I have been nominated for another blogger award! 

The Versatile Blogger Award - VBA is a way to honour a blogger within this wonderful online community. It also helps to bring new readers to the blogs nominated and to those who will be nominated by me! It is a great way to find new blogs to follow and I look forward to making some new blogger friends along the way :)

So, firstly, thank you Jan Baynham for nominating me.

Right, the rules of the Versatile Blogger Award are:


- Thank the person who nominated you, (as I have above). 

- Include a link to their blog - click on Jan's name to follow the link to her fantastic blog 'Jan's Journey Into Writing'

- Nominate 15 bloggers. - I'll do this at the end.

- Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself. Well, that's the easy bit, so here goes; some random pointless information about myself -

• I once made headline news in The News of the World. Okay, when I say 'headline' it wasn't front page or anything, or 'news' as such - but it was top of the page! I won't embarrass myself by going into too much detail - the headline stated "Put Your Pic Where Your Mouth is Sam"-  read into that what you will...

• I sleep walk, talk, shout/scream. My son has inherited this too (unfortunately his is far more dramatic) - it's a bundle of laughs in this house at night!

• I love 80s films. I haven't seen them all - but those I have I admit to having seen again and again. Can't beat the 'Brat Pack' :)

• I am completely freaked out by low flying aircraft. I mean - totally. I will hit the deck if needs be. And to be fair, it doesn't even have to be THAT low. Can be a tad embarrassing at times... However, I love flying and have even had a flying lesson. Go figure.

• I love being by the sea. It is my all time favourite place to be when I need some time out. Being by the crashing waves is so therapeutic, the rougher the better! I do have to be careful though, as if I stare too long it has this 'drawing' effect and I just want to jump in. 

• My last child weighed in at 12 lb 10 oz -a week early. At the time he was the biggest baby born in the hospital ever. I may still hold the title, not sure. Bearing in mind he was that big, my placenta weighted 4 lbs and I had polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid) - I had lost 2 stone when I weighed the next day. Wish I could lose 2 stone in a day now!

• I struggle to finish things I start. I have a dozen beginnings to stories that I fear will never reach 'the end' and I have begun a number of courses in my time that just never got completed. Not sure what that's about - possibly it's because I get bored easily!

It's my turn to nominate other bloggers now. I keep up with quite a few and love it when a new one comes along. I know that many I follow have already been nominated, but those I have chosen range from ones I have followed for ages, to 'newly acquired' ones. Each brings something different and I always take something from each post. Please drop by and check these great people out!

And to those on this list, please feel free to accept or decline -

Shirley Wells

Mary Papas

Vanessa Wester

Mel Chesley

Peter Lewis

Karen Einsel

Mackenzie Brown

Gary Alan Henson

Terry Tyler

Rachel Stirling

Jenny Burnley

Deina Furth

Amanda Green

Dona Watson

Susie Kearley

I will look forward to finding out more about my nominees!

Thanks again Jan for the award.

I would love to add to my list of blogs to follow, so if you have any recommendations, please do leave your suggestions in the comments - as well as anything else you might want to tell me :)

Thanks for stopping by.

Publication of new collection

It's been a busy time and I'm pleased to say I hit my own deadline of publishing my new short story collection by the end of June! Phew. 
Here it is :

What do you think of the cover? I've tried to give it a similar look to my first collection - Love Potion.

It is now available on Amazon, just follow this LINK

I would love to have your feedback/review if anyone would be so inclined ;)


Other News

I have also had a flash fiction piece included in an anthology compiled by Mary Papas 

Mary ran a competition a while back and has brought together some of the entries in a short collection 
Murder: Horror Flash Fiction 

Back to novel writing this week (in between the court sessions - Oscar Pistorius trial starts again today - in fact NOW - must dash!)

Have a good week everyone! :)

It's been a while...

Well! I have been very neglectful of my blog for well over a month now and I really should rectify that. So, where have I been? What have I been up to?


Actually the last six weeks have been somewhat of a blur. For a while my priorities were all skew-whiff, but I think I am getting back on track now. I won't go into details - I'll save that for a short story or two... haha!

I have been making up for lost time, that's for sure. I'm exhausted! I have been enjoying great interaction with my online writing group, who have been instrumental in giving me a gentle push in the direction of 'forwards'. 

Sharing 'works in progress', editing and offering and gaining feedback has been a really helpful and educational process; and fabulous practise at proofreading too. It's amazing what you can pick up from others, I feel I have learnt so much over the last week, all of which I hope, will have a positive impact on my own work.

I have read, re-read, edited, edited, edited and edited and read the first 50 pages of my novel - so much so, that I think I now know it word for word. Why? Because I have submitted it - to an actual publisher.  

I know - but I had nothing to lose. It was an open submission so I may as well go for it. Who cares about rejection? 

As well as the constant manuscript re-writes, I have been writing short stories for my new collection. A few months ago I informed Twitterland that I would be publishing it by the end of June. Thus, having stated this, I felt I had to actually deliver. Hopefully, after - guess what? - re-reads and editing - it will be up on Amazon before Monday. Fingers crossed.

Once it's up, I will be going back to novel writing. 

Such fun! 

I know a few writers who belong to writing groups (of the physical, meet-up kind) and find them invaluable, I wonder how many belong to an online group? I would love to hear from you about your experiences. Thanks for reading :)

The Liebster Award

     What a lovely surprise to have been nominated for this award by Jan Baynham. I admit to not having heard about it until now though - and then I had to use old faithful  Google to see what it was all about!

The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have a following of between 200 and 3000 – depending on which resource you read. 

You can just accept the award as an honorary one if you don’t wish to pass it on, but - where's the fun in that? 

Here are the Liebster Award rules:

• Thank and link back to the person who nominated you.

So, thank you to the lovely Jan Baynham, who has been of great support in both the blogging and writing worlds. Her short stories appear on Alfie Dog Fiction and her blog is very informative, including some great tips she gained from a Woman's Weekly Fiction Workshop that she was kind enough to share. You can also follow her on Twitter @JanBayLit 

• Answer the questions posed.

Here are the questions that Jan set for me to answer, together with my answers:

·         Who is your favourite author?

    Difficult one - I'm a bit fickle! Currently it's a throw up between  S J Bolton and Gregg Hurwitz because I think they are probably the only authors for a while that I have read more than one book of!

·         When is your favourite time for writing?

      I tend to be a morning person on the whole. Once my brood are out the door and it's just me and my cat and dog. Having said that I have written some short stories late at night in bed.

·         What is your current work-in-progress and what inspired you to write it?

     I am over half way now into my debut novel. It centres on Mel, an Interventions Facilitator in a male prison and her desire to 'get into the head' of a convicted rapist. Having worked in a prison  with a range of offenders delivering Offending Behaviour Programmes my experiences (and those of my co-workers) were my inspiration. Obviously I have made it all up though!

·         Does your writing fit into a particular genre?

  I am pitching my novel as a Psychological Thriller. My short stories are far more light-hearted and fit more with what is popular in women's magazines.

·         If you could invite three people from history to dinner, who would they be?
      1- Oscar Wilde - for his brilliance and all those amazing quotes he can spew forth at dinner!
     2- Nostradamus - how fascinating to hear his prophecies first hand, I'm sure they would keep the guests entertained - one way or another :)
    3- Sigmund Freud - I have always been interested in Psychology and his 'take' on my choices of dinner guests would certainly be an insight! Obviously it would all be sexual ...

·         What book are you reading at the moment?

     I am reading The Truth Will Out, by Jane Isaac although I do have some others on the go too! I often have 2 or 3 going and it depends on my current mood as to which I will pick up.

·         What book that you've read has successfully been turned into a film?

     I guess that depends on what you mean by 'successfully' turned into a film! I read and loved The Silver Linings Playbook and although I enjoyed the film version some of the changes they made really annoyed me! 

·         Post a link to one of your favourite poems.

     Now, I don't read poetry (awful admission I know - sorry!) and have very little knowledge of poets. I'm afraid I have to admit to not being able to recall any poem other than this one. Now there is a story behind this - this poem was featured in one of my all time favourite books The Outsiders, by S E Hinton. I read the book when I was 12 (ish) and is memorable because it was this book that sealed a friendship - a life-long one - with my friend Jo. We still quote this poem, which in the book was recited by the character Ponyboy.

·         What do you like to do when you are not writing?

     Apart from reading and spending time on social networks? Is there any time left for other activities? I enjoy walking Riley, my border terrier and spending time with my 'kids' 19, 16 and 14. I fear I may be a tad boring...

·         Whose blog - not already mentioned here - would you recommend for writers to follow?
      Wendy Clarke is someone I admire and have followed since I became interested in short story writing. She is successful, lovely and shares interesting and informative information on her blog, called 'Wendy's Writing Now' I really enjoy it.
      http://wendyswritingnow.blogspot.co.uk/

• Choose a number of bloggers to nominate.

This is quite difficult as many I know have lots of followers and so do not strictly qualify!

Apparently the number of bloggers to nominate varies depending on which source you read, I was meant to be following Jan's lead here and nominate three, but as yet have found only one who 'qualifies' has not already taken part (and Jan has chosen one I would have) or done a load of work lately which may cause them to really sweat if I nominate them!

I may have to cheat, let the side down - sorry! Perhaps I can sneak another in a bit later??

My nomination therefore is:
Fran Clark - her 'Writing Women's Fiction' blog  is both entertaining and informative, she has a lovely style. 'Holding Paradise is her debut novel and she also writes short stories. You can follow her on Twitter  @FranClarkAuthor

• Make up more questions for your nominees to answer.

Here are my questions for my nominee/s:

1) What is one mod-con that you cannot imagine living without?

2) What is you pet peeve?

3) Who are the 3 people you most admire?

4) What is the first record you purchased with your own money?

5) If you could only take two books on holiday with you, which two would you choose and why?

6) What is your favourite quote, and by whom?

7) Why do you write?

8)  In your opinion what is your best blog post? (Please provide link)

9) What are you scared of?

10) You've got 3 wishes - what are they? (Just to note - I'm afraid I can't grant them!)

I hope Fran doesn't mind flying the flag as it were - no pressure!

Thank you again Jan for the nomination :)

Not sure I deserve the award, but I'm displaying it anyway! 

Halfway There - I feel a Bon Jovi song coming on...

It feels like a massive accomplishment already - yes premature, but still - I have reached the half way mark of 40,000 words - Yay! :) 

It has taken just over two months, therefore the first draft should be completed by July by my reckoning. But then what?

The dreaded editing...

 I have mixed feelings about this part. I do seem to go over and edit each chapter as I go (can't stop myself) and so I wonder how I will find trying to edit again (and possibly again and again!). I really like this advice particularly the Tips for avoiding rejection as you edit your novel. 

Anyway, I guess I am getting ahead of myself, I should just be concentrating on completing the second half and worry about editing then. 

I am enjoying myself immensely - why oh why didn't I do this sooner?!

How are you getting on with your WIP? Finished? Not started? I'd love to hear from you about your progress.

Happy writing :)

Relight My Fire

Well, it's been a few weeks since I have been here.

Firstly - Happy St George's Day!

I haven't been lazy, honest - I have been buried in my novel. But, because of this fact, I am afraid I have allowed the short story writing to stagnate. In an attempt to rejuvenate it, I have been trawling some writerly blogs to relight my fire, as it were.

I have had success in Candis (a long while ago) and Take A Break's Fiction Feast but have yet to have a bite of Woman's Weekly or The People's Friend. I want to rectify this! My aim therefore is to get at least one story published in each this year. With the wealth of advice to be found, it shouldn't be too difficult...should it?

I think particularly for The People's Friend there is a lot of guidance. I was thrilled to see a new website - very smart, modern and with a blog by the fiction editor Shirley Blair - ideal for getting inside info! You can find it HERE

In addition, the lovely Samantha Tonge who is a regular People's Friend writer has a whole host of tips and advice on her Blog aimed specifically at gaining a better chance of publication in The Friend.

For Woman's Weekly advice, you can look to the fab, very successful Della Galton who has just taught a workshop with WW's fiction editor Gaynor Davies. Della has some great 'hot tips'  - check them out in her latest blog post, plus there is a link to further workshops being held in London in August and September this year (wish I was closer!) Fellow blogger and short story writer Jan Baynham attended this latest workshop - I can't wait to read her next blog post to find out more.

So, with 30,469 words down on my novel - I am going to get my short story hat on and get writing!

Any further advice from seasoned womag writers extremely gratefully received... :)

A Good Motivator

Well, it's been a funny old week. I've had a couple of rejections from the womags which is always a bit deflating. But, on the plus side it was great to see my Easter short story in Fiction Feast this week!

The Egg Hunt was a fun story to write, and I seem to be doing well with 'seasonal' stories, so perhaps I'll just stick to them!

No, no I won't really - I will keep trying to write more and sell more, I think I should make it my aim to sell at least four this year! (Although could do with that every month...) I see the same names in the mags, those real hard core short story writers and I do have some thoughts of "Oh I wish that were me." 

Yes dear, I tell myself - but then you have to WRITE them first. 

I have been busy in other areas of writing though. Having decided to enter the Criminal Lines competition I got busy clicking away at my laptop spewing out thousands of words to get to the 15,000 word goal. It's amazing what a motivator a deadline is (and a shot at winning a prize) and I did well even if I do say so myself. Of course I have misgivings - is my novel idea good enough? Will my writing be to a high enough standard? What will happen at the end of the competition if I'm not short-listed - will I be demoralised and give up? 

What I have learned though is to WRITE DAILY. Yes, that old chestnut that many a 'real' author advises. It is amazing how quickly the word count mounts - and whilst I realise those words have to be good words, not utter crap, that first draft can be worked on. Again and again if necessary, but you have to have the words to work on in the first place.

I am really enjoying writing more than a few thousand words, although I admit the learning curve is fairly steep. 

The most difficult thing I am finding is to take time with description, character building and plot. Short stories are excellent in terms of a tight plot, no extras, getting to the point, and although characterisation is still important, the confines of space mean they are not fully developed.

So, am I expecting much from entering this competition? I guess the answer is yes and no. Of course I hope that those judging my entry will jump up and down shouting "eureka we have found the next bestseller" and that I will see my name in the short-list.

But if not, then that's fine - I have a lot to learn and I will get there. The experience has already changed the way I approach my writing and so I can rest assured I will have somehow developed because of it. 

Meanwhile, while I await the June 2nd announcement, I will keep on tapping at these keys, and progress as a writer. 

AND just so that you know, and so I have my own deadline - I intend to finish my first draft by July 1st.