For the next week, this blog is moving to Derbyshire, to the little town of Swanwick, for the annual Writers’ Summer School. And this year, it’s a biggie: our seventieth anniversary. So look out for cake, bubbles, singing and dancing, in addition to the usual courses, workshops and other writerly activities. And watch out of #Swanwick70 on Facebook and Twitter. Plus, there’s Virtual Swanwick for members of the school who are unable to be there in person.

Each year, I post a daily blog from Friday to Friday. (We don’t actually open until Saturday afternoon but, as usual, my Swanwick week starts the day before with a drive up the M5 from Devon.) And as I’m running the Book Room again this year, I thought I would take the opportunity to introduce you to a few of the wonderful authors who will be selling their books all week. But before I talk about anyone else, a few words about me and my books…

Although I write as Elizabeth Ducie, most people in Swanwick know me by my real name, Kate McCormick. I used to wear a tee-shirt with both names on it. This year, I’ve got a poster linking the two – with a picture for anyone who’s still confused.

I’ve got two main threads to my writing: fiction and non-fiction. In the former, I am currently working on Corruption!, the final part of a series of thrillers set in the sometimes murky world of international pharmaceuticals. And although I didn’t quite manage to get it ready to launch this week, I will have copies of both Counterfeit! and Deception! available; together with my prize-winning debut novel, Gorgito’s Ice Rink.

But my main emphasis this year will be on my non-fiction. I’ve been delivering courses and workshops on business skills for writers for some years now. This year, I’m presenting two short courses on Writing As A Business (Monday and Wednesday), and for anyone who wants a reference book to go with the course, there will be copies of my new paperback, The Business of Writing Parts 1-3, on sale in the Book Room. In addition, there will be a few copies of an experimental workbook, containing all the worked examples and templates from the series. These are on sale at cost, and I welcome feedback from anyone who uses them.

And there are details on my website for anyone who’s not coming to Swanwick, but thinks they might be interested in any of my books. So, that’s my sale pitch over.  Here’s to a brilliant week in Swanwick. Now, where did I put my programme and highlighter pen?