My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
It comes up time and time again, the question of writers’ block, mostly from people who aren’t writers. That makes sense. I’m not a builder, so I’d ask a builder, ‘Isn’t that job overwhelming when you first start it?’ I’m not a politician. ‘Don’t you wake up sometimes and think, ‘How on earth am I …
I recently had a reading week between writing and edits. I love to do this because it’s inspiring to read others’ work and because it gives my head a break from writing or editing. There’s a lot of editing in my life at the moment because I’ve fitted in my exciting new cozy series, so …
I have a friend who asks leading questions to friends and family instead of watching hours of TV, to encourage discussion and share opinions. It’s not groundbreaking stuff, but it’s a great idea to get people to share their thoughts and maybe take in others’ viewpoints and ideas. I love it. So she asked her …
Continue reading Who was the woman who influenced you the most?
I began to ponder this question after a friend commented that another friend had a really good marriage. Being naturally inquisitive, I wondered what that meant. What constitutes a good relationship? We’ve come a long way since ‘honour and obey,’ I hope. Surely a partnership has to be equal, reciprocal and symbiotic? But what does …
How often do I read that phrase in reviews of books? 'I hated that character.' 'I didn’t like that character.' ' The character was horrible.' Some reviewers never do it and are much better reviewers for it. Some do it and qualify their comments – they get that not all characters are loveable. That’s a …
Here's a short story, a prequel to my new cozy crime series, beginning with Death in the Dordogne. It's published on August 10th and you can read iit here. This tells how DI Archie Darling met Juno, the Dalmatian you'll read about in every book in the series. Juno. DI Archie Darling stared at his …
Meet DI Archie Darling, the main character of the new series. The first one, Death in the Dordogne, is out in August and A Body in Bordeaux follows fast on its heels in January. So, meet Archie Darling. Archie is fair haired, thirty nine years old, from County Mayo. He is sharp witted, mischievous, up …
Continue reading All About Archie Darling. Meet the hero of my new cozy crime series…
As an author, I recognise that wide reading is important for me. Other writers’ books inspire me and set me thinking about the craft and the effect of the narrative on readers. I love to take a few days off writing, and read all sorts of books in all sorts of genres. I’m always a …
Continue reading Three books I’ve just read. I wonder what you’ll think of them…
I was sad to read about the death of Bonnie Tyler a while back. I’m not a great Bonnie fan, but she was really good at what she did. And for the rest of the day after I heard the news, I had her song Holding out for a Hero running through my head. Over …
Hi. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write a blog. I’ve been flat out working, which has felt strange to be inside the house as the sun blazes outside. It’s been cool indoors at the laptop encased in stone walls, and blindingly bright outside in the sunshine at coffee break time. Then …
That quintessence of dust 