VAL PENNY

Today I welcome debut author Arthur Thomas Lee to the blog and he shares news about his new book, Thin Places. Welcome Arthur. The Blurb between the lines on any stranger’s face, countless love stories needing to be told… Between the lines on any stranger’s face, countless love stories needing to be told… There is, across the globe, an ever-growing disconnect. People everywhere are divided by borders and boundaries and walls—if not geographically, then certainly as they perta

At the end of last year there was a big change to my publishing life. My former publishers, SpellBound Books, closed due to the ill health of one of the Directors and my series, The Detective Hunter Wilson Mysteries, was picked up by Joffe Books. I am thrilled to be able to share my stories with a whole new audience. It is exciting. The next book in the series, Murder in the Braids, is available to preorder and will be published by Joffe next week and I hope my new readers wi

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

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 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

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

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

I genuinely feel that if you have put in all the work required to complete and novel (congratulations) it is a shame if it wastes away in your cupboard or on your computer. Therefore, I happily share the routes to publication with you in the hope it will help gain your book a larger audience. I previously dealt with vanity press, hybrid press and self-publishing. Now let’s look at traditional and independent publishers. When people talk about traditional publish

Let me start at the very beginning. You will often hear people say - everyone has a book in them … This is not true. Others will tell you – I’m going to write a book when I retire … Most of them don’t. This is because writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes months of creativity, weeks of editing, time to work through the comments of beta readers and the editor and ends with continual marketing. So, if you have completed writing a novel and whatever state it is in

It has been a busy old writing year this year for me. I am beginning to find my feet in the world of Book Signings and enjoyed a successful event in Sheffield, Sugar and Spice run by the talented author C.N. Marie. I was grateful to have the assistance of fellow author A.J. Roberts at that event. I was also thrilled to be included in the line-up at Wonderland run by the Powerhouse who is author Annalee Adams. This event took place in Nottingham and fellow author Mollie Sykes

It is a great pleasure to welcome historical fiction writer Eleanor Swift-Hook back to my blog today to discuss seventeenth century England and the pirates who patrolled the waves. Thank you for your time today, Eleanor. It is lovely to be back on your blog today, Val. It is interesting how terminology changes its meanings over time. For example, today if you refer to ‘the Dunkirk spirit’ it conjures up the idea of working together, against the odds. But go back four hundred