VAL PENNY

My mother had this book, Mrs Zigzag: The Extraordinary Life of a Secret Agent's Wife by Betty Chapman and Ronald L. Bonewitz in her...

When you think about how long your manuscript needs to be, there are many points to take into consideration and there is no one right...

My series of novels, The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, deals with aspects of crime and how these are dealt with by my fictional police team...

Traditional publishing refers to the established system of getting a book deal, which involves submission to agents and usually a...

I rarely read, or indeed write, short stories. However, when I was approached to contribute to the anthology produced by Dark Stroke...

If you receive an offer to publish your book, the first thing to consider is whether it has come from a company that you have submitted...

My daughter gave me this book for my Christmas. It was a most interesting read. The Blurb Mary Trump spent much of her childhood in her...

The first book in my series, The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries, has been produced as an audio book! I have teamed up with narrator Sean Pia...

Each of us writes because we want to. We write because of a passion to share our ideas, our stories, and our information with those who...

Before you start writing a book, accept that the undertaking is a marathon, not a sprint. It will require time, imaginationa dn...

Writers are filled with ideas, but in order to turn those ideas into pages, they need a consistent writing routine. Often, finding enough...

1. Before you put pen to paper or start typing, it is always worthwhile thinking about what you are doing. Firstly for yourself, and then...

Plotting your novel can be an enormous challenge. You may have taken time to begin developing your world and your characters, the moral...

If you have ever been afflicted with writer's block, you know it is no laughing matter because it can impede your writing for days,...

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of some main routes to publication before you proceed to allow your work to meet the world....

Detective Sergeant Jane Renwick is one of the main female characters in my Edinburgh Crime series of novels. It is, therefore fitting...

Edinburgh is Scotland's compact, hilly capital. It has a medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian New Town with gardens and neoclassical...

I have recently read several inexperienced writers discussing the themes of their works. One suggested their themes always put their...

Hunter's Chase is the first novel in the series of novels, The Edinburgh Crime Mysteries and writing it was an exciting challenge. First,...

I have just planned 2021 with my publishers, darkstroke. I have entered into a contract with voice actor Sean Pia to produce the audio...