Goodness me, but what a long way it is to York. A jolly long way. And even further back - did they make the M1 longer while I was up there?? I wouldn't put it past them. Anyway I had a surprisingly good time at the AUA Conference - it might even have been, on a personal level, the most enjoyable one so far. Partly because hey, it's York. And in the sunshine, it's an amazing city. I also teamed up with Miv and the rest of the gang from Surrey wherever possible, which made networking less terrifying, frankly. Networking is much like DIY, I suppose - if you can't do it alone (and I can't - in both cases), then do it together. As they say. Also the food on the Gala Dinner tonight (Tuesday) was fabulous and (typical Yorkshire) there was lots of it. Hurrah! There's nothing worse than Nouvelle Cuisine, in my opinion, which is simply another way of saying Not Enough Food. I also sat at the table which won the champagne, so - hick! - we were all right, Jack ...

Read Full Post

How has the site developed over time?


We have a lot more literary professionals involved now, including editors from Orion and Bloomsbury who provide free Arts Council funded critiques for the five highest rated writers each month. We also have a lot more leading affiliated literary agents. From the start of April The Random House Group will become involved with YouWriteOn.com and read our Top Ten Chart stories at the start of each month for a six month period.

I see that you recently started a joint venture with Legend Books. How did that come about?

Read Full Post

Remember Yoka from Egg Wars? That was the eggy diorama that my daughter and her friends created for their school decorate-an-egg competition last year. If you go back and read that post, you'll discover that their entry won the prize for their year. Well, competition time came round again. The pressure was on. Not only that, her younger brother was also eligible to enter this year.

The entries were judged last week, but in a move reminiscent of the Zimambwean elections, but obviously so much more trivial that I almost feel ashamed making the comparison, the relevant authorities have only just announced the winners today.


Read Full Post

…but it pours.

Writers, in general, get very little support. Until we have something published, we're not really recognised, and even then, without monumental success in today’s competitive market, it can be tough. Time, as we all know, is the most essential thing to a serious writer, but to work and write is a delicate balancing act, mastered by the very few...

Read Full Post

I watched this guy the other night, working his way through a tv programme about penis size, penis envy and fear of what’s normal. He himself had come to terms with his 3 ½ inch member and even had a plaster cast made of the little beast. Apparently, he’s a comedian, so is dealing with his problem in public and trying to force other men out of the woodwork; there are thousands of them willing to chat, complain and moan about it online, incognito.

Read Full Post

In order to celebrate the completion of Clear History, Harper Collins has booked me into a studio for my official author photograph session. I stand in the middle of the white room which is unnecessarily huge and evaluate the lighting setup. Then I remember that I am a terrible photographer and look away.

When I finally read Chris’ alterations to the manuscript I was impressed and even a little jealous. His word choice and sentence structuring injected the text with an exhilarating sense of urgency that got me excited reading my own book. I emailed him and suggested he take another pass at it. “Feel free to make as many changes as you like,” I wrote. “You’ve greatly improved chapter twelve but I still think you can make it even better. Perhaps you could expand upon the themes you’ve introduced in chapter twenty-eight to show how certain characters are affected. Also, don’t forget you always wanted to make Agent Beechill’s entrance more heroic.”

When he simply replied – almost immediately – with “I HOPE AND PRAY TO EVERYTHING THAT IS HOLY THAT YOU ARE F***ING KIDDING ME” I wrote back refusing three of his word corrections that I picked arbitrarily from the text. I also pointed out a spelling mistake. He never got back to me and I discovered shortly afterwards that the spelling was, in fact, correct.


Read Full Post

Morag is the most Scottish friend I have; she’s spent years on the high roads and knows, intimately, every hill north of Glasgow – not that she’s climbed them, no, she just likes her haggis spiced with local gin...and there’s been a terrible dearth of those items in the recent past. She’s been in hospital for almost five months now, with not a drop of anything but water over her lips the whole time.

Read Full Post

Another manic weekend has drawn to a close..though I'm still feeling it!

My son's 3rd birthday dominated and we pulled it off on a shoestring..his Dad finished building the huge hand-made garage, the main present, at 10.30pm on Friday..and then it was down to me to paint it..I knew when the project started that I'd be up until stupid o'clock painting and varnishing in the half-light of energy saving bulbs..2.30am I finished it..well, the walls and road and grass were painted on..getting arty with it is for another day..


Read Full Post

So, finally, here are a few details about my recent gallivanting around the world. Well, England first. A wonderful time with my great writing friend Vanessa,who, the minute I arrived at her place an hour outside London informed me we were going back to London the next day to check out the venue for her immminent book launch. We had a great day, a private tour of the Foundling Museum, tea in a posh London hotel, drinks with another writer, B, and then back home to peaceful Sussex. Sadly, the photos of it all were on my mobile phone, which was stolen several days later, so you'll have to imagine it for yourselves.

Back to London and...

Read Full Post