Best magazine has published the winners of their summer short story competition (boo hiss, none of my students was placed this time) and they’ve launched a new ‘spooky’ competition with a closing date of 28th September.

Here, in brief, are the rules and regs but if you want to read the full terms & conditions, you might want to buy a copy of the magazine, which is on sale at the moment (02 September, issue 35, £2.99).

Send your story along with your name, email address and phone number to bestfiction@hearst.co.uk with ‘Halloween Fiction 2025’ in the subject title. One winner plus two runners-up will be chosen and the stories will be published in the magazine.

There’s a tasty £500 for the winner and £200 for each of the two runners-up. That would be a handy bit of cash just before Christmas, wouldn’t it? It’s open to UK residents aged 18 and over.

Good luck if you decide to have a go! (Maybe you could write one about a haunted pink tractor? There, I’m giving you that idea free, gratis and for nothing. My pleasure).

Posted in Books, Competitions, Magazines, Short Stories, The People's Friend, West Midlands | Tagged | 7 Comments