“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering ‘it will be happier’…” Alfred, Lord Tennyson. It’s December and time for the last blog post of the year. It’s been a difficult year for everyone in many different ways but I feel optimistic about the future. In times of uncertainty books are a…
Adaptability has been my watchword over recent months. Like many writers I’ve felt disappointment at my inability to attend literary events in person. I’ve missed the social interaction that comes from meeting other writers and the sheer pleasure of browsing in bookshops. However I have been amazed at the resourcefulness of colleagues who have taught…
Readers, bookworms, bibliophiles, take note. Writers love reviews. They are the bread to our butter and the neeps to our tatties. Receiving feedback is wonderful; it shows that someone has taken the time and effort to read your book and feel it worthy of comment. I have been heartened in the last month to receive…
This quote, from Audrey Hepburn in the 1980’s, could not be more apposite, as I write this column with the world in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic. Previously never a keen gardener, preferring to sit in it rather than cultivate it, the garden has now become my bolt hole. As my appetite for creative…