Shortlisted for Marlowe and Christie I was delighted to learn that my novel, Backhanders, has been shortlisted for the 2024 Marlowe and Christie First Novel Prize. This is an international competition and it seems the standard of entries was very high, with entrants from across the UK, the United States and Europe. When my crime thriller … Continued
I love metaphors. I delight in creating them so that they fit exactly into their context and paint a picture for the reader. I recently ran a workshop for my local writers’ group, Anderida Writers, on the minting of new metaphors. We looked at a bunch of tired metaphors and similes, the clichés we all … Continued
At the risk of repeating myself … I’m over 60,000 words into the second novel in my crime thriller trilogy. One of the issues I’ve been grappling with is the need or otherwise to remind the reader of what happened to whom in the first book. Not that my second book is a sequel but … Continued
Which is most likely to grab the attention of agent? I think that what impresses agents most is great writing. Not all of us can produce that, at least not all of the time. We hope that part of what we write is impressive. We always know there’ll be polishing to do and that we’ll … Continued
Manuscript appraisals: value for money? I recently took the plunge and commissioned a manuscript appraisal for my novel. It was a significant step because there’s a cost involved and, like all of us, I wanted to feel there’d be real value in making the investment. I’m glad to say there was. After a researching the … Continued
How a writing group can help develop skills I’ve been a member of my local writing group, Anderida Writers, for over a decade. I’d recommend anyone who wants to develop their writing skills to join a club or group and share their work and experiences with other writers. Typically, a writing group will hold workshops … Continued
I can’t tell you how helpful it was to have readers who were prepared to read through my novel and provide constructive feedback. They picked up inconsistencies of place or date, tone-jars, wise-cracks placed in the mouth of an inappropriate character, repetition and repetition. It can be difficult to spot errors It’s difficult as a … Continued
Antics of an anti-hero The trusted readers who worked their way through the manuscript of my newly completed novel were consistent in their response to the antics of my anti-hero. He’s outrageous, despicable, super-devious and egocentric, they told me. So it was interesting to consider why they were always rooting for him. The anti-hero is … Continued
A Man of Constant SORO It seems my debut novel, The Fruits of Rashness, has yet to fall open in front of a literary agent who wants to snap it up, but being a SORO (Stick-Of-Rock Optimist), I’m sure it soon will. Course it will. I’m sending my manuscript to only two or three agents … Continued
A video clip – how good is that? The main protagonist in my novel makes good! The Journalists’ Charity ran a competition inviting descriptions of a modern day character that Charles Dickens might admire – a description that conjures the character from the page. This was all to mark the great man’s double centenary. I … Continued