Funny Village Names in the Cotswolds

You don't have to go very far in Britain to find funny village names, nor on my own patch in the Cotswolds. One reason is that many names have evolved from ancient forms of English and other languages. Over time, they take on new meanings that bear no relation to their original designation. For example, whereas Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter…

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New Uses for Old Stately Homes

When I was writing my latest novel, Death at the Village Garden Party, my starting point was to wonder what would happen when industrial magnate Robert Praed acquires the local stately home of Bunbury House. In the three earlier books in my Cotswold Curiosity Shop series, it's clear that one of his sidelines is restoring and repurposing old buildings is one of his sidelines.

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My Close Encounter with a Crossbow at Monmouth Medieval Festival

When I enjoyed a day out at the Monmouth Medieval Festival a few weeks ago, I was surprised to come across the murder weapon used in my new cosy mystery novel, Death at the Village Garden Party: a crossbow.  (Pictured with my husband, above.) Fortunately, in this case, the crossbow was not in the hands not of a killer, but of a very pleasant fellow sharing his expert knowledge of…

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In Praise of the Parcel Box – Featured in My New Book

Hurrah for the parcel box - a humble everyday item that plays a crucial part in my latest novel, Death at the Village Garden Party. My husband, who is a very good handyman, built a wooden parcel box for our Cotswold cottage during lockdown, so that we could receive deliveries while social distancing.

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Free Bonus Chapter of “Death at the Village Garden Party” – Out on 31st July!

Drum roll for the publication of my latest novel tomorrow (Friday 31st July)! As part of my launch campaign, I'm pleased to be able to offer you a day early a free bonus chapter that I hope will whet  your appetite for the whole book. Death at the Village Garden Party, the fourth in my bestselling Cotswold Curiosity Shop cosy mystery series…

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The Day I Was Followed by Pinkerton

If you're an avid reader of detective fiction, you may already be familiar with the famous Pinkerton's detective agency, founded in the USA in the nineteenth century by Scottish immigrant Allan Pinkerton. What started as a one-man operation eventually grew into the largest private detective and law enforcement agency in the world. To my amazement, it lives on as a subsidiary of Sweden's…

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The End of An Era in My Writing Life

For over sixteen years, I've been writing a monthly column for two local community magazines, the Tetbury Advertiser and the Hawkesbury Parish News. Around the middle of each month, I'd down tools to dash off 500 words for each paper - a different article for each of them - to meet their deadlines. I've loved every minute of it - even when it meant burning the midnight oil to fit it into my busy schedule.

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Literary Easter Eggs in Books

Q. What's a literary Easter egg? A. It's a little surprise tucked away in a story to amuse readers smart enough to spot it. Today I'm going to tell you about some of the Easter eggs hidden in my books, how some of my author friends like to play the same game, and how to get a free Kindle ebook of my fun little novelette,

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Overture & Beginners for The Importance of Being Murdered

Usually my last blog post of each month is a conversation with a fellow author, often about their new book. But this month, as I've just launched my latest cosy mystery novel, The Importance of Being Murdered, I'll be talking to myself!  So, here's a quick Q&A to whet you appetite for my new story. Keep reading through to the end, you'll find not only a buying link to…

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What’s an Authorpreneur and Why Am I One?

Last week, I was pleased to be a speaker at the London Book Fair as a member of the panel discussing "The Rise & Rise of the Authorpreneur", chaired by Orna Ross, founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors and champion of indie authors everywhere. What's an authorpreneur anyway? It's an author who treats their writing like a business - and, crucially, makes money from it!

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A Tale of Two Clutch Failures: What I Learned When My Car Broke Down

In motoring terms, if there’s one thing worse that breaking down during rush hour on a roundabout, it’s breaking down during rush-hour on a double roundabout. As I know, having done both, 40 years apart. For both incidents, the clutch was to blame. Breaking Down on a Single Roundabout The first time, a loose connection silently leaked clutch fluid in my wake on my morning commute to Queen Square before I ground to halt at Stokes Croft.

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How We Can All Be Winners – Inspired by the 2026 Winter Olympics

I watched the 2026 Winter Olympics in the same spirit as I view programmes about extreme travel and exploration. By seeing someone on screen compete in risky activities, I feel as if I’ve done them by proxy. Having gained insight into how they’d make me feel, I can tick them off my bucket list. Phew! I was daily amazed by anyone who trained and disciplined their body to the point of superhumanity.

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In Conversation with Hastie Salih

On the last Wednesday of every month, I share a conversation with an author friend, and this month I'm delighted to introduce you to novelist Hastie Salih. I first met Hastie Salih last year at the London Festival of Writing, which is Jericho Writers' annual get-together, bringing together a huge variety of authors at different stages of their careers in a highly creative and supportive atmosphere.

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Let’s Hear It for Anne Brontë

Reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and Agnes Grey for the first time has promoted Anne Brontë to position of my favourite Brontë sister. It has also given me a new appreciation of Sarah Gordon's play, Underdog: The Other Other Brontë, a gripping tale of the sisterly support and sibling rivalry between the three famous authors, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, usually lauded in that order.

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The Remarkable Hazards of 80s Office Life

While writing this year’s murder mystery event for the Hawkesbury Drama Group, I’ve been reminiscing about 1980s office life – the inspiration for my new play, Murder at the Office. (Tickets now on sale here.) Back in the day, as an impressionable twenty-something fresh out of university, I assumed everything I encountered about office life to be normal practice, because I had nothing with which to compare it.

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It’s a Wilde, Wilde Life with Oscar

“There is no sin except stupidity” is the provocative Oscar Wilde epigram I chose for my page in my high school yearbook. I’ve always loved Wilde’s way with words, so last year, when writing a murder mystery playscript about an amateur dramatic society, I set it around their rehearsals for Wilde’s comedy play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Cheekily, I named my playscript…

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Remembering Grandma’s Two-Sheet Solution

As I look forward to my first state pension payment landing in my bank account tomorrow, I'm thinking about the wise advice about financial economy that I received from my grandma when my grandpa was about to retire. 

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Why I Love Public Libraries

Actually, there are very many reasons that I love public libraries, and I've written about them before on this blog. I've also written two short stories inspired by public libraries, published in my flash fiction collection, Quick Change

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The Not So Commonplace Book

Forgive the contradiction in terms, but I’ve long mourned the decline of the commonplace book, so I was delighted to discover at a craft fair at Rodmarton Manor last autumn that local bookbinder Ursula Jeakins of Starsmead Bookbinding now creates beautiful volumes especially for that purpose. While there’s been a surge of interest in journalling lately, the end products seem to be fancy versions of the desk diary or personal planner.

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Where Did 2025 Go?

As I plan my writing and speaking schedule for 2026, I share my top tip for how to convince yourself you're making the most of your time - and in the postscript share my completed temperature blanket for 2025.  In 1812, when John Letts, founder of the printing, bookbinding, and stationery business Letts of London, launched the first pre-printed diary, it was an overnight success.

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The Gift That Keeps On Giving: Reading for Pleasure

In my last post before Christmas, I’d like to pay tribute to Iceland’s heartwarming Christmas tradition of Jólabókaflóð – when everyone gives each other books on Christmas Eve, before curling up by the fire to read them.

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The Joys of Armchair Travel

After having to cancel a planned mini-break in Bruges due to illness, I’m now settling down into near-hibernation mode for the winter, at least in terms of travel. Not that I have travelled much this year, with short breaks in Norfolk and Scotland. Even so, I’m glad to raise my metaphorical drawbridge and spend a few months on my home turf.

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In Conversation with Susan Grossey, Author of Historical Crime Fiction

At the end of every month, I like to invite an author friend onto my blog for a fun conversation about their writing life. This month, I'm pleased to welcome Susan Grossey, author of historical crime fiction, whose career I've followed since her debut novel, Fatal Forgery, back in 2013.  Susan specialises in historical cases of financial crime, inspired by her own career.

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What I Learned from My Umbrella

As someone who makes their living from writing, I often visit places that will fuel the creative part of my brain, such as an art gallery or a museum. So last month I was pleased to spot road signs for the Crafts Alive craft fair at Rodmarton Manor. Run by the Gloucestershire Guild, this event offered a welcome opportunity to visit the private house reputed to be one of the finest Arts and Crafts Movement homes, and I booked a ticket to visit. 

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How I’m Learning to Love October

I’ve always dreaded the onset of autumn. As an optimist, I prefer the anticipation of what’s to come, rather than harvest. Spring is my favorite season, with its bright buds and brilliant blossom. Second best is summer, with long daylight hours always a source of pleasure. I can even reconcile myself to September for its often bright, crisp days and occasional spell of Indian summer weather.

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New Perspectives on English Country Churches

I spent part of the weekend before last observing other people’s reactions to country churches they weren’t familiar with: On the Saturday, many visitors from beyond our parish attended the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival's autumn event at St Mary the Virgin, Hawkesbury - my local parish church. On Sunday, at St Andrew's Leighterton, I attended the last of five concerts in the inaugural…

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Bear With Me

This week, another post about an aspect of my writing life, as featured in the September issue of the Tetbury Advertiser. Tidying my study after the summer holidays, I declutter my desk, taking it down to bare essentials. There’s a pen tray and bottle of ink, a pencil pot, a shelf of project notebooks, and a stack of four in-trays, one tray for each area of my working-from-home life.

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How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Writer's block: it's a term lots of people bandy around as if it's some kind of medical or psychological condition that blocks creative flow. I have strong views about writer's block, which I shared in my talk the Troubador Publishing's annual Self Publishing Conference in Leicester on Saturday. While the talk is still fresh in my mind, I thought I'd share my reasoning in this week's blog post.

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Two Weddings and a Victory

Living in a small Cotswold village with a lively community provides ideas and inspiration for writing my cosy mystery novels. I've served on many committees, belonged to different organisations, and taken part in lots of activities since I moved here over thirty years ago. One of my favourite activities here is ringing the church bells, which were installed in our parish church of…

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The Secret Life of Button Boxes: Memories, Mysteries, and a Murder Clue

When, as a child, I used to play with my grandma’s button box, I admired each button like a tiny work of art. Born in 1900, Grandma grew up fastening her button-boots with buttonhooks. As a young woman, she embraced flapper styles. The contents of her tin gave a miniature history of twentieth-century fashion. My mum (91) still has her own button box from when she used to make clothes for her children.

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