Blog

I'm giving away a hundred copies of The Vicar Man kindle edition, through Goodreads. If you haven't yet read my truly excellent* book,...

No, I'm sorry, I know the next line ought to be something on the lines of "Hot and steamy" or "Dark but sweet" or some other hilarious...

The Internet is stupid. No, really, I understand that the Internet is an incredible invention, capable of sharing mind-boggling amounts...

There's a stereotype of the weary writer, struggling to meet a deadline, hunched over a typewriter - or, these days, a screen - working...

Generally speaking you’re given five stars, sometimes helpfully coloured in shades from red to green. You’re supposed to rank your...

As the inimitable Eddie Izzard once said “The best laid plans of mice often go wrong.” Yes she was making fun of Burns when she said...

My youngest child is like Sherlock Holmes. No, bear with me: I'm not bragging, and this isn't some hilarious observation about children...

I need to go on holiday so I can get some work done. I know: it's not the most original statement in the world, but honestly, between...

We're taking the decorations down tomorrow. Not because we're superstitious, we're not: just because tomorrow is when you're supposed to...

I'm not going to spend forever babbling into the void, today. I just wanted to wish everyone a happy whatever: whether your celebrations...

I’m going to take a break from wittering about writing to talk about something else for a while. Or at least I’m still going to talk...

I’m taking a break from working on my current book — The Wolf-finder General, coming eventually to an online store near you! — to write a...

Last week, while I was wittering on about writer's block, I suggested having a plan to work from, and to refer to if you get stuck. I...

I had a blog post written yesterday, but it didn't really say what I wanted it to, so I threw it away. Then I wrote a new post centred on...

I do my best writing when I'm ill. Ok, that probably isn't true, but it feels that way. The thing is, when I'm not ill, when I'm really...

I drink a lot of coffee. I drink a lot more coffee than I used to do, nowadays, because my writing is more or less coffee-powered. I...

I had to fight myself not to title this post “What’s In A Name.” It’s the obvious title, after all: I want to talk about names and why...

Human beings love being scared. Ok, not all human beings. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who would happily go through...

I am a research addict. I really am, especially when I’m supposed to be writing. Given even the slightest provocation I will cast aside...

You can hear my far from mellifluous voice on Wizzi Magnussen's "The business of..." on Thursday the twenty-third of September at one pm...