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Back to Square One? by Michelle Cook
It is my pleasure to welcome back to the blog my friend and fellow author, Michelle Cook. Michelle writes dystopian fiction and I'm...
authorvalpenny
Aug 24, 20243 min read


What Swanwick Means to Me
I suppose I should start this article with a disclaimer because, in reality it is mis-titled. Swanwick is a little village in Derbyshire...
authorvalpenny
Aug 7, 20244 min read


Hunter's Rules Launches at The Harrogate Crime Festival
This month I visited the Theakston's Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate for the first time this year, largely because my...
authorvalpenny
Jul 31, 20243 min read


Cutting It by Morwenna Blackwood
I have had the pleasure of knowing bestselling author, Morwenna Blackwood for many years and recall the impact her amazing debut novel,...
authorvalpenny
Jul 27, 20244 min read


Writing Hunter's Rules
I am delighted to have a chance to tell you about Hunter’s Rules , the new novel in my series of DI Hunter Wilson Crime Thrillers. I have...
authorvalpenny
Jul 24, 20242 min read


Tips to Writing a Synopsis
The synopsis is every author's nightmare. If you have written a novel of 90,000 words, to condense it into a few hundred words is a...
authorvalpenny
Jul 20, 20242 min read


Setting in the DI Hunter Wilson Crime Thrillers
The main setting for the DI Hunter Wilson Crime Thrillers is Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is so important that it is almost...
authorvalpenny
Jul 10, 20243 min read


How to Fix Writing Errors
I tutor, lecture and teach writing. I have also penned eight bestselling novels, and have found that authors often struggle with some...
authorvalpenny
Jul 6, 20244 min read


How to Include Humour in Your Writing
Writing gives us as authors lots of leeway to tell our story in the way we want to. We want to use humour as a way to engage our readers....
authorvalpenny
Jun 15, 20242 min read


Writing The First Cut
I have been writing and telling stories all my life. When I was a child, I used to make up stories for my little sister after our Mum put...
authorvalpenny
Jun 8, 20242 min read


How to Find a Literary Agent
Many authors are daunted by the prospect of finding a literary agent to represent them. For some it is their main goal, others ignore the...
authorvalpenny
May 25, 20244 min read


Improve Your Writing Skills
Do you remember when you first started writing? I don't mean writing stories, but when you were first taught to hold a pencil and write...
authorvalpenny
Apr 13, 20244 min read


How to Plot a Novel
There are several way to plot a novel but this is one method that should help authors, whatever fiction genre you write and whatever...
authorvalpenny
Apr 6, 20243 min read


Where do You Get Your Ideas From?
As an author I am asked many questions about my craft. Is it just a hobby? How did you get into that? How much time do you spend writing?...
authorvalpenny
Mar 30, 20244 min read


How to Write a Synopsis
Let me start by assuring you that you nobody finds writing a synopsis easy. After all, if your story could be told in one thousand words,...
authorvalpenny
Mar 9, 20241 min read


How to Write a Blurb for a Book
If you ask a reader why they chose to buy a certain book you will get a variety of responses. Perhaps it was written by an author whose...
authorvalpenny
Mar 2, 20242 min read


𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱/𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗲 E𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 R𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 2024
You still have until the end of February to craft and entry the SpellBound/Penny Prize. This competition closes on 29, February 2024 and...
authorvalpenny
Feb 3, 20242 min read


Hunter and the Christmas Stories
Let me take this chance to tell you about Hunter’s Christmas, the new book of short stories containing tales featuring DI Hunter Wilson,...
authorvalpenny
Dec 23, 20232 min read


Hunter's Christmas
The first novel I wrote was Hunter’s Chase and this month my first collection of short stories is published by SpellBound Books Ltd. The...
authorvalpenny
Dec 13, 20234 min read


Social Media for Authors by Lesley Field
It is great to welcome bestselling author Lesley Field to the blog today to offer her insights into using social media as an author....
authorvalpenny
Nov 22, 20236 min read
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