Sometimes, when I look back at how I ended up becoming an author, I honestly can't quite believe it happened. There was no grand plan. No lifelong ambition to become a writer. No childhood manuscript hidden under my bed. In fact, if you'd told me twenty years ago that I'd one day be sitting here writing books for a living, I'd probably have laughed at you. And I certainly could never have imagined that one of the main people responsible would be my very best friend, Debbie. B

Those of you who’ve followed me for a while will likely know that before I began writing in my early fifties, I taught English as a Foreign Language to international cadets at Britannia Royal Naval College. BRNC as it’s known in naval circles is the British Royal Navy’s officer training establishment. It’s a magnificently imposing Edwardian building built high on a hill overlooking the small yachting haven of Dartmouth in the southwest of England. The location was chosen for

Sometimes the best writing inspiration comes when you're not actually looking for it. Last weekend, Rob and I packed up and headed off to Somerset for a very special family occasion – his mum's 80th birthday. 🎂 There was a big family gathering planned, which meant plenty of eating, drinking, laughing and catching up, and naturally we were all looking forward to it. What I hadn't quite anticipated was that we'd also end up staying somewhere that made the writer in me think 😳

Beatrix – Book 3 of Shackleford and Daughters is officially coming on 29th October and the Kindle version is now available for pre-order…. Those of you who’ve followed me for some time might well be breathing a sigh of relief after being forced to wait so long to find out when the book is actually coming. But, as you all know, having learned the hard way that things can go spectacularly wrong when you announce books too early, I'm being more cautious this time! 😬 So, what ha

There are moments in life when someone suggests something that feels so completely bonkers that your first instinct is to laugh. Then you stop laughing... ...and realise they might actually be serious. Well, that's exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago. I've been asked if I'd like to be part of the proposed cast for a brand-new television programme called The WriteOff. Now, before anyone starts setting their Sky boxes (do people still do that? 😂), I should sa

If there's one thing Rob and I rarely miss, it's our early morning walk with the dogs. It doesn't seem to matter what the weather's doing. We've trudged along the beach wrapped up like a pair of Arctic explorers in January, been nearly blown into the sea by the wind, and in the summer we've wondered why on earth we didn't leave the house half an hour earlier before the heat and the holiday makers. Living in Devon, you soon learn that if you don't like today's weather, tomorro

A great venue - The London Library

Its a week now since I came back from the Kindle Storyteller Awards in London, what a great experience that was and, despite not winning,...