How do you research a place that no longer exists?
My WIP begins in a tiny Scottish coal mining village gone from existence some fifty years plus. A common enough story in Scotland. Mighty bings that once dominated the backdrop of such villages have all been removed and little remains as evidence of the hundreds of [...]

…the release of two new titles from Gilt Edge Publishing NZ.
The Barnyard Dance is a rhyming, rollicking yarn full of fun and brought vividly to life by Richard Hoit’s bright full colour images.
Cora and the Firestorm is the dramatic story of a lioness racing a firestorm to get back to her cubs. Superb illustrations by [...]

Passports… check
Tickets… check
Excitement… double and triple check (with so much brimming about.)
After months of planning, I’m all set to fly to Scotland to begin a research trip for my WIP – an historical novel. Without giving too much away, the story begins in a tiny mining village in Lanarkshire in the early nineteen hundreds before [...]

Batty has just been released by Blake Education in their exciting new Gigglers Blue series. Gigglers are short easy-to read stories full of fun and humour and very popular with kids of all reading levels.
Batty is my very own “vampire” book – only not scary, but funny. 
Q:Why didn’t the girl go out with the vampire?
A: Because he was [...]

Has been a long time coming…
And I’m THRILLED to finally say, I have one. So thrilled, I have to share.
I sort-of had my own room for quite a long time, but it was the dining room – an extension of the lounge. A lovely, bright and inspiring aspect to be sure, and a space I [...]

2010 – Wow!
Already the first month of the year has flown past and here we are in February. I have several projects on the go: a manuscript to redraft for a publisher; a short story tugging me towards completion; and my novel is only a breath or two away from a full first draft. (Well a few short chapters [...]