Walk south along St Nicholas’ Street in Newcastle and you’ll spot a medieval building on your left. Surrounded by the behemoth of Milburn House and the engineering of the railway arches, it seems out of place. But the Black Gate once stood as the entrance to the formidable Castle Keep. This 13th-century barbican repelled invaders […]
What books did I get for Christmas?
I’m not normally a fan of showing off what I got for Christmas. But this is a blog by a writer, and a book-loving writer at that. So it seemed fair enough to show off the books I got for Christmas in 2016! The links are affiliate links but any money generated goes to pay for my […]
Should you buy Accused: British Witches Throughout History?
Should you buy Accused: British Witches Throughout History? In a short word, yes. But that wouldn’t be much of a review if we left it at that, would it? Written by #FolkloreThursday‘s own Willow Winsham, Accused examines the stories of 11 British witches. Winsham starts in Ireland in 1324, while our final witch is as recent as 1944! […]
How to choose locations to boost your story!
Knowing how to choose locations is the easiest way to ensure the success of your world-building. After all, writers often spend a great deal of their time concentrating on developing authentic dialogue. They need fleshed out, 3-dimensional characters. And they spend hours creating a coherent plot, contained within a sensible structure. But what about setting and location? […]
Give a gift from the Blind Date Book Company!
Not sure what to buy the book lover in your life? Might I suggest a gift box from the Blind Date Book Company? I was very lucky to win one of their gift boxes (so this post isn’t sponsored or affiliated, it’s just a grateful review). But with Christmas coming up, I thought I’d point […]
9 important tasks to make a living with your writing
It’s only natural to want to make a living with your writing. But it’s also incredibly difficult! After all, you’ll be competing with thousands of other authors. And with readers trained to expect books for free, you might think it’s an uphill struggle. But writers like JF Penn prove that it is possible. I went to her workshop […]
