Yearly Archives: 2017

How Do You Choose The Next Book To Read?

I love bookshops and libraries. I can spend hours looking at the different books, wondering which one to buy or borrow. But how do you make your choice when there are so many on offer? Do you go straight to the section that has your favourite author? Do you look at books that are aimed […]

Read More

Channelling your inner armadillo…

When I first started writing, I had no idea what being an author in this day and age actually meant. I thought I could hide away in a writing shed at the bottom of my garden (not that I have one!) and create exciting fantastical stories. Every so often I would emerge into the real world […]

Read More

Show Not Tell

I thought I would share a writing tip with you today about SHOW NOT TELL. Have you ever heard of that phrase? It’s when writers show their character’s emotions rather than tell them. It makes the story far more enticing, giving the reader a chance to share in the same feelings. This can be done […]

Read More

Writing a Great First Page

On a recent school visit, a child said they really liked my first page of Cat Burglar (and the rest of the book – phew!). And they asked me what I thought made a great beginning to a story. This was such a brilliant question, and so I decided to share with you my own […]

Read More

An Explosion of Inspiration

Where does your inspiration come from? This is the most popular question I get asked when I visit schools. Actually that’s not true. The most popular question is this: Where did you get your night vision goggles and grappling hooks from? Just to explain, I turn up at schools dressed as a cat burglar. Please […]

Read More

Characters Coming Alive With Great Dialogue

Characters can come alive with great dialogue. They can jump off the page, surprise you, make you laugh or make you cry. And it’s so much fun to write. Through what your characters say, their personalities shine through. Let me show you what I mean. Imagine a teacher asking the class if they have done […]

Read More