Where do you like to read? Or are you one of those people who can dip into a book anywhere? The thought was inspired by the photo that accompanies this piece. It’s taken by my good pal Jill Reidy of redsnapperphotography.co.uk and is of a woman peacefully reading her well-thumbed paperback while all around her […]
I love reviewing and I’ve done it for many years, handing out my considered opinions on everything from trips to Disneyland Florida to television shows. Through it all, I always enjoyed book reviewing, and I was thrilled when I was invited to write for CrimeFictionLover.com Finally, I’d found my people! I’ve now been with the […]
I’ve just returned from a jam-packed and exciting visit to New York City. It’s a place that’s close to my heart and when I’m there I always hear a soundtrack of New Yorky songs running through my head. For this visit I even came up with a playlist! But a trip to New York also […]
It’s wet and windy and suddenly Spring seems a long, long way away. So here’s a little fun for Hump Day. Anyone else think the music should be The William Tell Overture? Carriage, return!
Where do you get your love of reading from? At the end of last year, a good friend died. Dorothy and I had connected through books and over the years we’d shared, swapped and dissected a whole raft of genres. Her husband Terry was an occasional reader and all of us had our little ways […]
Welcome, 2019! Another 12 months of opportunity lies before us – what does the future have in store? My crystal ball is at the repair shop, I’m afraid but I’m hoping for more great books, both to read and review and to work on in a professional capacity. If your new year’s resolution is to […]
“You say to-may-to and I say to-mah-to” may be dismissed as a light-hearted line from the song Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off (written by George and Ira Gershwin for the film Shall We Dance, since you asked), but it makes a serious point for writers. How does your character speak? Are they quietly spoken […]
Just recently, I’ve been giving some thought to my previous writing and I thought it would be good to share some of it with you all. So, here’s the first in an occasional series looking back at articles I’ve written. Enjoy! Criminal Records: On a Crime Fiction Soundtrack
What does a proofreader do and why do you need to use one? My work begins when the editor has had his or her say and the manuscript is almost ready to be sent out into the wild. I’ll be looking for the following things: Spelling mistakes Typos Punctuation errors Grammatical errors Missing or duplicate words Tautology Incorrect […]
Are you prone to pet words or phrases? In every manuscript I’ve worked on, I’ve invariably found some word or phrase that’s overused by the writer. And, like a verbal tic, they probably didn’t even realise they were doing it! At the end of every proofread or edit, I create a report to send to […]
