How do you write in another language? How can you make your words flow in a language that's not your mother tongue? I write in English even though it's my third language after Finnish and Swedish. Why I do this, is one of the most common questions readers and other writers put to me. A few … [Read more...]
How to Attend Indie Author Fringe
The virtual doors of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) third Indie Author Fringe event open at 10am Frankfurt/9am London, Saturday October 22nd. Here’s how to attend and get the most out of our Online Author Conference, and how to join in conversations with Sponsors and Speakers on the … [Read more...]
The Future of Books at the Fitzrovia Festival
A few weeks ago I took part in a panel discussion on the future of books at the Fitzrovia Festival in London. The event was hosted by Author in Residence at Virtual Futures, Stephen Oram, and included talks from writers of various disciplines. It was a very interesting evening and my thanks go to … [Read more...]
It’s Time for the Crouch End Festival!
It's here again! The Crouch End Festival, UK's largest community arts event, is now in its fifth year, and this, the 2016 festival will be bigger than ever. There's everything from open air cinema, live music, art, poetry, food and even a Latino Day when Crouch End goes all Latin. Check out the … [Read more...]
Advice for New Writers Part 7: Do I Need an Author Platform?
Whether you are a traditionally published author, an indie or something in between, the commonly accepted wisdom is that you need an author platform. But why? Why do you need to broadcast to the world about your writing? Why do you constantly need to post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, … [Read more...]
Book Review: The House of Fame by Oliver Harris
I've loved the North London police dramas written by Oliver Harris for a while, mainly because they are well-written, fast-paced, and star a hard-nosed, but fair-minded and gentle-hearted police detective, Nick Belsey. This third instalment in the Belsey crime thriller series sees our police … [Read more...]
5 Tips for Writing Historical Fiction by Clare Flynn
Clare Flynn is the author of A Greater World, Kurinji Flowers and Letters from a Patchwork Quilt. Clare's latest novel, The Green Ribbons, which is set in England in 1900 will be published in May 2016. But as luck would have it, today you can pre-order a copy of the new novel. (Tap here to order … [Read more...]
Turn Your Life Into Fiction
Do you want to tell your life story? Here are ten tips to turn your life into fiction. Truth and Fiction Doris Lessing wrote in one of her memoirs that we all re-write history and that therefore no autobiography can be an accurate account of events Yet during my MA in Creative writing some 10 … [Read more...]
Indie Author Fringe at the London Book Fair
I'm really pleased to be able to tell you about an online event happening in April. It's called Indie Author Fringe. Indie Author Fringe by Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), offers FREE ONLINE DAY CONFERENCES for authors interested in self-publishing. This means best self-publishing advice … [Read more...]
Three small changes
I’ve talked here a lot about my daily writing routine, and shared with you how waking up earlier in the morning is a great way to get more writing done. (Doh!) Buoyed by this experience, I decided to try out other changes to increase my motivation, and boost my energy during the working week. I … [Read more...]