Guys, I am over the moon*! My book Temptation was selected by Stella at Ex Libris as one of the best books of 2013! She’s featuring each book during the month of December and today she’s featuring mine! I wrote a guest blog post about my favourite holiday, and nope, it’s not Christmas (although that […] Read more…
NaNoWriMo is working for me despite my lousy word count
I bet you’re wondering why I’ve been so silent here (actually, I’d put money on the fact that that thought hasn’t even crossed your mind!). It’s because I’m trying to participate in NaNoWriMo, or, as it’s know in complete English, National Novel Writing Month. I’ve signed up for the event in past years, but I […] Read more…
Happy Halloween!
“Is it Halloween yet? Do I need to do some tricks to get some treats? Because, you know, I can do that.” Read more…
A Room of One’s Own: Visiting Virginia Woolf’s Home in Sussex
When I learned that Virginia Woolf’s home, Monk’s House, was not that far from here (about 80 miles) and was open to the public (it’s a National Trust property) I wondered how I’d not known that before. I’m pretty much a National Trust junkie, and I particularly love seeing the smaller NT properties, especially ones […] Read more…
When I’m not here I’m probably at a better blog
I haven’t just been admiring flowers and old furniture these past few months. I’ve been guest blogging at several blogs around the big internets! My official blog tour ended in the Spring, but I did make more blog stops after that. I just wanted to link to them here, in case you’re bored with all […] Read more…
The Living Chair Museum in High Wycombe
ProTip: It’s best to do research BEFORE you write your book. But in my case, almost a year after I handed in final edits to my editor, I discovered the perfect research location right in, well, almost my back yard (keeping in mind that in England, we don’t do “yards”). Yesterday a friend and I […] Read more…
Characters just want to be liked!
Apparently there’s another round of chick-lit wars raging, if this Salon article, “What’s the difference between ‘chick’lit’ and literary fiction?,” is any hint. Some authors embrace the term “chick-lit,” some authors, like Adelle Waldman, run from the label as if they’re being chased by lions on the Serengeti. I couldn’t care less what an author […] Read more…
Lavender Fields Forever
I know, you probably think all I do is go around looking at flowers. You’d be half right: I do spent a inordinate amount of time in spring and summer just looking at flowers. I blame English gardeners, starting with Capability Brown. There really is something special about the hither-thither-ness, the riot of color and […] Read more…
Rodmarton Manor, an Arts & Crafts Manor House in the Cotswolds
When I was researching Arts & Crafts furniture for Temptation, I came across the website for Rodmarton Manor in Gloucestershire, near Tetbury. It’s a home built in the early 20th century by a follower of William Morris, who really established the Arts & Crafts movement in England toward the end of the 19th century. Here’s […] Read more…
How To Use Social Media if You’re A Newbie. Or a Guy.
I just watched a webinar with tech guru Guy Kawasaki, How to Use Social Media to Sell More Books. Catchy title, no? If you don’t know who Guy Kawasaki is, you’re probably one of a handful of people who’ve been living under a rock since the Macintosh was invented. Welcome to the internets, newbie! And […] Read more…