The one thing I changed about my writing process that took me from slush pile to publication
I made one (very simple) change to my writing process a couple of years ago that’s been truly transformative. Previously, when I had an idea for a story, I used to start with plot-related notes or an outline or just dive in to the first scene. Now I start with…
Short stories published in The Sunday Express and The People’s Friend
In the last month, short stories of mine have appeared in the Sunday Express S Magazine and The People’s Friend. When I got the brief to write a 980-word story for the Sunday Express, I was apprehensive. I like big plots (and I cannot lie). How was I going to…
Interview with Nathalie Buscombe, Dead Ringer audiobook narrator
Find out the secrets of audiobook narration in this interview with one of Dead Ringer‘s narrators, Nathalie Buscombe. You’re also a talented artist and writer, in addition to being an actor. How does audiobook narration fit into your schedule and why do you enjoy it? I have separate agents for…
Quiz: doppelgangers and imposters
This is a longer version of the quiz I ran at my book launch event. Test your knowledge of doppelgangers and imposters with these questions. (Answers below.) Questions Q1. Which language does the word ‘doppelganger’ derive from? Q2: Which sitcom star was accused of robbery in 2018 after his dastardly…
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…
BBC Radio Bristol interview
On Wednesday 26 February 2020, I stopped by the BBC Radio Bristol studios to chat with Steve Yabsley about cats, ice skating, and the time I got fired from a job for insubordination. Play the interview below or find it on YouTube…
Dead Ringer – what the bloggers say
How did Dead Ringer go down with the book bloggers? Here’s a round-up of what happened on part 1 of the blog tour. “Littered with moments of dark humour and flawless insight, I found myself inside the head of both girls as their story came tumbling out.” (Full review at…
GenZ burnout and murder: the changing landscape of crime fiction
As the focus of crime fiction shifts to GenZ, the horrors are becoming more mundane – debt, burnout, poor mental health – but no less terrifying. “Generation Z” typically describes the post-Millennials, those born between the late 90s and the early 2010s. It’s a generation shaped by the 2008 financial…
5 random facts about Dead Ringer
Here’s a quick look into my writing process with a few fun facts behind the scenes of Dead Ringer. A five year journey It is almost exactly 5 years from the time I started writing Dead Ringer to its publication. When I tell people that, I think they imagine I’m…
“Pacy, witty, succinct” – CrimeTime review of Dead Ringer
Bob Cornwell gives his review of Dead Ringer for CrimeTime. “When I first met my double, I was disappointed how little she looked like me.” So thinks Ella Mosier, 24, a native of Walney Island, close by Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria as she meets Jemima Coottes-Mitchell, 25, London for the first time…
Dead Ringer book launch event – in pictures
Friday 28 February saw the official launch of Dead Ringer at Foyles in Bristol. Here’s some pictures and notes from the big night. I started off with a little speech and a reading of the first chapter of Dead Ringer. As you can see, there were many #faces during the…
3 things that inspired my novel Dead Ringer
Inspiration isn’t always linear; oftentimes, story ideas emerge out of unexpected nuggets colliding. Here’s how the premise for Dead Ringer ultimately came together. A clickbait article “I found my twin on YouTube.” When you’re scrolling distractedly through Twitter, that’s the sort of thing that catches your eye. Some 5 years…
Reading Round-Up #1: Ronan Farrow, Juno Dawson, Philippa Gregory and more
What books have I been reading and enjoying over the last couple of months? Here’s a quick rundown… Non Fiction Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators – Ronan Farrow Even if, like me, you never want to hear the words “Harvey Weinstein” ever again, this…
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…
“Tense and compelling” — Daily Mail review of Dead Ringer
Christena Appleyard of the Daily Mail gives her review of Dead Ringer. The idea of this book might sound a bit far fetched — two girls find their doppelgängers via a new facial recognition app and decide to swap lives. Nicola Martin spins this slightly dodgy idea into a tense…
My doppelgänger story
Have I ever met my double? Is Dead Ringer secretly a true story…? Er, no. But here’s a quick rundown of the times I’ve been mistaken for people who look like me. I was on the island of St John in the US Virgin Islands recently, (and, yes, I know…
How to get your book published
The path to getting your novel or non-fiction book published can be circuitous and confusing, so here’s my step-by-step guide to how the whole process works for first-time authors. Write the whole book first Many new writers cling to the idea that they can sell a book to an agent/publisher…
5 ways to make your fiction unputdownable
Even quiet stories can (and should) have that gotta-keep-reading quality to them. But how can we as writers make sure our novels and short stories are compelling the whole way through? I’m going to use the C word here. Gulp. I’m going to talk about making fiction commercial. ‘Commercial’ can…
How I got my short stories published in The People’s Friend
This week marks my seventh short story published by women’s magazine The People’s Friend. But mine wasn’t an instant success story – I got rejected a lot in the beginning. Find out what I did differently to turn those rejections into acceptances. When I started writing short stories about five…
4 true crime documentaries for hipster douchebags who’ve seen every true crime documentary
I found out a new friend of mine was a true crime junkie recently. Our conversation quickly spiralled into what can only be described as true crime hipster douchebaggery: “You’ve seen Making a Murderer?” “Obviously. Have you watched The Jinx?” “Yeah, a couple of times. What about The Staircase?” “Pleeeease…