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Five reasons for writing
I wrote a book a few years ago called ‘How to be a Brilliant Writer.’ I didn’t mean brilliant as in top of the class – I meant brilliant as in happy and… Read More →
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I’m cured!
All my writing life – which is a long time – I’ve carried a notebook somewhere about my person wherever I go. Naturally, this means that all my writing life, my lovely friends… Read More →
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Does this make me weird?!
Yesterday, right on target, I finished the book I’ve been working on this autumn – I always like to finish whatever I’m working on before Christmas so that I can start something new every New Year.…...
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Books can help
Have you heard of reading therapy? A lot of libraries have special sections now for books that can help you handle difficult stuff in your life. Where I live, in Cornwall, the library… Read More →
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Secret treasure
When I moved having lived in the same house for more than twenty years I discovered, to my great joy, a box of old letters and diaries in the attic, going right back… Read More →
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What makes a perfect writing room?
Some people like plenty of ‘creative clutter,’ with books all over the floor and notes all over the walls and bits of paper strewn across the table. Some people like a bare clear desk, and an empty...
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Dogs, chickens, rats and rabbits!
When I was a little girl I had a dog called Patch. She was a wiry little terrier, very lively and intelligent. When my older two children were little we had chickens; the… Read More →
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School – do you love it or hate it?
My latest story, ‘Me and my big mouth, by Maddy Monday,’ is about a girl who’s been home-educated right up to the age of eleven. She doesn’t actually want to go to school but one day she… Read More →
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Competition winners!
Thank-you to everyone who entered. You all got the right answer - my new book about a girl going to school for the first time is ‘Me and my big mouth, by Maddy Monday’ –… Read More →
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Let’s talk about dreams again!
My very first post here on girlheartbooks was called ‘Let’s talk about dreams’ because I love dreaming and it’s a very important part of my writing process. I also teach other people how to… Read More →
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If you love writing, you will love this book!
I’ve read stacks of books about writing because it’s always been my passion, but my all-time favourite wasn’t actually written as a book – it’s a collection of radio talks for young people,… Read More →
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Life’s full of surprises!
When I was making my website last year, it occurred to me that nearly all my books are light-hearted and funny. Even my non-fiction is packed with jokes. So I was a bit… Read More →
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My top writing tip for 2015
After nearly a year and a half away, I’m back on the team at girlsheartbooks – hooray! The last post I wrote before I left, Life’s Full of Surprises, was about how I’d suddenly found myself writing...
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I got stuck and imagined my book was a meal!
My new book, The Binding, comes out next week, and it’s been a walk on the wild side for me. I’d written about serious subjects before, but always in a funny way, and that was how I planned to write...
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What did 20 percent of authors say was so great about writing?
When I was writing How to be a Brilliant Writer I asked my friends in the Scattered Authors’ Society if they would like to contribute some quotes in answer to the question, ‘What’s so great about...
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Bullying: What can you do?
I’ve written quite a bit about bullying. It’s an important subject because a) it’s so common, b) it can be really damaging and c) it offends my sense of fairness. I mean, if you’re not trying to pick a...
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You’ve got the power!
Last week, I received a lovely thing in the post from someone who came on my ‘Writing the Sweet soul of Spring’ workshop – a postcard with a drawing of a tree in blossom and a poem. Around the same...
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Writing is like being on an island
I was sitting on a beach in Shetland last week, feeling happy. I’ve always loved islands – I used to live in Shetland once upon a time and I’ve camped on most of the other Scottish islands over the...
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Would you put me in charge of education?!
Whenever I hear politicians promising to spend more money on education my heart sinks, because there’s no benefit in spending more money if what you’re spending it on is more regulation and testing....
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