A side-effect of my first book coming out is that I’ve had to try things I haven’t done before, and I’m sure this is good for me. Although I write about danger and adventure, in reality I’m a risk-averse wimp. So, since my last post, I’ve attended my first ever book club as a guest … More My first book club… as a guest author!
I had great fun on Sunday, taking part in a blog feature run by my fellow Choc Lit author, Rhoda Baxter. Her Inheritance Books series is inspired by the Inheritance Tracks slot from BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live. You get to share a book that was passed down to you from the previous generation, as … More The mystery ingredient…
A few weeks back, I put up a jolly post about how I was going to embark on a novella, a sequel to my first novel, You Think You Know Me. I’ve begun a Cambridge-based mystery series since completing my debut. I find the city fascinating; it’s such a place of contrasts. But, having taken a break, I … More Writing: getting started once you’ve stalled…
I recently finished Joyland, by Stephen King. It’s only the second novel of his that I’ve read, the first being 11 22 63. I can’t think why I didn’t start sooner. Neither of these particular examples belong to the genre that King’s most famous for, but each has elements that waive the normal scientific rules … More Stephen King’s Joyland, and the benefit of hindsight
My novels always involve a murder mystery, and a couple of years ago I decided that maybe limiting my research to watching Lewis might be a bit slack. I started to trawl the web to get the answers I needed for the book I was writing then, and also for inspiration for future novels. Since … More Online resources for mystery writers – updated
Anna, the heroine of my debut mystery, You Think You Know Me, is in a smart London gallery when she meets the man who calls himself Max. She feels an instant connection with him, but then she finds he’s given her a false name… Anna’s London is a world of bright lights, wintery glitter and … More The perils of the partially familiar location – London calling
And these are just my known unknowns…! Facebook You can have more than one name on your profile page. If you’ve got a pen name, you can have that in brackets under your real one, or vice versa. I have a Clare Chase author page, but my personal account was still solely under my legal … More Publishing Promo – Six (semi) techie things I’ve learned
I don’t know if my brain’s flagging, but sorting out the plot of my next mystery has felt like wrestling an octopus. I normally enter a series of pivotal events into Excel, but this time that didn’t do the trick. I started casting around for software that might help, and realised I ought to explore … More OneNote for many – plotting my new novel
My ambition to write professionally dates back to when I was a child. I taught myself to touch type as a teenager, so that I could record my stories more easily, and holed up in my room, conjuring up adventures for imaginary people. Put like that it sounds a bit mad. I did have friends, … More The sociable side of writing
Just back from a holiday in the Lake District. Its beauty alone makes it a great setting for fiction. Then the lack of mobile coverage in many places is an absolute bonus if you’re writing crime. Your heroine doesn’t need to run low on battery to stop her calling for backup… It’s where Anna, the … More The Lakes, Catherine Ryan Howard, and WordPress.com websites…
