VAL PENNY

I am delighted to welcome my friend and fellow author, Maggie Cobbett to my blog today. I first met Maggie many years ago at The Writers'...

For a long time, short stories seemed to be out of fashion. Occasionally,well-known writers like Ian Rankin, Agatha Christie and Jeffrey...

It is my great pleasure to welcome American author, of Shoot, Shovel and Shutup, and my great friend, Jessica Thompson to the blog today...

It is with great pleasure that I welcome the talented author, Soulla Christodoulou to the blog today to explain the range of research she...

It is always a pleasure to welcome my friend and fellow author, Allison Symes to the blog. Today she discusses her techniques for...

I am thrilled today to host my good friend and fellow SpellBound Books author, Ritu Bhathal, today to explain how she ensures the...

I am delighted that the bestselling English author, Gary Kruse has agreed to return to the blog to discuss the importance of setting in a...

When one thinks about researching for a book, historical research immediately springs to mind. I am currently researching a historical...

The book was recommended to me by my nephew, Mathew because he had enjoyed the book so much. The Blurb Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing...

I am pleased to welcome Eleanor Swift-Hook to the blog today to share her thoughts about writing believable characters. Certainly, if a...

Joining a book group is a great way to read outside your usual genres and away from the authors you normally choose. When my book group...

I was doing a bit of thinking - my better half always wonders how much this will cost him - and it was to cost, or perhaps value that my...

A friend bought and read The Thursday Murder Club for her group but didn't want to keep it, so gave it to me. I should have known... The...

It may seem like a basic instruction, but before you seek any kind of representation or publication, make sure the first draft of your...

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson has a cult following and was recommended to me by the co-ordinator of the first book...

Craig Holden is the author of several novels including The River Sorrow, The Last Sanctuary, Four Corners of Night, The Jazz Bird and...

Wasted was book of the month at my book club. It is the autobiography of Mark Johnson who suffered a poor and violent childhood. He...

I am so excited that best selling author Rosie Travers has agreed to share an extract from her new book, Trouble on the Tide with me. The...

The main setting for the DI Hunter Wilson Crime Series is Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is a beautiful city but relatively small...

I originally heard about The Writers' Summer School from fellow writers at The Largs Writers Group to which I was introduced by the late,...