Diary of a writer

A Week Without Coffee
26 April 2013
There are some weeks when the words flow and hum. At such times, it seems as though all an author has to do is sit at his desk and the words wash through him like a river. This week hasn't been one of them.It's a ......Read More
The Writing Process
22 April 2013
Ask one hundred authors what the best part of their job is, and you'll probably get about a hundred different answers. No author out and out hates writing, no matter what they say - or I hope they don't. What a miserable thought: having to ......Read More
How an Author Writes
19 April 2013
Authors are often asked how they get ideas.There seem to be two supposed ‘facts’ about writing which are absolutely set in stone in the minds of the public: that all authors are multi-millionaires, and that it’s an easy job with a magical formula that changes ......Read More
Scarborough & the Medieval Murderers
19 April 2013
This week has been a busy one. Over the weekend I had to drive 400 miles to Scarborough for their literary festival. Medieval Murderers - that is, my friends Susanna Gregory and Karen Maitland - and I were the very last gig of the festival ......Read More
The Diary of a Writer
15 April 2013
It was many years ago that I first began to appreciate better quality writing tools - long before I became a full-time novelist, in fact. However, I still have a delight in using real pens and pencils, smooth paper and a variety of inks. Six years ......Read More

A Week Without Coffee