There Is No Muse
I have written more than nineteen thousand words so far this year! And it’s only 19th January. So it would seem that I’m not having too much trouble keeping […]
Elizabeth Chats With…Editor Des
[I’m very excited about this month’s interview, which is a first in a number of ways. It’s the first this year; it’s my first overseas guest; it’s the first time […]
Planning to be a Pantser
I saw a post on Facebook last week about creativity. Like most of the things I read on the social media platforms, it was very transitory – it floated […]
2015 SMART Objectives
At the December meeting of Chudleigh Writers’ Circle, our guest speaker, Katherine Bolton, challenged us to buy an extra diary and keep it just for our writing deadlines and goals. […]
Looking Back Thankfully
It’s hard to believe, but there are only two Mondays left to this year. Next week, I’m going to be looking forward to 2015 and making some New Year’s […]
Publishing Lessons Part 2
Back in October, I wrote about the first part of the publishing project for Gorgito’s Ice Rink. At that point, I’d only brought out the ebook. Now, two months on, […]
Elizabeth Chats with…Cathie Hartigan
[My guest this month is a writer, a tutor and one of the co-authors of The Creative Writing Students’s Handbook. I have known her for a couple of years, since […]
Birmingham Rose by Annie Murray
As a Brummie born and bred, there was an obvious attraction for me in the title of this book but once started, Annie Murray’s wonderful and powerful novel needed no […]
Taking a Rain Check…
Like many bloggers, I obsessively check my statistics. I can tell you how many people have looked at my blog each day, every week, every month, or indeed ever! I […]
Elizabeth Chats with…Jane Bidder
[My guest this month has multiple personalities. Known to many readers for her romantic comedies, written as Sophie King, or her family-based novels, written as Janey Fraser, she also writes […]
Right Under Our Noses
On our final day, we look closer to home, examining the origins of the Parador Hotel in which we have spent the past three nights. Every nook and cranny is […]
Gathering Impressions
Today we wander through the streets of Granada, just gathering impressions, then trying to capture them all as future memories: Saturday is a good day for weddings: guests in fantastic hats […]
Engaging Our Senses
The hotel receptionist has booked morning tickets for us at the Palacio Nazaries and warns us not to be late, ‘as the tickets are only valid for 30 minutes’ although […]
Houston, We Have A Problem…
The cultural – as opposed to socialising – part of the trip begins today. I rise early and pack carefully, checking all the travel arrangements and documents. I have always […]
Greener Grass, Bluer Sky
We stand on the balcony in the early morning sunlight. It is already unseasonably warm. Gazing at the view and flicking through yesterday’s photos, we start to think in the […]
All About Food…
After a late start and a leisurely open-air breakfast, we head off for Fuengirola in search of bus tickets for later in the week. It is quick, simple and painless […]
Sightseeing At The Airport
Since moving to the south-west, we always travel to the airport a day early, even when, as now, our flight isn’t until the afternoon. Call it the M25 syndrome – […]
Travels With My Mother-in-Law’s Son
For the second time this year, I am leaving my computer and internet connection behind and heading off for a week of R and R, this time in Spain, with […]
Publishing Lessons Part 1
Earlier this month, I completed stage one of my largest publishing project to date, when the ebook version of my debut novel Gorgito’s Ice Rink came out on Amazon for Kindle. […]
Elizabeth Chats With…Margaret James
[This month’s guest was known to me for some years via her articles in Writing Magazine. When I joined Exeter Writers, I was delighted to find she was also a member. […]
Review Round-Up
[Two short reviews for the price of one this month: one brand new book and one that’s been out for a couple of years; I gave them both five star […]
Gorgito’s Ice Rink: Prologue
Moscow, 2005 Emma Chambers slipped between the oak doors into the hushed interior. The air, thick with incense, grabbed at her throat and threatened to bring back the tears she’d […]
Our African Adventure Part 3
This leg of the trip is all about seeing the ‘big five’: elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and water buffalo. The transfer to Hwange game park takes most of […]
Reading Aloud: My Tip of the Week
As some of you will know, I’m about to publish my first novel. I’m deep in the process of proof-reading and cover design at present. Hopefully the whole thing will […]
Elizabeth Chats With…C.L.Raven
[I have two guests for the price of one this month. I first met these identical twins from Cardiff when they were shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. Well, actually, […]
The Wedding Diary by Margaret James
Margaret James doesn’t normally write modern-day chicklit and I don’t normally read modern-day chicklit (well not very often anyway), so we were both on new territory here. But you can’t […]
Our African Adventure Part 2
Wednesday Arriving at Kariba, we discover The Cutty Sark hotel is definitely NOT in the same league as the Sheraton, but the room overlooks the lake and the pool is […]
Goodbye Gardening Guilt
I grew up in a house with a beautiful garden. Both of my parents were keen gardeners and my father in particular spent every summer evening and most of his […]
#Swanwick66: A Final Chapter
Day six was, as always, a day of ‘finals’: the final chance for the early risers to gather in the chapel for Lift Up Your Hearts, or by the lake […]
#swanwick66: A Theatrical Day Five
The Wednesday of Swanwick always seems a little frantic to me; it’s when we realise we are more than halfway through the week and time is starting to run out […]
#swanwick66: Snippets from Days Three and Four
As the clock ticked around to 9.30 on Monday morning, the screen remained determinedly blank and I realised I wasn’t going to get my presentation to run, I grabbed a pen […]
#Swanwick66: An Extra Special Guest for Day Three
‘Fame Starts Here’ were the words Aileen Armitage taped to the front of her typewriter to inspire her when she started her writing career. She first came to Swanwick forty […]
#Swanwick66: Snapshots of Day Two
Day two started with a traditional Swanwick breakfast: sausage, hash browns, egg and beans. I tried to convince my neighbour that cooked breakfasts on Sunday contained no calories, but I […]
#Swanwick66: Impressions of Day One
The year has flown by: it seems like only yesterday we were waving the coaches goodbye in the rain last August – and here we all are back at The […]
What Have We Learned?
Yesterday, like many people in this country and beyond, I attended a church service to commemorate the start of World War I. We remembered those who went to war, […]
Our African Adventure Part I
[In 1991, I visited Africa for the first time; taking a business trip to Zimbabwe and South Africa. Zimbabwe was a relaxed friendly country where everyone made me feel welcome […]
A Writerly Round-Up: Blowing My Own Trumpet and Planning the Future
It’s been a busy few months. I spent much of May and June working on the publicity and logistics for our town’s annual summer festival, which took place earlier this […]
Elizabeth Chats With…Bodicia
[A while back, I wrote a guest post about my ideal writing day and how it differs from reality. Today, I’ve invited the host of that blog to come and […]
A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
[It’s the first Monday of the month, which is book review day. I’m in the throes of Chudfest this week, with barely a minute at the keyboard, so here’s one […]
Part Two: Finance Matters
This book is the second in a series of ebooks which describe a simple route by which writers can set up and run their own small businesses. They identify the […]
Day 8: The End of the Road
Our plan to spend our final morning on another (more accessible) beach is scuppered by the heavy sea mist that rolls in overnight. So we spend the time chilling out […]
Day 7: Now We Are Six!
Today we see a new side of Geoffrey. To the clergyman and the steam buff, we must now add mountain goat. As Margaret is again working, we decide to take […]
Day 6: Of Monuments and Steam
We start the day at Morar Station awaiting the Jacobite steam train on its journey from Fort William to Mallaig. David Bailey Pearson (DBP) positions herself atop a five-bar gate […]
Day 5: Father’s Day
It is as though the mist has never existed! We finally believe we are surrounded by mountains, both on the mainland and on the islands and after church we lounge […]
Day 4: Blue Skye and Mountains
The mountains are still hidden and the islands are mostly being bashful, but Skye is visible as we jump in the car and head for the ferry. Sheila and I […]
Day 3: They’re Out There Somewhere!
Margaret and Geoffrey assure us the view from their lounge window includes Skye Eigg and Rum. We believe them because our sister, like us, has been brought up to be […]
Day 2: The Road to the Isles
At 5.15am blue skies and sunshine augur well for our road trip. Our plan to leave “really early” has evolved into “be on the road by eight” and then to […]
Travels With My Niece’s Aunt
Recently, my sister Margaret moved to Mallaig, on the north-west coast of Scotland. Earlier this month my other sister, Sheila, and I drove up to visit her. This would be […]
Elizabeth Chats With…Jane Wenham-Jones
[This month’s guest is a funny lady who is also a talented writer. She was a guest speaker at my first Swanwick Summer School back in 2006; three things stuck […]
Crossing Qalandiya by Daniela Norris and Shireen Anabtawi
The early bonds of friendship were forged between Daniela Norris and Shireen Anabtawi before they had time to realise they were, or should be, ‘enemies’. Daniela is Israeli while Shireen […]
Reflections on Ukraine
Travelling to Ukraine was one of my most enjoyable and fascinating experiences in recent years. I first went there in 1999 and, for the next decade, returned several times a […]
Politicians: What’s The Point?
Some people blame the global economy; others blame the government; some suggest our regional and local politicians are to blame. Whatever your view, it is a fact that some of […]
Elizabeth chats with…C. Hope Clark
This month’s guest is an American author and writers’ friend. Her weekly and fortnightly newsletters provide thousands of us with writing tips, leads to competitions and grants and a no-nonsense […]
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
At the start of this book, we see Harold Fry sitting at the breakfast table “freshly shaved, in a clean shirt and tie”. He thinks “he might like to go […]
Tips for Business Travellers
In a former life, I spent more than twenty years working internationally. I spent more time in airports, railway stations and hotels than I did in the office. If you […]
You MUST Read This? I Don’t Think So
I came across an astonishing outburst on Facebook the other day. OK, so this is Facebook, where astonishing outbursts are two a penny, but this one took my breath away. […]
Elizabeth Chats With…Tank Sherman
[My guest this month is one of the people I’ve really enjoyed meeting since moving to the South West. He’s a funny man, both on and off stage. Even when […]
The Accidental Apprentice by Vikas Swarup
Sapna Sinha has already seen more than her fair share of tragedy and hardship. The eldest daughter in a family of three, she has lost one sister and her father. […]
The Business of Writing is No Joke
I’ve been running my own small business, together with my husband, for twenty-two years and it’s been a complete joy (well most of the time anyway). To start with, there […]
Part One: Business Start-Up
This book is the first in a series of ebooks which describe a simple route by which writers can set up and run their own small businesses. They identify the […]
Sun, Sea and Suits
[For twenty-plus years I travelled the world, helping companies make pharmaceuticals safely. Most of my trips were to Russia and the former Soviet Union countries. Occasionally, I got invited somewhere […]
Writerly Thoughts: A Round-Up
Usually I have no difficulty finding something to blog about, especially now that two weeks each month are taken up with interviews and book reviews. But this week, my head’s […]
Elizabeth Chats With… Author David Hough
[My guest this month is author and fellow Swanwicker David Hough.] Thanks for dropping in, David. Let’s start at the beginning; what is your earliest memory — and how […]
Result!
[Today’s snippet of new prose comes from another Write Invite entry; I came fourth with this piece based on the trigger ‘racing’.] The notice was on the […]
Tidewater Murder by C Hope Clark
This is the second in the Carolina Slade series of mysteries and anyone who’s read my review of Lowcountry Bribe will know how highly I rate Hope’s writing (not to […]
Valentine’s Day in Modena: a thank you letter
I was brought up to be polite; I write thank you letters (as you can see); I always remember to smile and say please; I rarely ignore social rules willfully. So I […]
Make Do and Mend [Part 3]
We didn’t usually bother to dress up when we went to the Youth Club. Jeans and jumpers were the order of the day. But that night was different. I’d come […]
Losing the Power of Speech?
Some years ago, I sat in a walkway at Blue Water Shopping Centre and watched the crowds pass by. It struck me then how many people seemed to be eating: burgers, […]
Blog Tour: My Writing Process
I’ve been following with interest the blog tour about writing process, so was delighted to be asked by Cathie Hartigan if I’d like to follow her in answering four questions. […]
The Generation Game by Sophie Duffy
[From this month, I’m introducing a book review into the monthly blog mix. From March, they will be new reviews, but I’m starting with one I posted elsewhere a few […]
Make Do and Mend [Part 2]
[Ted and Elsie’s story begins with a scarf and a question] It was this scarf that started it all. If truth be told, I didn’t like Ted one […]
Independence Day
[For more than twenty years, I had the privilege of working in many countries around the world. These experiences influence my writing and my stories are often set outside the UK. […]
Make Do and Mend [Part 1]
[I started this story during last week’s Write Invite competition, using the trigger ‘The Present’. It didn’t get short-listed, and the original ending (which I have deleted) was not strong […]
While I Was Waiting
I’ve mentioned more than once on this blog that I have a grasshopper approach to my writing and to everything else I do as well. And as a woman, I […]
She Who Holds The Pen…
[Today’s snippet of new prose was written in response to a Write Invite trigger last September: ‘power’. While it is completely fictional, I’m sure many people would be able to identify with […]
Elizabeth Chats With… Tarja Moles
[My guest this month is an author, a publisher and the nicest Finn I know. I first met her in person at Swanwick Summer School a couple of years back, but felt […]
Filthy Writing
[Today’s snippet of new prose grew out of a writing exercise: one of the triggers on last week’s Write Invite competition was ‘New Page’. With just 30 minutes to write and […]
On Being Thankful
This time last year, we were facing a rather soggy short-term future. Months ago, I said I wouldn’t write about the flood again, and I’m not going to; there are […]
Sadie’s Sensible Shopping
[A very Happy New Year to all of you. I haven’t made any resolutions this year – that way, I avoid being disappointed in myself when I fail to keep […]
Chasing Stars with a Butterfly Net
[As this is my last blog post until January 2nd, I’m putting up more than a snippet this week. This is a short story written earlier this year for a competition on […]
Banishing the Demon: Reflections on NaNoWriMo
As someone with a science education, working for thirty plus years in a highly technical industry, nanohas always had a specific meaning: Used primarily in the metric system, it is the […]
Looking and Seeing
[Back in September, I wrote about a day spent with Chudleigh Writers’ Circle in the garden of one of the members. Then it was all about the bigger picture, snapshots and […]
Elizabeth Chats with…Simon Hall
[My guest this month is a broadcaster, a reporter, a novelist, a speaker and an all-round nice guy. I’ve seen Simon Hall present heart-rending reports on BBC Spotlight; enthuse school children […]
Peace is Not at Home
[For the past 20 years, I have been lucky enough to visit Russia many times and my experiences and impressions colour much of my writing. This piece was written after […]
Business of Writing: Sources of Advice
[No sooner has November (and NaNoWriMo) faded into history than we are in December and the long, slow run up to Christmas. Except that it’s not slow at all. In […]
Liqud Plastic Sea
[Today’s snippet of new prose has seen the light of day before. In April 2013, I published an ebook called Parcels in the Rain and Other Writing. Tomorrow, I am publishing […]
Too Busy To Write?
I am lucky enough to write for a living. It’s my full-time job. So that means I have at least thirty-five hours a week when I can be sitting at […]
As Easy As…
[Today’s snippet of new prose comes from another of Morgen Bailey’s writing exercises: this one featuring the keywords: France, tune, whistle, repetitive and none.] I jump on my […]
No More Guilt Over Dickens
Like many other bibliophiles, I own a full set of Dickens novels. You know the ones: green leather, gold lettering, pale yellow ribbon bookmark, thin paper and tiny print [although […]
Elizabeth Chats With…Curtis Jobling
[Anyone who read my Swanwick posts back in August will remember how I raved about Curtis Jobling. Originally best known for Bob the Builder, Raa Raa the Noisy Lion and other […]
The Chase
[I’ve always tended to write pleasant stories, with good characters who get what they desire – and deserve. In fact, I’m thinking of calling my next anthology Nice Stories with Happy Endings. […]
E-publishing: the Best Guides to DIY
OK, so you’ve finished your novel. You’ve edited it so tightly, you can’t slip another word in without an unsightly bulge. Your beta-readers have done their stuff. You’ve decided to […]
Rushing to the Ball Part 3
[Last week we saw my take on the old fable The Tortoise and the Hare. from the point of view of Harold Racer. This week’s snippet of new prose is the same story, […]
Planning a Writing Project
Writers are creative people; we work when the muse visits us. We don’t have to worry about working to timetables or plans like people with ‘proper’ jobs. Right? Wrong! Whether […]
Rushing to the Ball Part 2
[A couple of weeks ago, I posted my take on the old fable The Tortoise and the Hare. This week’s snippet of new prose is the same story, told through […]
The Evolution of Language: An Old-Fashioned Rant!
Our language is evolving. New words and phrases are admitted to the dictionary every few months. The August 2013 update of the Oxford Dictionary includes: hackerspace [a place in which […]
Rocking to Parenthood
[Recently, I was delighted to win the weekly ‘Write Invite’ competition. Based on one of three triggers, posted at 5.30pm on a Saturday evening, the exercise is to write and […]
Elizabeth Chats With…Tina K Burton
[Today, in the first of my monthly interviews, I’m chatting with Tina K Burton, author and avid crafter. Tina and I met through a Facebook group for writers and discovered […]
Rushing to the Ball
[Following on from last week’s modern telling of an old nursery rhyme, today’s snippet comes from a similar exercise, retelling one of the traditional fables from different points of view. […]
Another Change of Direction
I’ve been trying out a few different approaches to this blog over recent months. Firstly, I finished my year-long series on Writing as a Small Business. This was partly because I […]