13. April 2025

I was looking for places to visit on a recent trip to Antwerp, and the Museum Plantin-Moretus came up in an online search. It seemed to be about an Antwerp printing company, and the information contained several references to it housing a variety of large book collections. Being more interested in the writing and reading of books, I was less-enthused about the printing of them, but decided to give it a go, since the tourist reviews were very good. I'm really glad I did! What I discovered wasn't...

20. February 2025

My published work and the hundreds of new projects I've either started, planned or are 'in progress' have always been for older readers, from upper primary children to teens and adults. During the years I was teaching in school, my colleagues from the reception and early years classes often asked if I was planning to write any picture books for their age group. I can't say why I hadn't explored this area of storytelling. Ideas come, I always find, and you have a feel for their genre and age...

28. July 2024

Lloyd Miner is an author and playwright. His fiction and non-fiction has been published in the US and Europe, and his theatrical work has been performed in London, New York and Sydney. I first met Lloyd when we were both members of the Amsterdam Critiquing Group. We each left Amsterdam for two entirely different parts of the Netherlands, but we still meet regularly for critiquing sessions at the Writers aan de Waal group. I'm excited to be able to interview Lloyd about his writing and about his...

19. October 2023

If you're looking for a supernatural read in the run-up to Halloween, why not check out some of Shelley Wilson's YA novels? I first met Shelley at a self-publishing conference back in 2015. Since then, Shelley's path as a writer has resulted in an extensive collection of YA fiction, alongside her non-fiction books about subjects such as well-being, meditation and business writing. Here Shelley talks about her creative path, what inspired it and how she manages the different aspects of her work.

03. October 2023

As a fantasy and paranormal author, October has to be my perfect month of the year, culminating in Halloween and the Day of the Dead on November 1st. Of course, this world in which I love to read and write exists all year round, but October is the time to focus on such things as ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night! To celebrate all things supernatural, here is my round-up of my five favourite scary stories!

26. July 2023

In my past interviews, at People & Books #3 and #9, I interviewed author Val Karren and his wife, Christine, who publishes Val's books at Fly-By-Night Press. Now there's a new addition to the family's creative activities. Daughter Lucy has written and illustrated her first book. Here she explains how it came about and what inspired this first creative venture.

22. July 2023

Before Covid, my husband and I began to explore Europe via our shared passion, our motobike. Between 2005 and 2019 we travelled to Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Andorra, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark and the Netherlands, the country in which we eventually settled. Along the way, we discovered some amazing scenery, great people and interesting historical and cultural places, all reached by motorbike, which is the only way to travel!

15. June 2023

I'm super privileged to be able to interview children's author Jenny McLachlan. I first met Jenny in London in 2016, when she ran a workshop at the Writing for Children & Young Adults Conference. After trying her hand at literary fiction, Jenny has discovered her talent for writing funny stories for both YA and younger readers. Her new book Stink: WORST. FAIRY. EVER! was released this year. Here she talks about how she began writing and what her writing journey has been so far.

04. June 2023

I love this image of Molly and the white stag, drawn by Kirsty Boar. If I hadn't moved to Maastricht in 2021, I wouldn't have met Kirsty at all. She's a Maastricht-based author, illustrator and fellow member of the Maastricht Writers Workshop. She has a background in librarianship and when we first met, she was working in the English Bookstore Maastricht. By this time, I'd already written Footprints in the Snow and Save the White Stag, which are parts 1 and 2 of a Forest of Dean series for...

15. May 2023

I'm so excited that Kathy Hoyle has agreed to be part of my People & Books blog. I've been following Kathy's writing activities online for some time. She likes to explore flash and short fiction, and her awards prove she has a talent for this genre, but what I also find interesting about Kathy's work is that she's involved in activities to encourage new and emerging writers. Kathy has a BA (hons) and an MA in Creative Writing, and has just started a PhD at the University of Leicester. She...