Could you please come and stand in front of my house, preferably near an open window, and say something. Doesn’t matter what.

You might like to bring a friend so you can speak to them. I don’t mind what the subject is, it would just be good to hear what you’ve got to say.

Why does it take three clicks to log out of one of my particular social media accounts?

When I’ve had enough of idly dribbling my way through dozens of posts, I give myself a mental jerk and want to log out immediately. But no. I have to click on my profile; then click to select ‘Log Out’; and finally click again to actually log out.

WHY?

I should be asking what you’re reading at the moment. I should be enquiring how you feel about the latest bestseller. I should ask you to name your top ten summer reads. I should be posting pictures of a stack of books in my TBR pile.

I could even show a little video of me teasing you as I prepare to cut open a cardboard box with a pair of scissors to reveal – WAIT FOR IT – the paperback editions of my latest novel. Continue reading →

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 →