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 … Continue reading The Lakes, Catherine Ryan Howard, and WordPress.com websites…
Category: For writers – resources
Ludlow Castle and missing the RNA conference
Although I couldn't make this year’s RNA conference, I was a stone’s throw away from Telford, where it was held, just a week earlier. We visited Ludlow, and its castle, on a warm, sunny Saturday.I love going round castles. It's all history, mystery and teashops with decent cake.Ludlow Castle was the seat of government for … Continue reading Ludlow Castle and missing the RNA conference
Stuck in the middle
I've just reached the middle section of the novel I'm writing. I went through a low point 12,000 words in, when everything felt like an uphill struggle, but then I hit my stride. However, things have slowed up again in the last week. It’s partly the sheer amount of other stuff happening with life in … Continue reading Stuck in the middle
Recreating the seasons in fiction
Last winter, whilst missing green willows, dangling their branches in the Cam, and cattle out grazing on the commons, I wrote a story set in Cambridge in summer. It was fun to transport myself to the season of long, lazy days, but of course, I had to remember a lot, to get the atmosphere right. … Continue reading Recreating the seasons in fiction
My Writing Process – Blog Hop
Many thanks to Jean Bull for tagging me in this blog hop. Jean is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, and her 1929-set novel, Gypsy Moth, is available on Amazon. You can read the lovely reviews she’s had and find out more here. Jean also blogs, and you can follow her … Continue reading My Writing Process – Blog Hop
A publishing deal with Choc Lit!
Words that describe me today include chipper, cock-a-hoop, elated, and, of course, short (as usual). My big news is that I’ve been offered a contract by award-winning, independent publisher Choc Lit. I’m hugely proud and delighted to be joining such a talented team of authors, and to be part of a really forward-thinking enterprise. I’m … Continue reading A publishing deal with Choc Lit!
Interesting reports from the London Book Fair
Just a brief post to say I really enjoyed reading Choc Lit author Liz Harris’ informative write up of a seminar on self-publishing, given at LBF by two of the top New York Times bestselling indie authors. As she points out, much of the advice is applicable to all writers, not just those who are … Continue reading Interesting reports from the London Book Fair
New Year, New Writing Manual
I had a lovely time with a selection of mysteries over the Christmas break, from the classic (Sherlock Holmes and Maigret), to the modern, in the form of Evonne Wareham’s gripping romantic suspense novel, Never Coming Home. Then, to top the whole thing off, I immersed myself in The Arvon Book of Crime and Thriller … Continue reading New Year, New Writing Manual
Top Trumps for Character Development
Since it’s nearly Christmas, and I don’t fancy putting any psychopath-related pictures on my blog, here’s a Cambridgey one instead: Ridley Hall, Cambridge, December 2013 A week ago, links to a psychopath test were circulating on Twitter; it had been put on-line by Channel Four, in the run up a related programme. I had a … Continue reading Top Trumps for Character Development
Proofreading… Something Gained (and Something Lost)
I have spent a lot of the last week and a half proofreading my work. I’ve got a nasty feeling I’ll still have missed mistakes, but at least with each sweep I weed out a few more clangers. My proofreading has removed some unconscious humour, and since I generally like the odd laugh, I can’t … Continue reading Proofreading… Something Gained (and Something Lost)
Clare Chase 