#Swanwick70: Val’s In The Book Room
It all kicks off this evening with the Chairman’s Welcome in the Main Conference Hall. But before that, there will be lots of work in the background, getting things ready:…
#Swanwick70: Who’s In The Book Room?
For the next week, this blog is moving to Derbyshire, to the little town of Swanwick, for the annual Writers’ Summer School. And this year, it’s a biggie: our seventieth…
Elizabeth Chats With…Sue Moorcroft
My guest this month is a Sunday Times and international bestselling author who has reached the coveted #1 spot on Amazon Kindle. She’s won the Readers’ Best Romantic Novel award…
Nothing (New) To See Here…
It’s one of those rare months with five Mondays in it. And this morning I woke even earlier than usual (and anyone who knows me will realise just how early…
July’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. And what a beautiful month it’s been, here in the UK. We’re still basking in warm…
Seven Decades of Song (3)
Two months ago, I began Seven Decades of Song, a series of reflections of music through the years with a walk through the 1950s, and last month we visited my…
Elizabeth Chats With…Jenny Kane
I’d heard quite a lot about this month’s guest before I met her. Jenny Kane’s well-known both as an author and as a writing tutor here in the south-west of…
Snapshots of Russia: Chelyabinsk
Between 1989 and 2012, I worked in the international pharmaceutical industry (yes, the sometimes murky world in which my thrillers are set). During that time, I travelled all over the…
June’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. I’ve had the benefit of a wonderful break in Greece this month, which has really recharged…
Seven Decades of Song (2)
Last month, I began Seven Decades of Song, a new series of reflections of music through the years with a walk down the 1950s memory lane, listening to request programmes on the…
Elizabeth Chats With…Anne Williams
Once again, this month, I’m talking to someone who’s a very important part of the literary scene and, although not an author herself, the words she writes on her award-winning…
Snapshots of Russia: Vladivostok
Between 1989 and 2012, I worked in the international pharmaceutical industry (yes, the sometimes murky world in which my thrillers are set). During that time, I travelled all over the…
May’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. For the second time this month, we have a Bank Holiday here in the UK. And…
Seven Decades of Song (1)
Today, I start a new monthly series of reflections. Having spent the past seven months taking a journey through my literary past, we’re now moving on to music, or more…
Elizabeth Chats With…Ian Hobbs
My guest this month isn’t a writer; he’s much more important than that! He’s a reader. And not just any reader, but one of the fiercest supporters of reading, books…
April’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. Another month gone already! And this morning, I had my first swim of the year in…
Seven Ages of Books (7)
In the first part of this series on Seven Ages of Books, we looked at the books and authors that influenced my very early years. In the second part, we moved forward into…
Elizabeth Chats With…Celia Moore
Today’s guest has been on my blog before. Last November, I hosted one stage of Celia Moore’s blog tour when she launched her debut novel. At that time, she was…
Snapshots of Russia: Kursk
Between 1989 and 2012, I worked in the international pharmaceutical industry (yes, the sometimes murky world in which my thrillers are set). During that time, I travelled all over the…
March’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. It only seems like a couple of days since I wrote last month’s copy. But if,…
Seven Ages of Books (6)
In the first part of this series on Seven Ages of Books, we looked at the books and authors that influenced my very early years. In the second part, we…
Elizabeth Chats With…Shelley Wilson
I don’t remember when fellow-Midlander Shelley Wilson and I first ‘met’ online. It must have been in one writerly Facebook group or another. But I remember exactly when we first…
Snapshots of Russia: Kostroma
Between 1989 and 2012, I worked in the international pharmaceutical industry (yes, the sometimes murky world in which my thrillers are set). During that time, I travelled all over the…
February’s Pot Luck Club
Welcome to this month’s Pot Luck Club, a round-up of writerly bits and pieces. The end of winter means different things to different people. And for those of you who…
Seven Ages of Books (5)
In the first part of this series, we went all the way back to my first decade and looked at the books and authors that influenced my very early years. In the second…
Elizabeth Chats With…Wayne Snowden
I first met this month’s guest via a writers’ Facebook group when he provided one of the prizes in my book-launch draw.. When we realised we lived within 10 miles…
An Edinburgh Setting by Val Penny
This week, I’m handing over my blog to fellow Swanwicker and debut novelist Val Penny. In the week that Hunter’s Chase is launched, she’s going to tell us a bit about…
Travels with a Reluctant Holidaymaker: Days 5-10
By the fifth day of the holiday, my resolution to write lots of notes, which can be turned into an amusing series of blog posts, has deteriorated and for the…
Travels with a Reluctant Holidaymaker: Day 4
This morning I wake late and it is already daylight. No pre-dawn scribbling marathon for me today. I get a few words drafted, but that’s all. For some reason, I…
Travels with a Reluctant Holidaymaker: Day 3
Like most people, I come out of the excesses that are the Christmas period with lots of good intentions. I don’t call them resolutions; resolutions can be broken far too…
Travels with a Reluctant Holidaymaker: Day 2
With a flight at six thirty, it’s going to be an early start and we are both wide awake from three. We abandon any attempt to sleep and are ready…
Travels With A Reluctant Holidaymaker: Day 1
We’ve been away at Christmas several times: to Majorca,to Fuerteventura, to Egypt, even once to Jordan during Ramadam – possibly the best overseas Christmas we ever had. But this is…
Seven Ages Of Books (4)
In the first part of this series, we went all the way back to my first decade and looked at the books and authors that influenced my very early years. In the second…
Elizabeth Chats With…Carolyn Hughes
One of the things I love about this life I have chosen is the huge community of writers out there, and the serendipitous nature of the contacts we make. I…
Same Time, Same Place
“Same time, same place, next year?” Those were the words I wrote on 2nd January 2017 when I prepared my last annual writerly review and listed my objectives for the…
Seven Ages of Books (3)
In the first part of this series, we went all the way back to my first decade and looked at the books and authors that influenced my very early years….
Elizabeth Chats With…Voinks
My guest this month is writer and author Val Portelli, who writes under the pen name Voinks, a nickname used by her family and friends for many years. She has…
Snapshots of Russia: St Petersburg
Between 1989 and 2012, I worked in the international pharmaceutical industry (yes, the sometimes murky world in which my thrillers are set). During that time, I travelled tall over the…
November’s Pot Luck Club
As we come to the end of the month, I bring you another helping from the Pot Luck Club; a round-up of my writerly activities over the past few weeks…
Seven Ages of Books (2)
Last month, in the first part of this series, we went all the way back to my first decade and looked at the books and authors that influenced my very…
My Writing Journey by Celia Moore
I am delighted to be part Celia Moore’s blog tour, marking the launch of her debut novel Fox Halt Farm. Welcome, Celia, and the stage is all yours:
Elizabeth Chats With…Tracey Sinclair
My guest this month has two distinct sides to her writerly life. As a legal directories specialist and professional copywriter and editor, her clients include national, City, international and offshore…
Snapshots of Russia: Moscow
Between 1989 and 2012, I worked in the international pharmaceutical industry (yes, the sometimes murky world in which my thrillers are set). During that time, I travelled to more than…
October’s Pot Luck Club
Once again, we have five Mondays in the month, so today, I bring to you a round-up of what’s going on in my writerly world at the moment, including a…
Seven Ages of Books (1)
In my last series of posts, Music and Me, I talked about the different types of music that have been a big part of my life over the years. In this…
Elizabeth Chats With…Amanda James
My guest this month is an author from the South West of England. Well, actually, she’s from Sheffield originally, but she now lives in Cornwall and, as you can see…
Simple Ideas to Visualise Your Dreams
This week, I am proud to be playing host to Shelley Wilson on the latest stage of the blog tour to launch her new book: How I Motivated Myself To…
Music and Me (7)
Today we come to the end of this meander through my musical influences. In part 1 of Music and Me, I wrote about how my love of music came from my parents. In part 2,…
Elizabeth Chats With…Terri Nixon
Memory can be a fickle friend at times. I plan these interviews several months ahead of time and earlier this year, I was chatting to this month’s guest at a…
Elizabeth Chats With…Georgia Rose
My interviews normally only appear once a month, but I’m happy to make an exception for a special occasion. And this week’s guest has one such occasion coming up next…
It’s A Bit Late But…
Okay, so I know it’s Tuesday in the UK, and my blog comes out on Monday; but it must still be Monday somewhere in the world? So I’m going to…
Elizabeth Chats With…Maggy Whitehouse
I met this month’s guest when she was the headline act at last year’s Live At The Chudleigh Apollo. She is a Minister, a stand-up comedian, author of For The Love of…
#Swanwick69: Friday
And in the blink of an eye, it was gone. Like the shooting stars of last weekend, the Writers’ Summer School at Swanwick flashed into view, shone brightly and then…
#Swanwick69: Thursday
Today is the last full day of the Writers’ Summer School at Swanwick. The last few courses; the AGM; the Dregs Party and the Farewell in the evening. I’m going…
#Swanwick69: Wednesday
Wednesday and we are back to the normal programme. So every hour is timetabled for one topic or another. No relaxing today. And it’s also the last day that the…
#Swanwick69: Tuesday
Tuesday is the mid-point of the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School (what, already? It can’t be!) and the day when the main programme is temporarily halted, to allow delegates to take…
#Swanwick69: Monday
Another full day here at The Hayes. But for once, I am writing this late afternoon, rather than last thing at night, or even after midnight. And the reason for…
#Swanwick69: Sunday
The first full day at Swanwick, day 2 on the programme, is always a bit of a culture shock as the courses all kick off and the hard work begins….
#Swanwick69: Saturday
As it says in my Christmas letters every year: I can’t believe how quickly the past year has gone. It seems no time at all since we were all heading…
Music and Me (6)
We are nearly at the end of my musical tour. In part 1 of Music and Me, I wrote about how my love of music came from my parents. In part 2, I talked mainly…
July’s Pot Luck Club
So for the second time in three months, we have five Mondays in the month. So, I offer you another helping from the Pot luck Club. This time, I’m going…
Meet The Family: Wilberforce ‘WB’ Businge
Back in November, I introduced you to Suzanne, the first of three strong women who feature in the Suzanne Jones series of thrillers. In April, we met the second of the trio, her…
Elizabeth Reads…Old Mythology and New
After last month reviewing two books by the same author, Kate Atkinson, I now return to pairs of authors connected by theme or genre. And this month, I’m talking about two…
Elizabeth Chats With…Teresa Driscoll
I first met this month’s guest over the lunch table at an RNA Exeter get-together. Then I had the pleasure of chairing a panel discussion at Plymouth Literary Festival in…
Music and Me (5)
So far, this tour through my musical memories has concentrated on other people making music.In part 1 of Music and Me, I wrote about how my love of music came from…
Meet The Family: Chibesa
Back in November, I introduced you to Suzanne, the first of three strong women who feature in the Suzanne Jones series of thrillers. In April, we met the second of the trio,…
Elizabeth Reads…Books By Kate Atkinson
In previous months, my reviews have covered pairs of books by different authors, but with a common theme, such as books about murder or books that made me smile. This…
Elizabeth Chats With…Rebecca Bradley
My guest this month expresses a willingness to survive on a diet of tea and cake while committing murder on a regular basis; in fact the tagline on her website…
Getting Grilled by Deano
I’m deep into what I hope will be the final round of edits for Deception! which is due to be published later this summer. So I’m delighted to let someone else do…
Pot Luck Club
I write my blog (nearly) every week, on a Monday. Being a structured person, I work to a fixed monthly pattern which changes occasionally, but is currently: week 1, Music and…
Meet The Family: Francine
Back in November, I introduced you to Suzanne, the first of three strong women who feature in the Suzanne Jones series of thrillers. Last month, we met the second of the trio,…
Elizabeth Reads…Books About Murder
This month I am reviewing two books about murder. The first brings an old friend back to life, albeit from a new pen. And the second is a sort of…
Elizabeth Chats With…Gordon Sparks
Gordon Sparks is the Breakfast Show presenter on BBC Radio Devon; his face and voice are very well known in the South West of England. When I first met him, he…
Music and Me (4)
In part 1 of Music and Me, an occasional series of memoirs based on the music that has influenced me, I wrote about how my love of music came from my…
Meet The Family: Charlie
Back in November, I introduced you to Suzanne, the first of three strong women who feature in the Suzanne Jones series of thrillers. This month, we meet the second of the trio,…
Elizabeth Reads…Books That Made Me Smile
This month, I’m reviewing two books that made me smile and, in one case, laugh out loud. Two great reads, and I gave both of them 5 stars. One of…
Elizabeth Chats With…Bridget Holding
I met Bridget Holding through our mutual links with Swanwick Writers’ Summer School and, as someone with a science background and a very ordered approach to life and living, I found…
Music and Me (3)
In part 1 of Music and Me, an occasional series of memoirs based on the music that has influenced me, I wrote about how my love of music came from my…
Music and Me (2)
A few weeks ago, I posted the first in an occasional series of memoirs based on the music that has influenced me. In part 1, I wrote about how my love…
Unpicking The Knitting
I’ve had a bit of a trying time lately. Two projects, one knitting and one writing, both of which I hoped I’d finished, hit major snags and had to be rethought…
Elizabeth Reads…Tales From The Scottish Highlands
This week I’m starting a new monthly feature called Elizabeth Reads… Back at the start of last year, I made a promise to myself and the rest of the writerly…
Elizabeth Chats with Elizabeth M Hurst
This month’s guest is a friend and fellow Swanwicker. We have shared writers’ summer schools in Derbyshire on a couple of occasions and her performances at the fancy dress disco have been…
A Broad Abroad: Emails to the Big Chief (8)
Back in 2007, when I first started this blog, I wrote a series of posts to my mother; electronic postcards based on a trip to Russia, that would hopefully get…
Music and Me (1)
Trying to pick the theme for a new series of blogs, I did a word association exercise with my husband, Michael, starting with ‘kindness’ and ending fifty words later at…
It Can’t Be Monday Already!
There I was, sitting down to relax after a hard day’s editing, interspersed with cooking and eating dinner, plus the daily treat that is Pointless, when I suddenly thought: What day is it?…
A Broad Abroad: Emails to the Big Chief (7)
Back in 2007, when I first started this blog, I wrote a series of posts to my mother; electronic postcards based on a trip to Russia, that would hopefully get…
Elizabeth Chats With…Victoria Cornwall
Victoria Cornwall is having a busy time of it this month. Last week her debut novel was published and she’s been indulging in a heady round of interviews ever since, so…
Here We Go Again!
‘Here we go again!’ I thought. I’d been sitting at my desk wondering what I should write in the first blog of the New Year. Maybe a comment on the…
Taking A Break…
No more posts from me; I’m taking a break over the next couple of weeks to celebrate the end of one year and the start of another. Thank you to…
Elizabeth Chats With…Lin Treadgold
My guest this month is fellow writer, Lin Treadgold, who has recently moved back to the UK after living in The Netherlands for the last fifteen years. Her husband retired…
A Broad Abroad: Emails to the Big Chief (6)
Back in 2007, when I first started this blog, I wrote a series of posts to my mother; electronic postcards based on a trip to Russia, that would hopefully get…
Meet The Family: Suzanne
In the past two months, Meet The Family has featured Gorgito and Emma, the main protagonists in my prize-winning debut novel Gorgito’s Ice Rink. We will return to meet other characters from that novel next year….
Can The Story Override Reality?
I’ve had some interesting discussions lately about how much reality there needs to be in fiction.
Elizabeth Chats With…Su Bristow
My guest this month is Su Bristow, fellow Devonian writer and current Chair of Exeter Writers. She was the first winner of the Exeter Novel Prize, back in 2013, and…
A Broad Abroad: Emails to the Big Chief (5)
Back in 2007, when I first started this blog, I wrote a series of posts to my mother; electronic postcards based on a trip to Russia, that would hopefully get…
Two Months Gone Already
Two months ago, I wrote a post about the end of summer being the start of my writing year and laying out my aims for the year: a year for…
Meet The Family: Emma
In last month’s Meet The Family, we met Gorgito, the eponymous hero of my prize-winning debut novel Gorgito’s Ice Rink. Today, I want to introduce you to Emma, the English woman who helps him achieve…
Mr President, I Apologise
Like many people who believe they are right, even when they are wrong, it is rare that I apologise. And even rarer for me to do it in public. But…
Elizabeth Chats With…Veronica Bright
I first met this month’s guest, Veronica Bright, at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School a few years back and our paths kept crossing at writerly events from then on. She writes…
A Broad Abroad: Emails to the Big Chief (4)
Back in 2007, when I first started this blog, I wrote a series of posts to my mother; electronic postcards based on a trip to Russia, that would hopefully get…