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It’s been a while – but, here’s why… Writing Some ideas refuse to go away. Elements for a story still haunt long after you’ve given up on them. So it was for me with a tale involving an Edwardian house with a Gothic tower, a greyhound called Gracie, and a girl who’s learned to stay away from nasty pricks. At long last, I’ve worked them into a novella and it’s a quite a relief not to have them in my head any more… what happens to them next is up to Choc Lit. I’ve also been working on the edits for Follow A Star ; pruning sub-plots, smoothing jumpy scene transitions and generally doing whatever it takes to make this the book I want it to be. I get emotionally involved with all my characters and really live their lives, but it’s been especially true for this novel so it’s been a surprisingly intense and exhausting few weeks.  I now have a short pause to get my breath back before the next round. Family Tom, on his first recovery ride after his Big Bike Ride, frightened the life ...

Early in December - strangely, around what would have been my dad's birthday -  after responding to a direct message on Twitter, I had an email from Pancreatic Cancer UK. ‘How would you feel,’ I was asked, ‘about getting your CanCan on for pancreatic cancer awareness?’ Pretty silly, I guess, was my initial reaction, but pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of all UK cancer deaths and survival rates have not improved in forty years - and I had a personal reason to get involved. Pancreatic cancer is known as the ‘silent’ killer because many of its symptoms reflect less serious illnesses meaning that by the time diagnosis is confirmed it’s often too late – which is what happened to my dad. Dad was troubled by the kind of vague back pain and general malaise most people dismiss as a virus and Dad – who once performed an eye-watering operation on himself with a Stanley knife - certainly wouldn’t have consulted a doctor about a ‘bug’. The day came, however, when Dad was fa...

Last December, we celebrated an important anniversary. It’s twenty-six years since Tom was diagnosed with testicular cancer, twenty-five years, really, after the surgery and follow-ups, of coming out the other side. Despite a glitch a few years ago, when the removal of what turned out to be an entirely harmless lump led to him being very seriously ill with an MRSA infection, Tom’s been well. To celebrate his survival and to commemorate the lives of family and friends who've been lost to cancer along the way, Tom decided to raise money for Cancer Research UK by cycling 50 miles from St David’s in Pembrokeshire and back along the coast here, to Sarnau, – a pretty, but punishing ride with some stunning views and horrendous hills. This is the story of his big bike ride. A perfect day at St David's The view from the support vehicle (aka The Biscuit Tin) 9.50 a.m. And he's off! First stop Goodwick, Fishguard Where The Support Driver sits in the sun ...

The Big Lorry - their motto, on the back, reads 'No.1 in No. 2s' On Christmas Day , Tom and I settle down to our scrumptious Swansea market pork. Mm, delicious, especially the lovely crackling… until, that is, I realise that some of the crunching noise has been caused by a back tooth breaking in half. Never mind, I think, on Boxing Day , I’ll go for a run. After heavy rain the roads are like rivers, even on the hills where I’m also pelted with so much hail that the front of my black running trousers turns white. It feels great to be out here; I run a pb and feel fabulously alive… until a searing pain in my butt makes every other step I take pure agony. Back home I do some internet research and discover something called Piriformis Syndrome . It doesn’t make for happy reading – I belatedly learn why it’s important to stretch before and after vigorous exercise. My younger stepson arrives for the New Year – lovely! We look forwards to eating, drinking and making merry… u...

Our Christmas plans, for various reasons, have been kept to a minimum meaning a last-minute trip to do some shopping. Swansea, some fifty miles away, is our nearest large shopping centre, but we especially like the wonderful indoor market there. We bought some lovely meat from the Gower Butcher... The fresh fish is superb from any of the fishmongers...   Anyone for cockles or laver bread? And two good loaves from Jan Evan's Bakery - properly made bread with bite, substance and flavour... This year’s had its difficult moments, but as we drove home through stormy weather I had plenty of time to reflect on how fortunate I am to have good food to eat, clean water to drink and a safe bed to sleep in. Wherever you are, however you’ll be spending the festive season, I wish you the same. And finally... Two writerly news items: The result of the Coastal Romance Christmas Blog Hop has just been announced.  Congratulations to the winner, Lis...

Here's a little something to help get you in the mood for Christmas.  My publishers, Choc Lit, are currently giving away twelve romantic stories for the festive season and today it's my turn with my beach hut inspired story, Present Perfect. Only another three stories to go, so get in quick!  Merry Christmas! 12 Christmas romances with discount codes for  House of Dorchester Chocolates . Simply email info@c hoc-lit.com with the subject heading XMAS TREAT! You can also add your Smartphone number and get a text each day telling you that your Xmas TREAT! has been sent - plus a link to read on line from your Smartphone. No ereader required.

‘Yesterday,’ reads the email , ‘we came up with the idea of the Twelve Days of Choc Lit Christmas.’ Then follows an invitation to get involved by writing a 500 word ‘Chrismassy and romantic’ short story. ASAP. This is what my dad would have called a ‘free’ job and, as a carpenter, he was never short of people offering him work without payment. Writers too, I’ve noticed, get a lot of free jobs which we tend to accept if there’s any chance at all of increasing our ‘discoverability’ (what a word). The fact is there are an awful lot of authors out there pushing an awful lot of books and a glance at my royalty statement, which also happens to come in this week, tells me I could do with increasing my discoverability quite a lot. It’s fortunate then that the rewards of writing, for me, are to do with that alchemy of creating something out of nothing; locations that seem real to me, characters I live with during the writing process and who often remain with me afterwards. The...