Diary
Exciting International News!
Wow! It’s been an amazing couple of months with regards to international news and deals for The Paris Seamstress and my other books. I’m delighted to announce that my US publisher, Grand Central, will also be publishing The French Photographer. The French...
read moreThe Scribbles (and Occasional Magic!) in a Writer’s Notebook
A writer's notebook (or mine at least!) is a messy, scrappy thing that contains a strange mix of the practical and the magical. People often ask me about whether I write by hand, and how I keep track of ideas for my books. Enter the writer's notebook. While I type...
read moreBurrowing In: Working on the Second Draft of a Novel
A few weeks ago, I started on the second draft of The Dior Bequest, the book I'm working on for 2020. I've mentioned before that my first drafts are a bit of a mess, which means I need to do quite a lot of work in my second draft. I think of this work as really...
read moreMoments of Magic and Serendipity in Writing
Something strange and alchemical happens when I have an idea for a book and I start writing; it's as if the universe gets behind me and wants me to keep writing. It puts things in my path that I can't help but discover, and which never fail to make my books better. It...
read moreResearch Isn’t All Just Trips to Paris (Unfortunately!)
One of the most common questions I get asked at author talks is about the research I do for my books. It always gives me quite a thrill when readers and reviewers praise the research in my books; it's so important to me that the characters and the story and setting...
read moreGetting a Book Ready For Publication
This week, I've been working on the copyedit for The French Photographer. As well as that, there have been quite a few behind-the-scenes things happening with the book, so I thought it might be interesting to talk about the process of getting a book ready for...
read moreThe French Photographer: A Sneak Peek
Those of you who follow me on Facebook will know that I'm currently working on the copyedit for The French Photographer, which will be out in late March 2019. Quite a few people have asked me for me details about the book, and while I can't tell you too much right...
read moreWriting Isn’t a Solitary Profession: It’s a Group Effort
This is a post about support, about the fact that no writer gets a book published because of what they alone did. There are always many other people standing behind that writer who have helped in ways they're probably not even aware of, ways that made a huge...
read moreWriting the First Draft of a Novel
Besides the structural edit, which is a process that adds new meaning to the word difficult, the hardest part of the writing process for me is writing the first draft of a novel. Other writers I know love the first draft and hate the redrafting. We’re all different....
read moreOn Perseverance: Never Let Go of Your Dream
I wanted to talk a little about perseverance. About continuing on against the odds. About doing what you love despite the doubts. About not giving up and holding on to that beautiful shining dream you have even if it seems so far out of reach. My latest book, The...
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