How do you find the mother characters in the fiction books that you read? Are they believable, loveable or not true to your own experience? In my novels, I've used mothers and complicated family relationships to both move the story along, and to explain the motivation and difficulties of the other … [Read more...]
Why Is Publishing A Book Scary?
It's only two days until my latest book, The Island Affair, is published. Although I've had some very good reviews from early readers, why is publishing a book still so scary? Not A Novice I am an author of eight novels, so I'm not a novice. But my next book is one that I’ve been wanting to write … [Read more...]
Displaced Sisters
I've just said goodbye to my sister who's been visiting me in London. She lives and works in Luleå, Northern Sweden. A Displaced Family My only sibling and I have been displaced sisters ever since our father decided in the mid-seventies that he would take up a job offer from a Swedish telecoms … [Read more...]
The Christmas Heart Characters: Tuuli
As the launch date for The Christmas Heart approaches, I thought I'd let you know a little more about Tuuli, one of the characters in the book. Friend from University Kaisa met Tuuli on the very first day that she entered the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. The two young women immediately … [Read more...]
The Christmas Heart Characters: Tom
To celebrate my new book, The Christmas Heart, I thought I'd give you an insight into Tom, one of the characters in the book. For those of you who are new to The Nordic Heart Series, Finnish Kaisa is the main character in all the books. Throughout the four novels, we follow her life for a … [Read more...]
Helena’s Best Reads: The Rest of Their Lives by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent
To be honest, it was the cover of this novel, The Rest of Their Lives by French author Jean-Paul Didierlaurent, that attracted me to the book. Even I'm occasionally (=very often) drawn towards bubblegum colours. I also love European literature, and this quirky novel did definitely not disappoint me. … [Read more...]
Don’t Bore Your Reader
We all know to bore the reader is the most heinous crime an author can commit. Boring Explanations You know those days when you sit down at your keyboard to write and know you have to explain something in the book that, to put it frankly, bores you? It could be a little bit of backstory, or scene … [Read more...]
Faslane Naval Base Peace Protests and The Nordic Heart
It's interesting to see that the peace protests are going ahead outside the Faslane Naval Base again. According to Helensburgh Advertiser, the local Scottish newspaper, talks are being held in advance of a temporary protest camp near Coulport where the warheads for the Trident nuclear submarines are … [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...]
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...]
