Similar Posts
Dead Ringer longlisted for Lakeland Book of the Year
I’m delighted that my debut novel, Dead Ringer, has been recognised in the 2021 Lakeland Book of the Year longlist. This award, sponsored by Cumbria Tourism, showcases literary talent inspired by the landscapes, history and culture of the Lake District, Cumbria. Cumbria was always at the (dark) heart of Dead Ringer, from the first moment…
The North/South Divide in Crime Fiction (guest feature on CrimeTime)
I wrote a feature for CrimeTime about the North/South divide in crime fiction and how setting can impact on a story. Name an island off the coast of England. Isle of Wight? Isle of Man? Maybe Lundy, if you’re feeling clever. How about Walney Island? It’s an island, a beautiful windswept island, off the north…
Is there a stranger out there who shares your face? (guest post for Confessions of a YA Reader)
What is the likelihood that you have a doppelgänger somewhere in the world? The scientific facts are stranger than you think. The idea of the doppelgänger – a stranger who looks uncannily like you – stretches back through history. The superstition is that encountering your “double” is a bad omen that could lead to your…
Write the story from the sidekick’s perspective, too – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
During one particular rewrite of Dead Ringer, I felt like I’d tied myself up in knots. My protagonist was breaking up with her boyfriend, but he seemed to be taking it too well. I couldn’t figure out what he was thinking or feeling during the scene. So I decided to write the entire novel from…
Let your readers hear your protagonist’s thoughts – Things I learned while writing Dead Ringer
Dead Ringer started life as a third-person novel, until my agent suggested I make it first-person. This was a big change, but it made the protagonists’ voices much clearer. The reader gets to sit in their heads, hear their thoughts. This, I think, is the superpower of novels (versus TV or movies). You get to…
To Newcastle in a flash: my experience of reading at Virtual Noir at the Bar
One unexpected upside of a global pandemic is that it makes “travel” much easier. Virtual travel, to book events, anyway. Attending Newcastle’s Noir at the Bar, a boozy evening with crime writers, would have been difficult for me two months ago, what with the expense and travel time. Now that all our social gatherings are…