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[This blog post first appeared on LearnHowToWriteANovel.com in October 2018]. Writers can be a quirky bunch. We drive miles to that one restaurant we must experience … because our imaginary friends go there and we need to hear the clanging of the pans in the kitchen. We silently fume over a misplaced comma or an … Continue reading Connecting with my tribe →

[This blog post first appeared on LearnHowToWriteANovel.com in September 2018].   Getting feedback can be a tricky pathway for an author to navigate. We can sometimes err on the safe side to save our creative hearts, but can also be trapped in an endless feedback loop of conflicting advice as to how to improve our … Continue reading What’s the best way to handle feedback? →

There comes a day in a parent’s life when you have to let go. I remember taking our oldest child to his first day at school. There was a sense of handing over as he wandered into his new classroom, backpack from the nape of his neck to just above his knees, and welcomed by … Continue reading Moving onto child number two … →

[This blog post appeared on LearnHowToWriteANovel.com in July 2018]. There is one word that is guaranteed to strike terror into the hearts of aspiring writers. That word is uttered by agents and publishers alike in ten-minute speed dates at writing conferences, and conjures pictures of mountains of work and a great horde beyond the gates … Continue reading Feeding the beast →

[This blog post first appeared in the International Christian Fiction Writers blog, June 2018] If you’re a writer, you’ll have doubt. We all do. It comes with the territory. What amazes me is that even the most successful writers go through it. I was listening to the most recent NovelMarketing podcast and Jim Rubart made … Continue reading Can doubt play a positive role in your writing life? →

So by now you know that The Baggage Handler will be published in March 2019, courtesy of the wonderful people at HarperCollins Christian.  I'm neck-deep in line edits at the moment, and revisiting some of the work that I haven't looked at in great detail for some months. I thought I'd share some with you … Continue reading Another sneak peek at The Baggage Handler … →

[This blog post first appeared on the International Christian Fiction Writers blog in May 20180. “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” A great quote by Douglas Adams. Not useful, but entertaining, and uncannily reminiscent of the writing journey. Which you expect from Adams ... being a writer. … Continue reading The whooshing sound deadlines make as they fly by … →