Last weekend's X-Factor saw the Finnish singer, Saara Aalto, wow the judges, so I thought I'd give you ten things you need to know about her (and my) native Finland. Finland is a land of thousand lakes. At last count there were 187,888 of them - more lakes in relation to a country's size than … [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...]
New novel title reveal!
So the Brexit vote is over and done with, and whatever side you were on, I think you'll agree that the result was a shock for most of us who live and work in Britain. If you follow me on social media you'll know by now that I'm a firm believer in the European Union, and that I am more than … [Read more...]
The Finnish Girl out in paperback soon!
One of the best jobs I ever had was to be a bookseller. The year that I spent in the now sadly closed England's Lane Books in Northwest London, could easily be described as the happiest of my life. I would go as far to say that it was also a life-changing time for me, because two momentous events … [Read more...]
My Romantic Helsinki
All of my Nordic romance novels are partly set in Helsinki, so I thought I'd take you on a pictorial tour of the city, as featured in The Nordic Heart Romance series of books. In my latest title The Finnish Girl, Kaisa is 14 when she moves with her sister Sirkka and her mother Pirjo to one of … [Read more...]
Turn Your Life Into Fiction
Do you want to tell your life story? Here are ten tips to turn your life into fiction. Truth and Fiction Doris Lessing wrote in one of her memoirs that we all re-write history and that therefore no autobiography can be an accurate account of events Yet during my MA in Creative writing some 10 … [Read more...]
The Finnish Girl is out today!
Hurrah, it's Publication Day at last! The Finnish Girl, a prequel novella to The Englishman is now out and available to buy on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and all other major e-retailers. I woke up today to a wonderful 5 * review by a reader, who had forgotten to … [Read more...]
Empty Nesting – Again
Daughter moved away from home on Sunday and although she'd already done that once when she left for university, this time the move felt more final. She works in TV, so she's never home, and often has been staying away for weeks filming here and there. A couple of years ago, she went travelling … [Read more...]
Pre-order The Finnish Girl now!
Yay, it's nearly out! My latest book, The Finnish Girl, a prequel novella to The Englishman, will be published on 15th April and is now available to pre-order. This novella, just as The Englishman, is based on true events, and was very hard for me to write. But I felt compelled to revisit … [Read more...]
Tea Shop Tales this Saturday 2nd April
I am delighted to be taking part in this tea shop story festival. I will be reading from my forthcoming novella, The Finnish Girl, which is a prequel to The Englishman, the first book in my Nordic romance series. I will also be talking a bit about how I use my own life for my fiction (and stay … [Read more...]
