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…
Meet The Family: Gorgito
In a new series of monthly blog posts, Meet The Family, I’m going to release some of the back stories for my main characters. And this month, we’re meeting the man who started…
Now I’m Sixty-Four
It was my birthday at the weekend. I love birthdays; I love being spoiled; and I love surprises. When I’m asked what I want as a present, I always say…
Elizabeth Chats With…Janice Rosser
I met this month’s guest via her wonderful website for ‘Optimistic and ProActive Seniors’ or Oapschat. Of course, when I say met, I mean on the internet. Like many of the…
A Broad Abroad: Emails To The Big Chief (3)
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…
The End Of Summer?
How do we know when we are approaching the end of summer? Years ago, it used to be when the football season started – but that seems to have been…
Elizabeth Chats With…Anne Allen
I first met this month’s guest about five years ago when she took part in a book fair I was organising in Chudleigh. Like me, she’s moved around quite a bit,…
#Swanwick68: Day 7 (Friday)
The last day of the Writers’ Summer School is always a flurry of activity: early breakfast; goodbye hugs; waving the coach off to the station at 8:30; stripping the beds…
#Swanwick68: Day 6 (Thursday)
Thursday is the last day of the programme. The specialist courses finish in the morning; the last two-parters run until mid-afternoon. And then we start winding down, although it only…
#Swanwick68: Day 5 (Wednesday)
If you read my blog yesterday, you will remember me talking about writers procrastinating and said we always have clean ovens and kitchen floors. Cue a sardonic phone call from…
#Swanwick68: Day 4 (Tuesday)
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to oversleep on Tuesday morning, after three hard days’ work and an evening spent dancing in the Vinery. At least, I hope I…
#Swanwick68: Day 3 (Monday)
One of the innovations in the past couple of years has been the introduction of Virtual Swanwick. This is run via Facebook; hosted by long-time Swanwicker and former Chairman, Katy Clarke;…
#Swanwick68: Day 2 (Sunday)
I started the day by lifting my pen with Tarja, who urged us to find an issue of concern and visualise it as a pebble dropped into water. Three times we did…
#Swanwick68: Day 1 (Saturday)
From my position at the reception desk, it was great to see old friends and meet new (soon to be) friends as they arrived at The Hayes Conference Centre. The…
#Swanwick68: Day 0 (Friday)
Ode To Swanwick I’m bombarded by signs: Queue, caution! 40mph (chance would be a fine thing!) Congestion, slow down (how can you slow down from a full stop?) Congestion, use the…
Counterfeit! On Being Thankful
I’ve had a terrific week and have a lot to be thankful for. Last Tuesday Counterfeit! was published and we had an African-themed party in Chudleigh Parish Church where around 60…
Counterfeit! Launch Details
With less than 24 hours to go, I’m getting very excited about the launch of my new novel, Counterfeit!. The fizz is on ice, the cakes are ordered and the invitations have…
Counterfeit! Blog Tour
I have been taking part in a blog tour in celebration of the launch of my new novel, Counterfeit! Details of the various stops on the tour are shown below, with links…
Flashing For Free
Over the past year or so, I have been sending pieces of flash fiction to Bea Hutchings, who has broadcast them on her arts programmes on Riviera FM. Many of…
Working Together For Visibility
One of the biggest problems for authors today is that of visibility. The number of books published each year, or even each day, varies depending on whose statistics you read,…
Counterfeit! Available for Pre-order
Only one thing to say this week: Counterfeit! is available NOW for pre-order on Amazon. All orders will be delivered on launch day which is 19th July. Counterfeit! is the first in the…
Counterfeit! Update: Where’s The Time Gone?
One of the things I learnt when I published my first novel, Gorgito’s Ice Rink, was how quickly time passes. It took me 7 years from writing the opening line to…
A Broad Abroad; Emails To The Big Chief (2)
Back in 2007, when I first started this blog, I wrote a series of posts to my mother; electronic postcards that would get home much quicker than the real things,…
Whither Education?
I have always been proud of our education system and very grateful for the opportunities it gave me. Now, I know that as a ’50s baby, I was lucky to…
Taking the High Road: Then There Was 1
Today I am travelling from the north-west of Scotland to the south-west of England in a day. The tiny, two-carriage train pulls out of Mallaig at 6.03am precisely. I have…
Taking the High Road: Downtime & Scrabble
Even the busiest of trips needs some downtime. Today we all go our separate ways. I chill out, watch the ever-changing weather patterns over the islands, write a to-do list…
Taking the High Road: Parting of Ways
Today we reach the parting of ways as Sheila and Simeon head southwards for home after one final selfie. I am staying two more days and today my hosts offer…
Taking the High Road: Church and Crosswords
It’s Sunday – and the party splits: two sisters head off to the Catholic church and Simeon chills out at home, while I accompany Geoffrey to the Church of Scotland….
Taking the High Road: Islands & Sunset
Four of us (three sisters and one brother-in-law) decamp to the sea, taking the non-landing cruise around the ‘small’ islands. Small relative to Skye, that is. By any other standards,…
Taking the High Road: Snow & Photos
Our planned start at 6am doesn’t quite work out, but we are on the road well before 7. By the time we stop for breakfast two and a half hours…
Taking the High Road: Zombies & Hounds
[Today I begin another of my occasional series of daily travel posts. This time I am taking the high road to the Scottish Highlands for a family get-together.] I travelled…
Elizabeth Chats With…Frances Evesham
This month I am introducing another of the writers behind West of England Authors. She is a woman of mystery: by which I mean she writes in the mystery genre, both…
A Broad Abroad: Libraries Unlimited
My monthly travel slot usually takes us to Russia, Africa or Latin America. Well, this month I’m moving just 60 miles from home, to the north Devon town of Barnstable,…
I Am In Awe of ALLi
This week’s post is short and sweet: it’s an unashamed appreciation of ALLi (Alliance of Independent Authors) and the online conference they organised last Friday/Saturday as a fringe event associated…
Elizabeth Chats With…Jan Ellis
This month’s guest has travelled a path quite similar to my own. She is another northerner who has migrated to the south west, via a period of studying and living in…
Counterfeit! Update: Meet Kabwe
Kabwe Mazoka is the first person we meet in Counterfeit! He is Zambian, in his early thirties and following the death of his father, runs the family company, Mazokapharm, in Ndola, in…
A Broad Abroad: Emails To The Big Chief
[Back in 2007, when I first started this blog, I wrote a series of posts to my mother; electronic postcards that would get home much quicker than the real things,…
Rarely Black and White (Part II)
Last month I talked about my perceived wisdom being challenged by my first big project in Russia, where I found that problems, and their solutions, were rarely black and white. The same…
Elizabeth Chats With…Terri Nixon
This month I’m chatting with another Devon writer and founder member of West of England Authors. My guest is Plymouth-based Terri Nixon who is celebrating yet another publishing success this…
Counterfeit! Update: The Benefit of Beta Readers
Month 2 of my half year project to launch Counterfeit! saw the manuscript pushed out into a tiny part of the big wide world for the first time. My wonderful team of beta…
Generations of Thinking
Different generations often have difficulty understanding each other. My late Father used to say: when you’re a teenager, you are surprised at how little your parents know, or understand, about…
In Pharmaceuticals, Things Are Rarely Black And White
I spent a good part of my working life as an independent pharmaceuticals consultant, but I learned my trade working for manufacturing companies. The first two were based only in…
Sharing The Love Around…
As anyone who has walked past a florist, a sweet shop or a stationer can’t fail to have noticed, 14th February was St Valentine’s Day, traditionally dedicated to love and…
Elizabeth Chats With…Pamela Vass
This month, I’m chatting to another member of West of England Authors. Like me, she’s a ‘blow in’ from the South East, but she’s been here a long time and…
Twice As Revealing…
The manuscript for my second novel, Counterfeit! is with my beta readers at the moment, so I’m having a few weeks off from editing to concentrate on pre-publication promotion. And…
A Broad Abroad: Moving House
Today, my blog is moving house. I first started blogging back in December 2007. Many of my posts have been travel-related. Some of the earliest ones were a series called: Emails…
It’s About Time
After all the effort of getting ready for Christmas—an effort that we are encouraged by the shops to commence earlier each year—it’s sobering to think how quickly the holiday passed…
Elizabeth Chats With…Paul Toolan
One of the things I love about my adopted home in the South West of England is the large number of writers who live down here, and the level of…
SMART Self-Assessment
This time last year, I posted an article about SMART objectives, and listed those I was planning to achieve in the coming year. Getting ready to do a repeat performance…
A Broad Abroad: Christmas in Jordan
Early evening, I’m sitting in Amman airport. It’s Ramadan and the daily fast is about to end. All around me are women and children, still and silent as statues, apart…
Elizabeth Chats With…T A Williams
In the last few months, I have become part of a loose groups of writers called West of England Authors who are exploring ways of promoting ourselves and our books…
Time For A Change?
As the year draws to a close, many of us reflect on what we have achieved during the past twelve months and start planning for the future, This morning, I’m…
And Relax…
As we get older, it appears that time speeds up. I seem to start every Christmas letter (and yes, I do write one of those dreaded things, but it only…
A Broad Abroad: Home is Where The Heart Is
Not long after the Soviet Union collapsed, I was asked to visit Kabardino Balkarya to carry out a technical due dilligence on a funding bid. A local businessman was hoping…
There Are No Words…
…to describe what most people must have felt when the news broke of Friday’s atrocity in Paris. Angry, or distraught, or frightened, or belligerent, or heartbroken; they all seem terribly…
Elizabeth Chats With…Terry Tyler
Two months ago, I interviewed my wonderful proofreader, Julia Gibbs. Now I’d like to introduce you to the woman who first put me in touch with Julia—her sister. She is…
It’s All About Quantity
November is the month when hundreds of thousands of writers from all over the world challenge themselves to write fifty thousand words in just thirty days. It’s sometimes hard to…
A Broad Abroad: Victoria Falls
In the previous instalment of this occasional series based on a trip to 1990s Zimbabwe, we toured Hwange Game Park and saw the ‘big five’ animals – eventually. Now read…
A Novel Is Announced
Anyone who has read part 3 of my Business of Writing series, Improving Effectiveness, or indeed read Terry Tyler’s Z Files last week where I exposed my inner Virgo, knows…
Elizabeth Chats With…Bea Hutchings
I first met this month’s guest when she turned up at a meeting of our local writers’ circle. Then she emailed us to say she was looking for guests for…
The Sound of Music
This weekend reminded me just what a big part music plays in my life; and not just one particular genre, but a whole variety.I was driving into Exeter on Saturday for…
Chilling By The River
After three days of full-on treats, and rather more walking than we’d promised ourselves, today is a fairly unstructured day. We are meeting friends for lunch, but otherwise the day…
Serendipity Day
Today we have plans for the afternoon and evening, but leave the morning to look after itself, heading in the general direction of Covent Garden. For people who usually know…
Where Have All The Years Gone?
The main protagonist in my current work-in-progress, which is set in 2004, lives in Vauxhall and works out of an office in St Thomas’ Hospital. So we start our day…
Country Mice Go To The City
“Let’s promise ourselves we won’t walk our feet off this time,” says Michael as we pack our cases. I happily agree, knowing we will blissfully abandon our promise as soon…
A Broad Abroad: Why Do I Do This?
Before I ‘gave up the day job’ to write full-time, I spent many years travelling around Russia and the former Soviet Union countries. I had some wonderful experiences, met some…
Elizabeth Chats With…Julia Gibbs
Being a self-published author isn’t about doing everything yourself; it’s about taking responsibility for everything yourself—making sure you have the right team members in place to cover the parts you…
Read, Reflect, Review…
You know how sometimes a topic seems to crop up in lots of different places at the same time? Well for the past few days, everywhere I turn, I bump…
No Place For Bystanders
Anyone who’s read any of my books on business skills for writers, or sat in one of my workshops at Swanwick, knows I am a strong devotee of the spreadsheet….
A Broad Abroad: Leaving Ukraine
It is the end of a week’s training course in Kiev; Victoria and Lena are due to pick me up at noon for the short journey to the airport. I…
Busy Doing Nothing
Socrates said: Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Those Greeks knew a thing or two, didn’t they? When I don’t write – and there are far too many days…
Swanwick 2015: Only in Swanwick…
…would the Dregs Party include an ensemble of musicians howling along to Werewolves of Gateshead……would the School’s Chairman appear in green and white bloomers in our own version of Romeo…
Swanwick 2015: Keeping The Faith
Stephen King (Photo courtesy of “Pinguino”)Thought for the Day: Sitting in Simon Hall’s class on novel writing this morning, I heard the strongest reason for we writers to keep going, even…
Swanwick 2015: Quizzing and Busking
A superb quiz from Phil Collins last night, and if our team hadn’t tried to second guess the motives behind the final round, we’d probably have won, instead of coming…
Swanwick 2015: A Right Royal Performance
Picture courtesy of Katie WriteLast night’s guest speaker protested when she was introduced as ‘the Queen of short stories’ but we all agreed with Michael’s description. Della Galton took us…
Swanwick 2015: Elizabeth Chats With…
Humour, as always, plays a big part in the week. In our 4-part course on Novel Writing, Simon Hall keeps us laughing and groaning with his (hopefully deliberately) terrible jokes and puns….