Helping authors to make their stories shine … Editing Services for fiction and memoir
Lisa Darcy, Sarah Bourne and I write fiction in different genres – contemporary women’s, historical and crime – yet while our books vary in tone and topic, they share a common thread: we all present strong female protagonists. Today, we discuss what we mean by a strong lead character, how our genres overlap and differ, and why female representation in fiction matters. Continue reading Group Interview 3: Strong Female Leads in Genre Fiction
An editor once told me to reduce my reliance on ‘to be’ … I sweated over the task, finding it easier said than done. Year later … I find myself offering the same advice to my clients. Action moves our stories forward, so we need our verbs to be as vivid as possible.
Rather than leaving authors out in the cold, struggling to wage war on the beleaguered verb, here are some tips to manage this nit-picky challenge – when to use it and when to lose it. Continue reading The War on Was
I have a playlist for The Runaway Girl, Book 4 that isn’t mentioned in the book. It comes from a stage production I wrote in 2009. The plotline for this production about human trafficking inspired Yinka’s story in The Runaway Girl, so songs that influenced the play, also influenced the novel. Continue reading Writing a Mystery: Playlist The Runaway Girl
In 2025, Beaches and Trails released Signed, Sealed… Deceased, an anthology featuring twelve short cosy mysteries. My story, Death by Memoir, is one of them. If you’re looking for a quick Jade Riley fix, look no further.
A writers’ retreat turns deadly when a memoirist is found dead from an insulin overdose – but was it suicide or murder? Continue reading Interview about short story, Death by Memoir
As an author, trying to choose which of my books is my favourite is like choosing my favourite child. When my kids pressed me to pick one of them as my fav, I always told them Maximus was my favourite first child and Brutus was my favourite second child. Similarly, each of the Jade Riley mysteries holds a special place in my heart for varying reasons. Continue reading Writing a Mystery Series: My Favourite Jade Riley Mystery
For my second group interview, I’m exploring the topic of inspiration: where the concept comes from, how much the book changes from that starting point, how to juggle too many ideas, and more. Seven wonderful authors from a wide range of genres have responded. Continue reading Group Interview 2: Inspiration
In The Godfather of Dance, Jade Riley Mysteries Book 1, I used song titles to name each chapter. Reader feedback about this was positive, so I continue the style for A Killer Among Friends, Jade Riley Mysteries Book 2 … The Man in the Dam, Jade Riley Mysteries Book 3 completes the creative arts triple threat with a theatre focus, so I’ve continued the tradition. Continue reading Writing a Mystery: Chapter Titles/Playlist The Man in the Dam
I’d like to invite you to join Bookish Banter newsletter, a project I’m collaborating on with two other authors: Sarah Bourne and Lisa Darcy. We aim to entertain you with quick updates about our writing lives, and to share our current reads and watches. And we promise not to bombard you; we’ll only email once a month. For more info about why I’ve started a newsletter, read on. Continue reading Bookish Banter Newsletter
For 2026, I’m trying a new approach to interviews on my blog so I can feature more authors. Rather than speaking to one person about their book, I’ll pick a topic and ask for many authors’ views. Let me know what you think.
My January topic is Writing Habits. Continue reading Group Interview 1: Writing Habits
The Winding Narrative is now eight years old! This past year has been turbulent for me professionally, as my publisher, Wings ePress, closed down, so I had to find a new home for my books. Next Chapter Publishing came to the rescue, and they have now republished my first two Jade Riley Mysteries and, hot off the press, they have published the third: The Man in the Dam, Jade Riley Mysteries Book 3. I can’t believe I now have a triology! Continue reading The Winding Narrative Turns Eight
