VAL PENNY

I am pleased to be able to welcome author and poet, Anita D. Hunt to the blog today to discuss her love of the written word and her new collection of poetry, Moods Swings. Thanks for inviting me to your blog today, Val. As you know, I am a published novelist and short story writer, my prose has been enjoyed by many over the years, but people are often surprised when I mention that I’m also a poet. They’re even more surprised when I tell them the poetry came first. I’ve always

My new book, Murder at Landsmuir was originally entitled Hunter's Blood. It is different to all the other books I have written so far in that one of the sub-plots is loosely based on a true story. Let me tell you about that. The story begins shortly after the formation of Police Scotland. Prior to that there were eight regional police forces, now there is only one. The merger was intended to streamline procedures and reduce costs. For examole there is now only one Chief Const

Every form of writing poses different challenges from repetition and wandering off topic in novels to rhythm or rhyme in poetry or the word count of flash fiction. Flash fiction has always been a mystery to me and that is why I am so pleased to have an expert of the genre on the blog today to discuss the different formats available to proponents of this style of writing. A warm welcome to my friend and fellow author, Allison Symes. Thank you for your time today, Allison becau

There are thousands of books published every day on Amazon alone. Some are traditionally published, others self published. Some get noticed by readers but many fail to attract an audience even if they are given away for free. How do you make sure that your book is one that is noticed? How can you get it before readers and secure and audience? I remember some years ago discussing this very topic with Benita Cullingford of the Society of Women Writers and Journalists. Her answe

It is my great pleasure to welcome fellow author Cassidy Reyne back to the blog today. We will both be attending Authors in Wonderland in Nottingham on 25th July and hope to see you there. Here she gives her insights into the public attitude to romance novels. Thank you for your time today, Cassidy. What is it that irritates you about the general perception towards the romance genre? Well, Val, long before I became a writer, I was already aware of something that’s been the su

I am excited to be able to tell you about my novel, Murder in the New Town, published by Joffe Books which will be available to buy soon. It is set in 2013 shortly after Police Scotland was created. Prior to that, the police force in Scotland was divided into eight regional forces. Indeed, Hunter's nemesis, Sir Peter Myerscough, was a former Chief Constable of the Lothian and Borders Police Force. When Police Scotland was created there was only onle Chief Constable for the wh

This is an exciting time for me. I moved publishers to Joffe Books at the end of last year and am thrilled that the company is re-publishing my back catelogue of DI Hunter Wilson novels as well as having commissioned new books. It is a delight to be able to share my stories with new readers. The third book in the series, Murder in the New Town, is set in Edinburgh and finds Hunter and his team investigating a crime rather closer to home than usual because Hunter's son Cameron

I am pleased to welcome Martin Knights to the blog today to dicuss his love of the horror genre. Martin is an attending author at Authors in Wonderland the amazing book event taking place in Nottingham in July and run by the delightful Annalee Adams. Thank you for your time today, Martin and for explaining why the genre of horror is so appealing to you. Thanks for inviting me onto you blog today, Val. It’s taken me a long time to realise it, but I'm actually a horror fan. Bel

I am delighted that Murder in Gilmerton has been published by Joffe Books and this allows me to share more of my stories with readers. Readers are the life-blood of the book industry - without them, it doesn't exist! So today, let me share a short extract from Murder in Edinburgh with you. I hope you enjoy this and will be tempted to delve further into the story of this mystery to be solved by DI Hunter Wilson and his team. The Extract DI Hunter Wilson and DC Tim Myerscough p

It is lovely to welcome author Marsali Taylor back to the blog to discuss her writing and, particularly, her new book Death in a Shetland Family. I am grateful to Lynsey Adams of Reading Between the Lines for including me in the tour to help launch this book. Thank you for taking time to chat with me today, Marsali. I know how busy you must be when you have a new book to promote' Thank you for having me back to you blog Val, It is always nice to chat with you, especially abou

My novel, Murder in Edinburgh, was published by Joffe Books on 13th May. In case you haven't read it yet I wanted to share a little bit of it with you, to entice you into DI Hunter's World. In this scene, local villain Jamie Thomson is keeping up the family busines of theft and burglary while his father is in prison for robbing a bank. Jamie Thomson swaggered along one of the tree-lined streets in the wealthy Edinburgh suburb of Morningside. To him, the capital of Scotland wa

I welcome romance author Eve L. Mitchell to the blog today to discuss her writing and books as she gets ready to attend Authors in Wonderland at the Eastwood Hall Hotel in Eastwood near Nottingham In July. Welcome, Eve. Thank you for your time today. Thanks for having me on your blog today, Val. I didn't plan to become a romance author. I mean — I planned it the way most of us do, desperately wanting it and having absolutely no idea how to make it happen. Seven years ago, I h

Shana is one of the authors attending Authors Invade Glasgow at the Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel in Clydebank near Glasgow on 27th June 2026, so I am delighted that she has agreed to share with us today her thoughts on Scotland's largest city and her books set there. Thank you for your time Shana. Thank you for inviting me to your blog today, Val. As you know, Glasgow is not a ‘romantic’ city. It lends itself better to superhero movies and murder mysteries. And yet, when i

I suppose your first book is a bit like your first child, a thing of awe and wonder and you never really understand how you got it into the world. My first novel, which had the working title of Sins of the Fathers. The general idea came from that bible where the idea is repeated several times, but the most memorable to me comes in the Old Testament Book of Numbers verses 14-18 where it says: ‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and tr

It is my great pleasure to welcome author Jax Knight to the blog today. Jax, like me, is an attendiing author at Authors Invade Scotland taking place at the Golden Jubilee Hotel, Beardmore Street, Dumbarton, Clydebank on 27th June 2026. Welcome to the blog today, Jax and thank you for your time. Jax Knight, like many of us, has led an interesting life. And now, she puts her experiences living abroad and working as a drama teacher, actor, and police officer (both on and off s

Let me preface this article by staing the obvious! Agents are individuals and their opinion is just one opinion. (Although I appreciate that when you've been on the receiving end of several rejections, it may not feel that way.) Also bear in mind that because they are indiviauals different agents will be attracted by different aspects of your pitch. A visual person might be attracted to a mood board, while others may find a list of tropes or themes helpful. There is an elemen

Some years ago, my family was sent into shock. I was diagnosed with breast cancer, could no longer undertake my job as a university lecturer and was really very ill. I had recently moved across the country and didn't know many people in the area. Now added to that, during chemotherapy and radiotherapy my immune system was compromised so I couldn't get out to meet people either. This was a challenging time not only for me, but for the whole family. Normally my pleasures includ

When I worked in the real world, long before I was an author, I met many people from different backgrounds and each had a name. There was the lady who had married twice - her maiden surname was Robertson as was the surname of both her husbands, so she was Mrs Robertson or Robertson or Robertson. There were the people who made up what I called my dark rainbow, Mrs Brown, Miss Gray, Mr Black, Dr Green and Dr Orange and the fun names, Mrs Bird, Miss Snowball and Dr Bean. Then I

I have now finished the manuscript of the next DI Hunter Thriller. I wanted to treat you all to a short excerpt from near the beginning of the book. Please let me know if you enjoy it. The Extract Chapter one “The festival is here again. I love this time of year. The city is so busy and vibrant,” Hunter smiled at Meera. “Edinburgh is such a beautiful city, isn’t it?” “It is. But what we call The Festival is really several different festivals of the arts. The ori

Inexperienced authors have often asked me if they need beta readers, where to find beta readers or even what beta readers are, so let me try to explain what they are, where to find them and why they are important. Beta readers are those to whom you entrust your manuscript after you have finished with it, but before you send it to your editor for polishing. They are a vital part of your book's journey to publication and must be familiar with your genre, fluent in the language