Blog Feed

  • Maggie's War- the story of a girl on the canals in WW2

    If only I’d known….

    8th Sep 2025 by

    Letter to Myself Six Years On Hello Shirley in 2020, so you’re just about to have your first book, ‘Lily’s War’ published are you? I know you never expected this to happen and certainly not at this time of your life when you should be thinking about retiring. Well, as your future self who’s just… Read more

  • Want to know how I got here?

    28th Nov 2023 by

    This is a blog that I wrote for the wonderful Romantic Novelists’ Association website. They are a brilliant organisation that supports authors like me and no, it’s not just because they made ‘Bobby’s War’ Romantic Saga Novel of the Year in 2021. It was like a therapy session really, remembering the journey that has taken… Read more

  • Loneliness – A Modern Pandemic

    13th Nov 2023 by

    I walked around a block of flats in Manchester at about 5pm yesterday and in every ground floor window, there was a young person with headphones on, staring at a computer. It was the saddest sight I had seen in a long time. There wasn’t one person laughing or joking, no-one heading to the kitchen to moan about the boss and no-one arranging a quick drink before heading home.

  • Romantic fiction love is not a ‘four- letter word’ – it is a feminist issue

    26th Jun 2023 by

    As I publish ‘Bridget’s War’- my fourth novel inspired by amazing women in WW2, I, like many of my fellow authors, am at my wits’ end to understand why when it comes to fiction, a book that has a love story at its heart is often seen as being of lesser value than any other type of novel but I’m beginning to think there may be darker forces at work here and that the whole subject is a feminist issue.

  • Radio silence

    3rd Apr 2022 by

    Hello everyone, did you miss me? I’m sorry I’ve been off the radar for such a long time but I’ve been in Bridget’s world, which may be an imaginary world for you, but to me, it needs to be a parallel universe that I nip in and out of on a regular basis until the… Read more

  • Do you need failure before success?

    25th May 2021 by

    There’s only one way not to fail and that’s not to do anything. Those wise words repeated endlessly by my parents when I was a child, have framed my life and as I enter my third and very unexpected career in my 60s as an author, they have never rung more true. I did not… Read more

  • Lockdown breakout!

    12th Apr 2021 by

    OK, I admit it, Lockdown has been good for writing but what it’s been rubbish for is research. I can’t tell you how fed up I am at trying to get squashed images on Google Maps to show me the terrain, the buildings or routes for my heroine to travel. So as soon as I… Read more

  • Only gone and won an award!

    10th Mar 2021 by

    At 4pm on Monday, I was painting a kitchen wall Rectory Red. By 7.20, I was an award winning author. Fortunately, you’ll be glad to know, I’d managed to change out of my paint-smeared clothes for the occasion. It was International Women’s Day, and the day when I was so proud to be one of… Read more

  • ‘I don’t want to win awards’ she said.

    8th Feb 2021 by

    When I started to write ‘Lily’s War’, I met a friend who is also an author. I very blithely stated that I just wanted to create a well-written page-turner.. nah, wasn’t interested in awards. Well, apparently, I lied. I’m ridiculously delighted to say that ‘Bobby’s War’ has been shortlisted in the RNA Romantic Novel of… Read more

  • Piecing together a character- one bit at a time

    27th Nov 2020 by

    So anyone still out there? Not hiding under the duvet? Tempting though isn’t it? Enough of this Covid nonsense ( Oh, yes please!) I’m starting to think about a talk I’m doing in December entitled ‘It’s never too late to write a novel’ – you can book to join it on Zoom here: https://www.wherecanwego.com/item/e1426299/its-never-too-late-to-write-a-novel-an-online-wirksworth-heritage-centre-talk-by-local-author-shir –… Read more

  • Getting a little proportion in my life

    15th Aug 2020 by

    Well, it’s been a funny old summer so far, hasn’t it? There have been moments when it’s all seemed OK and I’ve felt incredibly lucky and other times when I’ve felt cheated by this bloomin’ virus. I know that living in the wonderful county of Derbyshire I have no reason to complain but last night,… Read more

  • Want to know Marion’s backstory?

    11th Jun 2020 by

    You remember Marion, the stuck-up one in ‘Lily’s War’? Well, I was commissioned to write a short story for Woman’s Weekly last month and I thought Marion had had a bit of a bad press so I wanted to give her a back story that might make you find her a little more appealing. I’m… Read more

  • Sharing the journey

    28th May 2020 by

    It’s eight years since I started writing ‘Lily’s War’. It was a reaction to a couple of things-firstly, to try to rediscover my mum after she died at the age of 90. Anyone with an elderly relative will understand that in the last few years of life, you can lose sight of the younger person… Read more

  • Talk and Q and A

    5th May 2020 by

    Right, I’m confident you’re bored with Lockdown, you’ve watched all the box sets, you may have even done all the ironing so I thought you might like a change. Tonight ( Tues 5th May 7pm) I am doing a talk and Q and A on my book ‘Lily’s War’ and the good news is, you… Read more

  • Groundhog Day

    27th Apr 2020 by

    Welcome to Monday. Hang on, is it Monday? Is it still April? Are we still in this grim parallel universe? I feel like asking in a mystical, deep voice: “Is there anyone there?” I remember at University doing philosophy as part of my English course and the theory of solipsism ( had to look it… Read more

  • Has it really only been five days?

    27th Mar 2020 by

    Why does last week seem like another era from a different universe? I think we all feel we’ve gone through a time warp and, just to let you know, Captain Kirk, I’d like to go back now. Now, is that strictly true? I’m guiltily aware that we are very lucky to live where we are… Read more

  • Keep calm and carry on

    12th Mar 2020 by

    We’re all doomed! Apparently. Oh help, so what do we do? We’re supposed to be going on holiday at the weekend to Cyprus and although I’m packing, I’m not sure we should be going and the Whatsapps are coming in thick and fast from our daughters as to why their very elderly parents shouldn’t be… Read more

  • Now what?

    13th Feb 2020 by

    I sent off what I hope are the final re-writes of novel #2, Bobby’s War yesterday, so what do I do now? Novel #1 is published but for the past seven years, I’ve always had that ‘homework’ sword of Damocles hanging over me. Now, there’s just a blank screen. I feel bereft! It was such… Read more

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2 thoughts on “Blog Feed”

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  1. I’ve recently discovered your books . And oh my god I absolutely love them . I’m now on bridgets war and loving it . The last 2 were brilliant . I can really imagine being there . It’s a pleasure to read them . 😀.

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    1. Oh that’s lovely, thank you Emma. I’m delighted you’re enjoying them. If you can bear it, please put reviews up for me on Amazon. Thank you. Look out for Maggie’s War, out in August.

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