Is there anything better than sitting in the sunshine reading a good book? Answer: hell no! If you’re not sure what’s coming out or what you might fancy for your sun-lounger downtime, read on to see my top recommendations for this summer! Passing Fancies Passing Fancies (A Julia Kydd Novel Book 2) Marlowe Benn 2 June 2020 Julia Kydd returns in a new mystery set in the beguiling world of the...
A room with a view… to murder. June 1933. Kitty Underhay is a modern, independent woman from the top of her shingle bob to the tip of her t-strap heels. She prides herself on the reputation of her family’s ancient hotel on the blustery English coast. But then a body is found, rooms are ransacked and rumours begin to circulate that someone is on the hunt for a valuable stolen ruby – a ruby that...
I don’t know if you’ve seen the announcement on Twitter and Facebook, but I’m really excited to say that as well as writing romance, I’m branching out into cozy mysteries! Don’t worry, it won’t get confusing because I’ll be writing under the pen name K E Coburn. You see, I’ve always loved cozy crime and I’m a bit mad for the 1950s, so I thought I’d combine my two loves and start a historical cozy...
I love a paperback publication day! There’s nothing better than actually holding a copy of a book in your hands, especially your own. Though today is a bit of weird one with all the Coronavirus stuff going on. It feels somewhat sad too but I think it’s important at the moment to celebrate the things you can. So, I’m celebrating today with some bubbles and a little cake! Thank you to...
One writerly question, one answer, one minute to read! Here we go… Do I need a social media platform? My personal opinion is a big fat ‘Yes!’ but maybe not for the reason’s you might think. We often read that agents and publishers want you active on social media, but that isn’t always true. If you hate it, are you going to give it the time and energy it needs? Because, trust me, it can take...
It’s time to ask the editor! I’ve compiled a list of questions and the lovely Abigail Fenton, Editorial Director at HarperCollins, HQ Digital, has answered them. Read on to find out more about the work of, and some top tips, from one of the best editors in the business! What can/should authors expect from their editors? Honest, constructive feedback – any suggestion an editor makes is because...
I was so sad at the very end of last year when I learned of the death of one of my favourite writers of all time, MC Beaton. I absolutely loved all her novels from the Regency romances to her cosy mystery series featuring Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin. One of my favourite things about her (apart from her amazing plots, superb use of the English language, wry humour, and fantastic dialogue) was...
Okay, I’m not going to pretend that a few tips in a short blog post are going to change your life, but I’m writing this one because handling stress is something I struggle with at times. Life gets on top of us and it’s easy to lose ourselves in all the life admin and our enormous to do lists. So, here are a few things I’m trying to do to make life easier and hopefully they’ll be useful to you too...
Love happens when you least expect it… Jodi is panicking. It’s only weeks until her little village in Devon holds its first ever festival and everything is falling apart. Desperate to avoid disaster, she brings in notorious party planner Christian to save the day. Although she wasn’t prepared for just how gorgeous he would be! Men are off the cards for Jody and surely Christian is the last man...
One writerly question, one answer, one minute to read! Here we go…How much backstory does my character need? When I started writing, I went on my merry way happily creating characters left right and centre without much thought about them or where they came from. The result was that they only seemed to be there for the benefit of the main characters. Whilst this may not seem a big deal, it’s...
It’s time to ask the editor! I’ve compiled a list of questions and my lovely editor at HarperCollins, HQ Digital, the amazing and super-intelligent, Abigail Fenton, has answered them! Read on to find out more about the work of, and some tops tips, from one of the best editors in the business! Q. What do you, as an editor, expect from your authors? Editing should be a collaborative process, so I...
1920’s London Rosemary Lillywhite had no intention of becoming a lady detective, but when a desperate woman knocks on the door of her dead husband’s investigative office, she’s forced to make a choice: either take the case or turn Grace Barton away. Working cases with Andrew had been fulfilling, but a woman in 1920’s London couldn’t run such a business by herself—or could she? When Rosemary...
The first thing you need to know about me is, I like gin. Lots and lots of gin.
I live in the South East of England in a lovely little town by the sea and spend my time working, running around after my kids, walking our King Charles Spaniel, Wotsit, and writing!
I love history and have a Master’s degree, but have also been lucky enough to work in various castles and museums over the years. I’ve yet to get one of them into a story though – I really must try harder!