3 Real Caribbean Destinations Featured in The Getaway
Grab a painkiller and settle back for a virtual vacation to some of the dreamy locations featured in my mystery-thriller The Getaway. 1. Virgin Gorda Virgin Gorda is the third-largest and second-most populous island in the British Virgin Islands, a British overseas territory in the Caribbean. It doesn’t have an…
4 Things that Inspired The Getaway
The Getaway is a novel that had a long gestation period. I was thinking about it back when I was still writing (and rewriting) my first novel, Dead Ringer. I abandoned an early draft of it that wasn’t working. I probably should have given up on it altogether, but… it…
How to Use Storytelling To Improve Your Presentations and Pitches
Whether you’re giving a work presentation, delivering a training session, or pitching your business, you need your audience to actually listen to you! The solution to a boring, unmemorable presentation lies in using your own personal stories. You are a storyteller, whether you realise it or not. For example, when…
4 Essential Things to Know About The Getaway
My next mystery-thriller is out in just one month, so here’s a rundown on what to expect from The Getaway. 1. It’s set in the Caribbean The Getaway is set in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a string of islands located in the Lesser Antilles. It’s one of those places…
Lights, Camera, Keyboard! 5 Tips to Make Your Novel More Cinematic
A couple of years ago, when I was battling through yet another draft of The Getaway, my forthcoming mystery-thriller, my literary agent gave me a piece of feedback: “Make it more cinematic.” My heart sank. I thought my novel was cinematic. It was set on a private island in the…
Almost Time for The Getaway: publication date, description, early reviews
In a few short months, my newest mystery-thriller, The Getaway, is going to be published by Raven Books. Here are some of the key details. What’s it about? The official description: Welcome to Keeper Island, the private Caribbean paradise where the cocktails are chilled, the guests are not, and new…
Killing Your Darlings is Hell. Here’s How I Edited My Novel.
I’ve been suffering some body dysmorphia recently – not for my own body, but for the size of my novel. A year ago, it was a voluptuous 120,000 words (440 pages); now it’s a skinny 90,000 words (350 pages). The Getaway, a murder-mystery set in the Caribbean, comes out in…
Signing a two-book deal with Bloomsbury Raven
I’ve neglected my blog over the past two years, but I’m back, baby. Yes, blogging has a ring of 2003 about it, but I always enjoy hearing from other authors, which has inspired me to resume posting regularly about writing and books and what’s new with me. My big news…
Dead Ringer wins fiction prize at Lakeland Book of the Year Awards
I bumbled up to Penrith last month for the 2021 Lakeland Book of the Year Awards, the very picture of “I’m just glad to be nominated”. After all, there was no way my debut thriller, Dead Ringer, with its doppelganger vs. doppelganger showdown on the sinking sands of Walney Island…
5 things I learned about writing from Succession
Succession isn’t only the most twisted-funny show on TV, it’s also a masterclass in great writing. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up from Jesse Armstrong and his team of writers: 1. Characters should walk into scenes fully-formed ‘Establishing character’ is often something we think we should do, either…
Dead Ringer longlisted for Lakeland Book of the Year
I’m delighted that my debut novel, Dead Ringer, has been recognised in the 2021 Lakeland Book of the Year longlist. This award, sponsored by Cumbria Tourism, showcases literary talent inspired by the landscapes, history and culture of the Lake District, Cumbria. Cumbria was always at the (dark) heart of Dead…
How overcoming my fear of public speaking inspired my short story in this week’s The People’s Friend
Two years ago, I would’ve rather taken my chances before a firing squad than got up in front of an audience for public speaking. I know I’m not alone. Public speaking regularly ranks as the nation’s biggest fear. It even ranks as scarier than death. Like most people, I dealt…
5 reasons your novel’s main character sucks
They’re so smart (allegedly), they’re so charismatic (allegedly), but here are some of the reasons you might have a sucking black hole at the centre of your novel. Plus, some quick tips on how to fix your characterization issues. This post was inspired by the Rob and Akiva Need a…
5 things I learned from my unpublished ‘drawer novel’
Like most writers, I have a ‘novel in a drawer’; an unpublished masterpiece (lol no) that I think about every now and again. It’s a YA novel about gymnastics that I finished about nine years ago. I laboured over it, sent it out to agents, and hoped hoped hoped it…
6 things to know if you want to write a novel this year
If your new year’s resolution for 2021 is to write a novel, then you’ve picked a great goal. Writing keeps your brain active and creativity feeds your soul. During pandemic times, there’s no better feeling than soaring away on flights of fancy. However, novel-writing is not without its challenges. Maybe…
5 writing mistakes that drive me nuts
Ever been so annoyed by a book you’ve wanted to throw it across the room? Maybe it’s a character or a plot development that causes you to lose your rag. For me, it’s usually because the author has dropped one of these creative writing clangers. Newbie writers and veteran scribes…
Write the story from the sidekick’s perspective, too – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
During one particular rewrite of Dead Ringer, I felt like I’d tied myself up in knots. My protagonist was breaking up with her boyfriend, but he seemed to be taking it too well. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking or feeling during the scene. So I decided to…
One word you should remove from your writing vocabulary
You might assume this is a philosophical or motivational blog post, and I’m going to tell you there’s no such thing as “can’t”. Or that the word “failure” is a lie and should be reframed as a challenge. Nope. This is a post about the word “walked”. I really, really,…
Revisiting Gone Girl: 5 things writers can learn from it
Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl defined and popularised the psychological suspense genre. These days, the crime fiction shelves are packed with tales of marital discord turned murderous and psychopaths hiding in suburbia. I first read Gone Girl the year it came out, in 2012. Eight years on, when I decided to…
Let your readers hear your protagonist’s thoughts – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
Dead Ringer started life as a third-person novel, until my agent suggested I make it first-person. This was a big change, but it made the protagonists’ voices much clearer. The reader gets to sit in their heads, hear their thoughts. This, I think, is the superpower of novels (versus TV…