Category: My Writing

Time Away From The Desk Is Vital #writing #nature #mentalhealth #health #exercise

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Picture shows bluebell woodland path with beautiful sunrise through the trees and shafts of light

Word of the Month: Exercise

Now I’m no athlete, that’s for sure, but maintaining a degree of physical fitness is important to me. I’m fortunate and grateful to be in good health and of course I’d like to keep it that way. So taking time out of my working day at the writing desk for some daily exercise seems to me to be a no-brainer.

And my go-to form of exercise is definitely walking. I get out for a walk most days and usually walk for an hour or so. I’m lucky enough to live in a lovely Scottish village with woodland, riverside, hill and country track walks on my doorstep. So it’s no hardship to get out walking and I really don’t have to force myself to do it. In fact I miss it if other stuff gets in the way and I can’t get those vital steps done.

However, the walking thing isn’t only about getting my heart pumping and keeping those muscles and bones strong. It’s about my mental health and my creativity levels too.

For me, nothing beats a brisk walk for working off all those pesky stress hormones. Walking in the outdoors, hearing the birds sing, seeing the sky, the trees, and feeling the sun, wind, or even the rain (I’m in Scotland remember), all help to clear the head and lift the spirits.

But as well as the physical and mental benefits, I’ve found there’s a third benefit to be had. I’ve discovered that the creative part of my brain likes a walk too. I’ve lost count of the number of times when, while out for a walk, I’ve solved that pesky problem I’ve been having with the plot of the novel I’m working on at the time. Or I might have a light bulb moment about a character or a tricky piece of dialogue. And, I have to say, I’m rarely actively thinking about my writing when these breakthroughs and ideas pop into my head. It just happens.

So, yes, here’s to exercise and its multiple benefits.

Writing

And speaking of writing, I’m busy doing the final quarter of the current work-in-progress – and I’m loving how the story is unfolding. The working title is Happiness Cottage. It’s a contemporary romance – of course – and it’s set in a fictional village the Scottish Borders. I’m intending for it to be the first in a series of books all set in the same place with a different main couple in each. So although the books to come will all be able to be read as standalones, there will be a chance for series followers to catch up with characters they’ve met in previous books.

I’m enjoying the sparks that go off whenever grumpy farmer Aidan is with Australian visitor Lori and can’t wait to right the romantic ending.

However, setting up a series and inventing a whole community including a village and its neighbouring town is quite a challenge. But more about both these aspects in future posts.

Reading

Another great form of exercise in terms of our brains is, of course, reading. Along with the walking, and the writing it’s another thing I couldn’t do without and I always like to share the best of the books I’ve been reading here on the blog. And this month it’s a shout out for An Italian Island Summer by Sue Moorcroft, a favourite author of mine. Safe to say I loved it. I loved the Sicilian island setting, the two troubled main characters and the oh so romantic story. I can highly recommend this book as the perfect summer read.

From the back cover:

Will one summer in Sicily change her life for ever?

After her marriage falls apart, Ursula Quinn is offered the chance to spend the summer working at a hotel on a beautiful island off the coast of Sicily, Italy. Excited by a new adventure, she sets off at once.

At Residenza dei Tringali, Ursula receives a warm welcome from everyone except Alfio, son of the Tringali family. He gave up his life in Barcelona to help his mother Agata with the ailing business, and is frustrated with Ursula’s interference – and she in turn is less than impressed with his attitude. As they spend more time together, though, they begin to see each other in a different light.

But what with Ursula’s ex-husband on her tail, family secrets surfacing and an unexpected offer that makes Alfio question his whole life, there’s plenty to distract them from one another. Can she face her past and he his future, and together make the most of their Sicilian summer?

It’s available in paperback and ebook in bookshops and online.

Reflecting

So, yes, for me as writer and as a human being exercise in all its forms – whether it be for the body, mind or the imagination are all vital.

As always feel free to comment below with your thoughts on exercise or anything else you’d like to respond to from this post. And thank you for reading!

MY NEWSLETTER

And don’t forget, if you want a more intimate and focussed round up of my current writing such as updates on the work-in-progress, sneak peeks at same, early notification of publication dates, giveaways and lots more, do sign up for my author newsletter. And when you do you’ll receive A FREE BOOK of some of my romantic short stories as a thank you. Just click HERE and fill in your email address. 

MY LATEST BOOK

My latest novel is contemporary romance Baby Steps.

It’s available as an ebook and as a paperback and you can buy it HERE

If you’ve read it already please do consider leaving a review at the buy link above. Reviews no matter how brief are so helpful and I appreciate every one.

To find out more about all of my books just go to the BOOKS page HERE on the website.

Simplicity in Life and in Writing: Decluttering , Reorganising and Keeping it Simple #mentalhealth #writing #tidymind #reading #clutter

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Simplicity – word of the month for February

I’m a writer. I like words. Artists may say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I think a single word can say a lot too. So when I was thinking about my blog posts for 2023 and getting a bit bogged down with ideas, I decided to keep it simple. I would go for a one word theme for each month’s post. January’s one was Pause -hence no blog post last month as I took some time out to think through my writing plans and priorities.

And this month I’m sticking with the ‘keep it simple’ principle and February’s word is Simplicity.

Simplicity in my writing life

According to Wikipedia, the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore, simplicity should be a key goal in planning and design, and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. Keeping things simple is a great way of minimising stress. Getting rid of the mess, the stuff that no longer has any purpose, focussing in on what matters – all of theses things are beneficial to our quality of life in general and especially to our mental health. Now, I reckon I’m pretty good at keeping on top of any build up of clutter in my house. I regularly tidy out cupboards and drawers and donate/recycle/dispose of any items that are no longer earning their space – and whenever I do, I feel better for it. But I’m not so good at the decluttering thing when it comes to my writing.

The clutter

I’m currently writing a contemporary romance that I’m hoping will be the first in a series. I’ve never written a series before – not one where the 2 main characters will be different in each book – but the setting will remain the same. And I must admit for a while there I was finding it quite hard to get on with telling the story of book 1 without being distracted by possibilities for future books in the series. I had so many scrappy notes – on post-its, on random bits of paper, in notebooks …

I’m also trying to get better at marketing my novels. There is so much advice out there about how to do this, lots of courses, lots of experts and my head was spinning trying to decide what route to take in order to achieve worldwide acclaim (okay, maybe not worldwide acclaim but just maybe reaching more readers). And as with the series notes above, I was drowning in notes – whole folders of them – and for so many different avenues.

And thirdly, my workspace was, until a week ago, driving me nuts. The layout wasn’t working, the cupboard was full of yet more folders of stuff – stuff I hadn’t looked at in ages, stuff I couldn’t even remember was there.

The declutter

So I set about simplifying all three problem areas.

First up – the series plan:

I made a list of character names and personalities/lifestyles to go with them.

I listed various tropes – such as enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, forced proximity

I matched the listed characters to each other and to a trope

I chose which of those characters would get a mention in book 1 and any settings such as their workplace that might need to be mentioned in book 1 too  – such as the medical practice or primary school. I noted at which point in book 1 (if any) they would need to be mentioned.

Result – much less brain fluff when writing and an easy reference point at hand on my desk. Way cleared for progress.

Second – the marketing

I went through all the emails about marketing courses, the notes for the courses I’ve already taken, and looked at the strategies employed by authors who write similar novels to me.

I made a short list of priorities/preferences for developing the marketing of my books in future and made a plan for how to achieve that.

I got rid of the masses of stuff  – electronic and on paper that I’ll never get round to reading or doing.

Result – no more physical and mental clutter weighing me down and preventing any decision making. I now have a simple plan with three priorities for developing my knowledge and expertise in book marketing.

Third – the workspace

The photo above is of my newly sorted, reconfigured and much more simple writing room. I spent a day sorting through the cupboard and the desk drawers and then with the help of bigger and stronger other half completely changed the layout of the room. I even moved the pinboard and the pictures on the walls. And I’m loving this new, much more efficient, streamlined and simplified space.

And again, a cleared physical space also equals a cleared headspace.

So, as you can see, KISSING is working for this romance author. Here’s to simplicity!

Book of the Month

Still on the theme of simplicity – there are surely few, if any, more simple pleasures than reading. It’s certainly my go-to downtime activity and here on the blog I like to share my most recent favourite read. And for February’s post that book is:

 Queen of Grime by Helen Forbes. This is a first rate crime thriller set in Edinburgh. You can buy it HERE

From the back cover:

The Queen of Grime is about to pay. Big time.


Erin Flett is used to clearing up the sad debris of forgotten lives and tragic deaths. A crime and trauma scene cleaner from a deprived Edinburgh housing estate, she’s made a good life for herself and her daughter. But a secret from the past is about to catch up with her.

Ten years ago, Erin told a desperate lie with serious consequences. Now, someone else knows, and they’re determined to make Erin and her loved ones pay.

Following a terrifying late-night attack, the tension mounts until Erin doesn’t know who she can trust. As she struggles to keep her family safe, little does she realise just how close the danger is…


Queen of Grime is the first in a new series introducing Erin Flett, crime and trauma scene cleaner, and a rich cast of characters, set against the backdrop of the city of Edinburgh. With an occasional undertone of dark humour, it is a tale of family lies and family ties, friendships, secrets and loss.

And that’s it for this month. As always feel free to comment below, you could share your way of keeping things simple, or your own book of the month, or any other observations that occurred while you were reading this. Thank you for reading!

MY NEWSLETTER

And don’t forget, if you want a more intimate round up of my current writing such as updates on the work-in-progress, sneak peeks at same, early notification of publication dates, giveaways and lots more do sign up for my author newsletter. And when you do you’ll receive a free book of some of my romantic stories as a thank you. Just click HERE and fill in your email address. 

MY LATEST BOOK

My latest novel is contemporary romance Baby Steps.

Sparks fly in this love-against-the-odds romance

Estranged from her mother, cheated on by her ex and grieving the loss of her brother, emotionally distraught Sophie Campbell decides she needs to focus on her career as a researcher for a TV and radio broadcaster. What she doesn’t need is a man in her life. And as for marriage and children – definitely not.

Honourably discharged from the British army following life-changing injuries sustained while serving in Afghanistan, Steven Jackson is rehabilitated and embracing life to the full. Working as the manager of a support centre for military veterans brings him a great sense of pride and achievement. But he wants more. He wants to meet the love of his life, and to one day be a husband and father.

When Sophie and Steven meet through work, there’s an undeniable chemistry between the two thirty-somethings. But will Steven’s open, caring and patient ways be enough to break down Sophie’s barriers and allow a relationship to develop between them?

Set in the Scottish city of Glasgow, Baby Steps is a contemporary romance which tells a story of love against the odds.

Baby Steps is a spin-off novel from Anne Stormont’s Skye Series of novels. Sophie is the daughter of Rachel one of the main characters in that series and features as a character in the supporting cast, as does Steven. However, Baby Steps can be read as a standalone.

Baby Steps is available as an ebook and as a paperback and you can buy it HERE

To find out more about all of my books just go to the BOOKS page HERE on the website

Three Inspirational UK Charities: the wonderful organisations which informed my writing #support #inspiration #writing @VeteranFdn @venturetrust @macmillancancer

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Sources of Inspiration

I often get asked by my readers where I get the ideas for my books from. And the answer is my novels are inspired by lots of things. It can be people, places or events that get me thinking and then imagining what if … Or it can be a completely made up something or someone that just pops into my head and I decide that that little seed is worth exploring. And before I know it I have the elements of a full length story planned out and the writing begins.

However, the inspiration process doesn’t end there. As I write and get to know my characters, other ideas come along that need exploring too. Thinking about this recently, I was quite surprised to realise that in all my books so far a main character’s life has been impacted by a common factor. It wasn’t a conscious decision to make this be the case, it just fitted with the storyline. And I’m glad it did as it did indeed prove to be inspirational.

 Three Amazing Charities

The common factor is the work of several charitable organisations and there are three in particular that helped me develop my stories.

The first one is the Veterans Foundation. The work of this organisation informed and inspired aspects of army veteran, Steven’s, story in Baby Steps namely his job and recovery from his injuries.

VETERANS FOUNDATION

https://www.veteransfoundation.org.uk/our-story/

From their website:

Who does the Veterans’ Foundation help and how?

Our journey began by sharing the stories of our Armed Forces family on social media and this quickly escalated into a large, trusted community of friends and supporters. In just a few years we’ve engaged and interacted with millions of you, celebrating our Armed Forces and bringing hope of a better life to those in need of care and assistance.

Our supporters, you, are the heartbeat of the Veterans’ Foundation and through your kind donations, fundraising events and by playing our popular Veterans’ Lottery, challenges are being faced, overcome, and lives are changing for the better.

The second one is Venture Trust. The work of this charity helped inspire and inform the project that Jack, the hero in the Skye series of novels – Displacement, Settlement and Fulfilment – set up to help others like himself whose mental health benefitted from outdoor based therapy.

VENTURE TRUST

https://www.venturetrust.org.uk/about-us/

From their website:

Established in 1982, Venture Trust delivers intensive personal development for people, at any stage in their life, struggling with issues such as involvement in the criminal justice system in Scotland, long term unemployment, recovery from addiction, homelessness or risk of homelessness, isolation, and a history of trauma or harm. 

By building trust and ensuring that people feel safe they can explore their complex experiences through personal development and therapy in their community and the Scottish outdoors.

The outdoors offers inherent challenge for individuals to reflect on beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. With time and space away from influences at home, individuals can unlock skills and learn new, more positive, ways of approaching situations.

And the third one Is Macmillan Cancer Support. This is a charity I have personal experience of and I’ll be forever grateful for the support they provided to me. But apart from that this charity was a source of information to me when I was writing my first book Change of Life and the main female character got her own cancer diagnosis.

MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support

From their website:

Cancer information and support

If you or someone you care about has been diagnosed with cancer, we’re here to help. Find out how we support you and get information about different cancer types.

Please, if you’re interested, do visit any of the above charities’ websites to learn more. They are all UK/Scotland based – but if you’re not in the UK, perhaps there are similar ones where you live? Of course all three of the organisations I’ve mentioned are dependent on financial donations to continue their wonderful work and I support all three of them – whether that’s by making donations, following and sharing their work on social media, or by giving them a shout out here on the blog.

What about you?

And now, as always, it’s over to you. Are there any charities you support or have helped you deal with life’s challenges? Please do share in the comments below. Or, If you’re a writer, do you have ‘go to’ sources of inspiration/information for your novels – charities or otherwise?