Curtains

From February until September when, as you may remember, my publishers left me swinging in the breeze, I kept myself busy.  Ever one to try and improve the shining hour I organised my used plastic bags into size order, scrubbed the tile grouting in the bathroom and wrote a play. I used to write a…

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Carriage Paid

   Just a brief post.  Readers who claim my giveaways always offer to pay for postage, well-mannered gals that they are. I’d like them all to know that their continued efforts at spreading the word about my books is far, far more valuable to me than the price of a few stamps. Keep up the…

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Get One Free, Buy One

Roll up, roll up! Never to be repeated offer!  I’m giving away books. Again. My dear husband and I are moving house and a ruthless book cull is about to commence.  A copy, (signed or not, as you wish) of any of my backlist to the first takers. Just send me a message. If you’re…

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Taking Language Liberties

James Joyce is famous for the wonderful liberties he took with the English language but the longer I live in Ireland the more I believe it’s a national trait. Almost every exchange contains some delightful little quirk of syntax or grammar. ‘Will I give ye a refund?’ asks the lady at Customer Services. I don’t…

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Reviewing the Reviews

A couple of nice reviews in the past few days. The Daily Mail  –  a new novel by Laurie Graham always quickens the pulse and this one does not disappoint,  and the Sunday Times  –  the sheer panache with which Graham conjures up the era’s music halls is particularly appealing. All very gratifying. The Saturday…

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Let's Talk About Me

  This week the astonishing news that social media like Facebook and Instagram tempt people to make their lives seem more interesting than they truly are. Well Lordy, Lordy, who ever would have seen that coming? Ten years ago it was quite cutting edge for a writer to have a website. A surprising number still…

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A Pleasure Deferred

  Publication day, and a double at that!  The Night in Question is out today, as is the paperback edition of The Grand Duchess of Nowhere, and I’m on the wagon, dentist’s orders, until after tomorrow’s molar extraction. Never mind. The wait will make it  taste all the better. Uh-oh, I’m starting to sound like…

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The Career Adviser is In

So the decorators have finished. They’ve cleared away their ladders and buckets and left me with my lovely new Home Page. My website hit count will be up this week because I keep going to it myself, to admire the look of it. During my down-time I’ve been thinking a lot about what people sometimes…

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Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed

   Well here I am again. Thank you for all your messages and good wishes. A couple of weeks of enforced leisure  -if sitting under a fig tree getting water-pistolled by a grandchild counts as leisure   –  gave me time to scan this year’s accounts.  To date: six months of anxious unemployment; eight months…

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