Fiona's Blog
Writers – Don’t Be the Party Guest From Hell
Most writers understand that social media is like a party. And despite many of us preferring to skewer our eyeballs with our quill pens rather than attend one, in our…
The Mechanic, the Ferrari and Knowing What You’re Worth
The old mechanic looked up from under the hood of a Maserati 250F as a well dressed man got out of a tow truck and came into his workshop. “How…
Ruby and the Ghost Dog
I have finally finished my children’s novel Ruby and the Ghost Dog. It tells the story of a young girl, Ruby, who moves to Tuscany with her mother and is…
Drama Llama Press
My good friend Kathryn Bax and I have just launched Drama Llama Press, an indie publisher. We aim to produce high quality affordable books that inspire, entertain and inform. How…
Write Direction
HE WROTE THANK YOU AHHHHHH I LOVE HIM pic.twitter.com/GuV9UhwMKN — PLEASE HARRY ❤ (@blissfxlstyles) September 3, 2015 Now here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. Harry Styles, the long-maned…
How to Choose What to Write About When You Love Everything!
In writing, as with everything else, it pays to specialise. Rather than be “all things to all men”, be the one big fish in a niche group pond. When you…
Turning Tedium into Triumph
We all know the kind of thing. Mind-draining, soul-sapping routine jobs at work or at home. Your eyes start to glaze over at the very idea of writing 1500 wizardly words…
The Writer Automaton
Looking for some inspirational writing films on Google videos the other day I came across this short film. It features a writing automaton called The Writer created in the 1770s…
Anne Rice on Writing
When I need motivation or inspiration, I love listening to well-known writers talking about their craft and passing on their words of wisdom. In this short YouTube video, novelist Anne…
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Fiona and I’m a bookaholic. It started when I was a child and discovered the thrill of being transported to another place by a…
Spinning Yarns
As well as being a writer I am also a spinner, courtesy of the fibre obtained from my lovely herd of alpacas. I am aware of the many…
A Simple Powerful Productivity Tool
I have recently found myself with a ton of stuff to do – all kinds of writing work for clients, day-to-day chores, work on my other websites – you know…
The Art of Workbathing
I watched a wonderfully relaxing two-hour video the other day from faircompanies.com . Made by the inspiring Kirsten Dirksen (of Tiny House fame) and husband Nicolás Boullosa, it is an…
A Library With No Books?
I have always loved libraries, in fact, I have always had a weakness for anywhere that you can find books – antiquarian bookshops, charity paperback shelves, the lovely Deanery secondhand…
Review of A Career in Your Suitcase by Jo Parfitt and Colleen Reichrath-Smith
I approached this book, which comes in paperback and kindle format, with a degree of trepidation and a touch of cynicism. This is a topic I know a lot about,…