Having read through Mark Coker's free ebook, The Secrets of Ebook Publishing Success , it seems I'm already doing pretty much everything he suggests - with one main exception.  The front covers of Tamsin and Rowan didn't give quite enough information.  A browser needs to be able to know, at a glance, what the product is and if it's likely to be their kind of thing. So, after a bit of thinking, I've now re-worked the front covers slightly by adding a subtitle which reads simply, "An artisan-sorcerer story."  This lets a browser know they're looking at a series, that the series doesn't have a number and so can be read in any order, and also gives a minimalist description of what the book is about.  Having re-done the covers, I then uploaded new versions to Smashwords and Kindle.  Rowan is currently only available on Kindle, but the paperback version should be out within days.  After May 17th, Rowan will have completed its three month's e...

Read an interview with me by Rachel Cooper here.   

A rugged path leads to the summit of Caldy Hill. This morning promised a glorious spring day, and so I went for a walk over Caldy Hill.  My two dogs kept me company, of course, as the likelihood of any human member of this household being able to head out for a walk without taking Emily and Ygraine along too is pretty slim.  Not unless you'd want to endure hours of grumpy yapping and sad-eyed sulking, that is.  The light wasn't too good for photography, really - Wales, on the opposite bank of the River Dee,  was totally obscured by haze - but the golden-yellow gorse is looking too lovely for me not to attempt a few shots.  It's a pity readers of this blog can't share the gorse's perfume...  Think of warm honey, with a dash of sharp lemon and you'll have a reasonable idea of the fragrance hanging on every slight breeze.   Most of the trees here are deciduous and it's still too early in the season for leaves, but every branch is covered in...

Penny, Felicity and Joyce enjoying the spring sunshine. Last night I discovered a flavour which I hate even more than aniseed, and that is cardamom.  Big pods of the stuff were in the curry which I had been really looking forward to, as I love a good curry.  Then I was attacked by what surely has to rank as being amongst the most vile flavours on earth.  People like this stuff?!!   Wikipedia describes it as having a "strong, unique taste".  I agree.  It's also revolting; spectacularly so, even. Each to our own, of course.  This body of mine has always had a strange relationship with some foods, which seems to run contrary to average reactions.  For example, peppermint tea, which is supposed to settle upset stomachs, actually makes me feel nauseous.  Salad, beloved by millions, gives me excruciating indigestion, as do certain dark green foods.  Echinacea, which is supposed to boost the immune system, gives me spli...

The shape of sound demonstrated with salt. The plane is vibrated at a specific frequency. The waves travel across the plane and at someplaces they add together and at other places they cancel out. Where they cancel out, the salt sticks because there are no vibrations, and at other places it just gets vibrated away. "In the beginnning was the Word (vibration)..."   

Stolen from Heidi Ruby Miller's blog. Here are the rules:- 1. Go to page 77 of your current ms. 2. Go to sentence 7. 3. Copy and post the next 7 sentences as they’re written. No cheating. 4. Tag 7 other victims, er, authors. Heidi didn't tag me, but I'll join in anyway.  I'm that kinda gal. So, here's the prescribed extract from Fabian , which I'm currently writing the first draft of:- Rowan turned in his chair to face him.  "As sure as I can be.  The order's historical names were used in conjunction with the fact that we don't use any name at all right now.  Some of our personal first names were used, but no surnames.  A rough indication of this location was given.  It wasn't quite 'X marks the spot' but if a person knew this area well they could probably work it out." "Have you told the boss?" There, that's your lot.  I won't tag seven people specifically; you can decide for yourselves if you wis...

Karen's clones built a perfect world - and then they created Karsen... Can we overcome the prejudice between natural-born people and regenerated clones?  The Karens is a satirical look at gender politics, DNA cloning and the human condition.  A short ebook, published today!  Available from Smashwords   (in various format options) and Amazon  Kindle (ASIN B007JASKRY).