For me, stories come from characters. Whilst I will often begin with the vaguest idea for a story, it will not begin to take its fullest shape until I have an understanding of the characters who inhabit it. Just like we change the world around us, simply by moving through it, the same is true for the … More
It’s January and that must mean that with a new year comes a new book. A fresh pukka pad. A healthy supply of pens (black, obviously). And an idea. People ask where I get my ideas from, as if us authors have access to some mysteriously hidden well of knowledge, curtained off from the rest of the general population. I don’t – unfortunately. But what I do have is a serious and untreated curiosity about the world around me. It is such a fascinating place. So many different stories unfolding all at the same time. As an author, my job is to take those in. To read them, to watch them, to see them unfold. And then, from within those stories, to find the nugget of an idea, the opening bars of the story I want to tell. … More In the beginning…
In honour of the dreadfulness that has been 2016, I have written an article on psychological resilience – or the art of bouncing back from a truly shocking year. https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/features/2016/dec/how-to-bounce-back-from-a-horrible-year/
I have a problem. It’s not a new problem. In fact, it’s one that’s been haunting me for the better part of this year. It is painful. I am suffering … More The lull
What a busy day for The Missing Hours, dropping into both Heat & Closer. Which is just ridiculously exciting!
There is a rhythm to my authorly life. There is the thrill of the new idea, the next book, the one which will write itself, which in its formation will give me unprecedented joy. Then comes the terror of the blank page, the empty document, that knot in the pit of my stomach, the question – what if this is the one that I simply cannot write? Then the slog, the focus and, if I’m lucky, the flow. … More The letting go
It is 2 days until The Missing Hours is released in its paperback form. I will confess that traditionally, these days have me all of a quiver, worrying about all of the usual things – reviews, sales, the possibility that I have forgotten something I really should be worrying about. And so here we are, 2 days out. Only this time, I am worried about none of these things. Instead I find myself preoccupied by what our world is and what it is becoming, what kind of life my children will know. … More Paperback release week
I’m not really a website kind of girl. My technical abilities pretty much peak with Twitter. And yet, here we are, and, I’ll be honest, I’m pretty excited about it. On this website, I will keep you updated on the latest news from the slightly odd world of authordom, post regular blogs about things I think are interesting, and I will share with you news from within the world of psychology. And, I promise, it’s a really interesting world. … More And so a website…
The Missing Hours centres around the activities of The Cole Group, a kidnap & ransom consultancy whose roles involves securing the release of those taken hostage for money. The K&R industry is an opaque world, and I often get asked if what I have written in The Missing Hours is true, or if it is rather … More Kidnap & Ransom: the facts
