I wonder how many other writers, bloggers and reviewers are getting a tad fed up reading all those hints and tips about how to ‘survive working from home’.

A huge number of salary earners can no longer go to their offices so they’re forced to balance laptops on whatever table’s available, hold video conferencing calls instead of attending interminable meetings, and make their own sandwiches instead of popping into Pret’s at lunchtime. For many it’s the first time they’ve had to work like this – and sections of the media are going overboard with suggestions as to how to cope. Continue reading →

Right. That’s it. That’s me done with Facebook and Twitter. Let this blog be a warning if you try to engage with social media.

Do you engage? Daft question – you’re reading this on Facebook or Twitter, so you’re engaging. But to what extent? Continue reading →

You can hardly open a newspaper this month without there being articles featuring comments, opinions and stories by, from and about celebrities.

Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis on why she’s banned from wearing bright clothes on screen; David Cameron talking about his daughter asking if it’s true he was prime minister; former Radio 4 Today presenter John Humphrys accusing the BBC of bias…

And many more… But why now?

Easy: it’s literature festival time and these celebrities have been appearing at one or another – because they’ve got books to flog. Continue reading →

There have been lots of messages on Twitter and Facebook about when writers started to write fiction with the emphasis being on those who didn’t start ‘seriously’ until they’d given up full-time, paid employment.

It seems a remarkable number waited until they retired before feeling they had the time (and the financial resources) to take up writing – even if writing was something they’d wanted to do since they were young. Continue reading →

I’ve recently taken part in an academic research study looking at life for women in the media. I hesitated before agreeing to take part as I stopped working as a journalist five years ago and now write fiction.

But it got me thinking about what life was like for a young, female journalist in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Continue reading →

What is it about authors? Why are so many of us nervous about our work, lacking in self-confidence and, let’s face it, scared to put our writing out there?

I’ve not met an author yet who doesn’t at some stage whisper conspiratorially that they’re worried they’ll be ‘found out’ one day. Continue reading →

It’s always interesting to hear how other authors work: where they write; what they have on their desks (or kitchen tables); the time of day that’s best for them to be creative; and what they wear.

Now to be honest, it’s the ‘what they wear’ that interests me the most today. Sorry to be so shallow, but I know from talking to other people who work from home, we’re not the sort for a full row of pearls and stilettos while we’re sitting in front of our computers bashing out the odd 5,000 words. Continue reading →

There was an interesting juxtaposition of articles in a newspaper this week and, while I first thought it was a mean trick by a grudging sub editor to put the two side by side, I realized that one was a harrowing story of bravery while the other was … well… an over-indulgent whine. In other words, a poorly considered first person column. Continue reading →