Are you unable to finish that novel but don't know why? If you suffer from Writer's Block, here are five ways to deal with it. What is Writer's Block? I have to come clean: before I was writing my latest (7th) novel, due out later this autumn, I didn't even believe in Writer's Block. I agreed with … [Read more...]
Advice for New Writers Part 9: When to Start Editing?
When should you start editing your work? This can be a tricky decision. Do you wait until you've reached a certain amount of words? Or when there's an 'r' in the month or a full moon? Perhaps you've got into the habit of editing as you go along? Editing while you write I used to edit while I wrote … [Read more...]
Writing over Easter
Over this Easter weekend, I've been busy writing the next novel in The Englishman series. Or trying to! Although I imagined I had the plot all sewn up, I've realised during these less busy days of Easter that there was something missing from the story. The plot just didn't click with me. Until … [Read more...]
Want to read at Waterstones in London?
I was delighted to be asked by Novel London to read from my novella, The Finnish Girl, at Waterstones, Covent Garden last Friday This event, which is organised every month, celebrates new fiction with first chapter readings by selected writers. My contribution was The Finnish Girl, a … [Read more...]
Get Ready for the Indie Author Fringe!
Indie Author Fringe is an online conference for self-publishing authors, brought to you by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) Organised around the major book fairs around the world, ALLi brings together the most up-to-date self-publishing education and information available and broadcasts … [Read more...]
How to Write in Another Language
How do you write in another language? How can you make your words flow in a language that's not your mother tongue? I write in English even though it's my third language after Finnish and Swedish. Why I do this, is one of the most common questions readers and other writers put to me. A few … [Read more...]
Writing Sex by Patsy Trench
My latest novel, The Good Officer, which is out tomorrow has more sex in it than any of my previous books. The reason for this (without giving too much away) is that my two heroes, Kaisa and Peter, are estranged and so meet other people – and the obvious happens. While writing the novel, I struck up … [Read more...]
How to Attend Indie Author Fringe
The virtual doors of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) third Indie Author Fringe event open at 10am Frankfurt/9am London, Saturday October 22nd. Here’s how to attend and get the most out of our Online Author Conference, and how to join in conversations with Sponsors and Speakers on the … [Read more...]
An anniversary!
Today is exactly 4 years since my first novel, The Englishman, was published. I remember that day pretty well - I'd pressed the 'publish now' button the night before and in the morning as I woke, I saw from Amazon that the book was available to buy. What a feeling that was! To celebrate, the … [Read more...]
The Future of Books at the Fitzrovia Festival
A few weeks ago I took part in a panel discussion on the future of books at the Fitzrovia Festival in London. The event was hosted by Author in Residence at Virtual Futures, Stephen Oram, and included talks from writers of various disciplines. It was a very interesting evening and my thanks go to … [Read more...]