Overused Words
As a writer, I’m more concerned with telling a story and taking characters and readers on a journey than I am with monitoring how many times I use certain words. However, once the first draft is set down and the…
Favourite Quotes from Highland Games
Highland Games is full of wonderful one liners and fabulous quotes. There isn’t enough room to have all of them here, but I’ve picked out some of my favourites for you to enjoy!
Behind the Scenes in Evie Land – September 2021
Egyptians have the pyramids, Cambodians have Angkor Wat, Americans have the Statue of Liberty, and I have the Smut Hut. September has been about finishing off this marvellous erection in my garden and going into extended labour to birth Highland…
Highland Games Cover Reveal and Design Process
Having a cover designed for your books is one of the most exciting parts of the whole publishing journey and this blog takes you through every step, from initial ideas and inspiration to the finished product. Step behind the scenes…
What does a book editor do? (And do I need one?)
When you can’t see the wood for the trees, an editor can bring out their chainsaw or clippers, cut out the dead wood, prune your sentences, and give your words room to breathe. Many editors also specialise in certain genres…
How to practise self-care as a writer
Never has it been so important to look after every aspect of my life in this current incarnation. I’m going to share some of the strategies that have worked for me and other authors in this blog. Hopefully it will…
Behind the Scenes in Evie Land – June 2021
Greetings from the planet Gah! If last month was Manic May then this month is Jumping off The Cliffs of Insanity June. (Ten points if you get the movie reference there…) I’ve written over forty-eight thousand words of book four,…
150 Romance novel tropes
Tropes are everywhere. In Shakespeare, Austen, everyday language and your favourite TV shows. Tropes are common situations in narratives that help structure a story. ‘Enemies to Lovers’ is a very popular trope which can be found in The Taming of…
Three things I wish I knew before I started writing, and three things I’m glad I didn’t.
Writing is a deceptively complicated business. I’d devoured books all my life and spent my life using words in one form or another. How hard could it be to put them in an order that resulted in a book? Here…
The dangerous internet search history of an author
What does the internet search history look like for other authors? How weird could it get? How dodgy could it look? I asked around the writing community, and holy guacamole there are some good stories out there.
