An introduction to me and my writing

One of the best things about publishing my novel in the last few months has been talking to people about it. As an independent author, I don't want that to stop there, I want to get to know you and what you like about my stories. In this short video, I start by introducing myself. …

Staying creative in cold, short days

The winter can be hard for anyone. Getting out of bed, it's dark, by the time you get to work dawn is just breaking, but then as you walk back to your car after the day, it's closing in again. As a creative person, I find this particularly difficult. To be creative I need to …

2019 the year of FOCUS

UPDATE! (3rd June 2019) My debut novel, Kathmandu, is out now! Click below to start reading now: UPDATE! (5th April 2019) I'm really pleased to show you this. Finally, after focusing on writing for the last few months, I received the proof copy of my book Kathmandu today. 2019 the year of focus (original article) …

Beating the overwhelm as a writer

Over the last few weeks writing, alongside the other pressures of life, has been a bit overwhelming. Two weeks ago, I got the draft of my first novel back from the editor. He's done a great job, I can't complain at all - it's now full of comments and improvement which I need to go …

Making time for your writing

One of the greatest challenges writers face is time. The fact is, there just isn't enough time to do everything, and there never will be. Life is about choosing a few things to do well, rather than loads of things to do badly - as such if you want your writing to be one of …

My Author Journey – progress update, September 2018

Update 3rd of July 2019 My debut novel, Kathmandu, is out now! Tap below to start reading: It's been some time since I've written about my journey as an author, which could mean a couple of things - either I'm not doing anything, or I'm so busy I'm doing loads. Fortunately, it is the latter. …

My Author Journey – Keeping the Faith

As an unpublished writer, keeping the faith in a project is hard. With no one to tell you to keep going, no hooked readers, trickles of sales or even friends and family passing on comments of encouragement -  having constant motivation can be elusive. Yes, I have a compulsion to write - that's why I …

The Healthy Teacher Project 6 – Interview with Sian Rowland

What is The Healthy Teacher Project?  Sian Rowland is a freelance trainer, advisor and writer. Much of her work surrounds creating teaching resources for education and other businesses. She was a primary school teacher for a number of years, before moving into leadership, before becoming an advisor for the Local Education Authority before working for …

My Author Journey – The Importance of Rest

It's May bank holiday Monday here in a very sunny England and I haven't done any writing for five days. It feels good to say that actually, normally I'd say that with some sense of shame - because I love writing - but this week I've needed the rest. For the past two months, I've …

My Author Journey – six steps to help you write your first novel

I'm an English teacher with a dream to write novels. It's something that's been in the background of my mind for years but recently I made the decision to get started. I've been working on it over the last few months, and now have - by hook and crook - a (very rough) first draft. …