What Shall I Write Today?

I am late posting on the blog this week, and there are a few reasons for it. The main one is that I simply didn’t know what to write. I could very easily try and promote one of my novels or my Redcliffe series, but I’m bored of that. This is my space to be creative, and truthfully, I have lots of ideas for writing. I just need to sit down and get started, rather than distract myself with other duties. So that is what I’m doing today, in between those other duties.

Just as I was trying to decide on a subject for today’s blog post, I opened a drawer and found a couple of very old notebooks. Indeed, I had forgotten about one of them, and the other I had been searching for and couldn’t locate. It was in the same drawer I had already searched, but hidden underneath another notebook, and this one is very battered and well worn. But it is full of ideas. I had this notebook before my children were born, and I would jot down little snippets of writing inspiration to be used in the future. Well, now it’s the future, so maybe I should use them!

Here is a note that confused me: A view over Cardiff from a modern hotel window or the roof of a tall, historic building. It is early morning just before dawn, and the city is quiet, with electric lights reflecting off the river. It is romantic at this time, before the start of a busy working day in the human world. Now, I haven’t visited Cardiff before, but I have visited lots of beautiful places in Wales, and maybe this inspiration came from Manchester and I just changed the city. Who knows? But it is there, and perhaps I will incorporate it into a novel. There are hints of it in my upcoming novel Hunting the Hunted (currently with agents). I wonder what other gems I will find in this battered old notebook? The possibilities are endless!

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My Christmas Wish List for Writing Inspiration

I was pondering my Christmas list earlier this week, and realised that it has altered a little bit in recent years. It has gone from a request for books about publishing, to books about writing, to other specific texts. Now I am seeking books about subjects that include Tarot reading and reiki. The Tarot reading is an interesting one, because inevitably, it includes Tarot card decks as well.

There are lots of beautiful Tarot cards available, and my current favourite is my Gilded Tarot because the artwork is colourful and passionate, which reflects my mood. Back in October and early November I favoured my Vampire Tarot cards because they were Gothic and dark, reflecting the shadows and gloom of my mood at that time. This week I am drawn to use my Universal Waite Tarot card deck for the #365DaysofTarot challenge. I like its simplicity and bright, bold design. What Tarot decks might I request for Christmas? Ooh, so many beautiful cards…

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The Final Resting Place of Anne Bronte

I recently took time away from work (sort of), and spent a week in Scarborough with my family for a much-needed and overdue holiday. Everything about the place offers food for the imagination, and there is so much inspiration for writing that I should be kept busy for many months ahead, while I await the next holiday… As an added bonus, we happened upon the graveyard in which Anne Bronte is buried. The church looks to be a beautiful old building, although I didn’t have time to visit inside. I did, however, visit the graveyard, and what a fascinating place it is.

All of the gravestones are very heavily damaged by weather, and we could see the force of the salty rain that has battered these grand and gracious stones over the past two centuries or so. We could barely read the inscription on Anne Bronte’s headstone, which is why another memorial stone was laid in 2011, as you can see from my photographs. I admit that I have not yet read Anne Bronte’s most famous novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, but I do have a paperback copy on my bookshelf, and I have picked it up before now with the intention of reading it, only to be distracted by something else.



The ancient graveyard, with its dark and broken headstones, is very eerie, and very inspiring for the romantic mind. My impression of the Bronte sisters is that they were fairly carefree and cheerful ladies, and I enjoy their lively writing style. It was a great tragedy that Anne Bronte should die at such a young age, but it is clear to see that she succumbed to one of the many medical dangers of their time. I wonder how many wonderful novels died with her? And what she may have been working on at the time of her death? So many questions, so many possibilities…

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My Favourite Season for Writing Inspiration

There is something very magical about October. I can only put it down to the fact that we celebrate Halloween at the very end of the month. Here in the UK there has never been much of an emphasis on celebrating this festival, but of course we have absorbed some of the American influences in popular media over the years. For me, Halloween has always been special, but as a child I never really understood why. I just knew that I wanted to meet the ghosts and spectres that everyone was so afraid of!

Well, my dreams were realized when I became a ghost hunter several years ago, and now my curiosity has been satisfied. But I don't think Halloween (or Samhain for my pagan friends) is the only reason I enjoy October. This is the time of year when summer gives way to autumn, Mother Nature displays a riot of colours and textures, and the weather takes on a refreshing chill of an evening. Yes, I admit, the dark mornings and early nights are a bit difficult to get used to, but even those increase the excitement, as I am reminded that we are creeping closer to Christmas and all the upcoming festivities we have planned.

All in all, it makes a perfect recipe for writing paranormal stories, and discovering the adventures of my vampires, witches and werewolves in Cornwall and beyond... Is this your favourite time of year? Why do you prefer to write, create or otherwise rejoice in the autumn/fall season?

Did you enjoy this article? Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

Inspiration for a Bestseller #ReadMe

Earlier today I was walking into town to collect my daughter from pre-school when a very insignificant event gave me a flash of inspiration that set my imagination alight. Hooray! Finally I have that million-dollar idea for a bestselling literary novel. I'm not even joking. The idea might not sound like a bestseller to a lot of people but I can see its potential. I won't give too many details, suffice to say it involves a doppelgänger and everyday situations.

Since I have several works in progress at the moment I won't drop everything to write this one. Besides, I feel it needs time to manifest in my mind and for me to collect more life experience to include in the novel. It will be written for a female audience and include themes of motherhood, the work/life balance, and ideas about what makes for an exciting life in 21st century Britain. I might even need a little more genre-specific academic training so that I can produce a fine manuscript to attract an agent, but I will decide that in due course.

I love being a writer!

*Image courtesy of Artsyville