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Jane Renwick’s Fighting Chance in Stirling
My new Jane Renwick Thriller , A Fighting Chance , will be published next month. I am excited about sharing it with you. However, unlike...
authorvalpenny
2 days ago3 min read
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Your Are Responsible For Your Own Happiness by Elizabeth Cain
It is my pleasure to introduce author Elizabeth Cain to the blog for the first time. Like me, she is passionate about mental health and...
authorvalpenny
Jun 1114 min read
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My Writing Journey by Mollie Sykes
It is my great pleasure to welcome fellow author Mollie Sykes to the blog today. Mollie has published several books and contributed to...
authorvalpenny
Apr 123 min read
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How to Write a Good Blurb
Let's imagine you've finished writing your book, the editing is done and it's almost ready to go. Now is the time to write the blurb that...
authorvalpenny
Mar 292 min read
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Creating Realistic Characters
Every gripping story needs compelling characters to tell it and as the writer it is your job to create those characters and breathe life...
authorvalpenny
Mar 83 min read
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How to Write a Novel in Ten Steps
Some people say that everybody has a book in them. I doubt this is true. Even if it were so, I do not believe that everybody has the...
authorvalpenny
Mar 13 min read
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To Plot or Not to Plot
Authors generally fall into one of two categories, those who plot or those who don't. When I first started my writing career, I admit...
authorvalpenny
Feb 223 min read
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Avoiding a Mucky Middle
We learn early on in our writing journey that every story must have a beginning a middle and an end. We are also taught that our main...
authorvalpenny
Feb 153 min read
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New Year, New Plans, Independent Minds
The start of a new year is always exciting with the opportunity to look forward rather than back. This year my publishers, SpellBound...
authorvalpenny
Jan 182 min read
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Why I Write by Sharon Cook
Today it is a delight to welcome my friend and fellow author Sharon Cook to the blog to explain her compulsion to write. Sharon's debut...
authorvalpenny
Jan 113 min read
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Christmas Books
One of the things I like best about Christmas is that my elder daughter and I often swap books that we have read and enjoyed during the...
authorvalpenny
Dec 25, 20242 min read
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My Writing Journey by Martin J Lake
It is my great pleasure to welcome my friend and fellow author Martin J Lake to the blog today. Martin's debut novel, Beyond The Stones:...
authorvalpenny
Dec 21, 20245 min read
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The Bruntsfield Book Group
It was a thrill to produce my first collection of short stories in time for Christmas. It includes stores about DI Hunter Wilson and his...
authorvalpenny
Dec 18, 20244 min read
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Hunter's Christmas
It was a thrill to produce my first collection of short stories in time for Christmas. If I do say so myself, it makes an ideal and cost...
authorvalpenny
Dec 4, 20244 min read
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Tips to Writing on Social Media
Most of us use social media to a greater or lesser extent to promote our work and we all know that some posts work better than others....
authorvalpenny
Nov 20, 20242 min read
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Plotters, Pantsers and Skeletons
Authors vary a great deal in how they prepare to write their books. Some plot carefully using rolls of wallpaper to display their story...
authorvalpenny
Oct 23, 20242 min read
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My Writing Journey by Alex J. Adams
I am thrilled to introduce my readers to my friend and fellow author Alex J. Adams whom I met when I attended Books on the Beach run by...
authorvalpenny
Oct 19, 20244 min read
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An Extract from The First Cut
The first novel in my Jane Renwick Thrillers series of novels is The First Cut . The second in the series, A Fighting Chance, will be...
authorvalpenny
Sep 14, 20243 min read
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The Themes of a Novel
In contemporary literary studies, a theme is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative. Themes can be divided into two...
authorvalpenny
Sep 11, 20242 min read
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Creating Convincing Characters
A gripping plot can only carry an interesting story if it is carried by convincing characters. When I an creating a new character I start...
authorvalpenny
Aug 28, 20243 min read
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