My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
So my final Seal Bay novel is out now,(23rd August,) just in time for the big Christmas rush! It’s the fourth in the series, titled Mince Pies and Murder. I had a great time writing it, wrangling with the characters, tying up all the loose ends. And I’ve had some really lovely comments from readers, …
Continue reading Morwenna Mutton, Cozy Crime And My Next Series.
I have a problem when I go travelling; wherever I pause, I imagine putting down roots. Of course, it doesn’t last long but, for a short while, I think ‘I want to live here.’ The first time I went to Cornwall’s beaches, I thought I’d gone to heaven. The first time I went to the …
I recently read There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak and absolutely loved it. It’s currently reviewed at 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon and I highly recommend it. So much so that I left a five star review. So many other people loved it too, so I’m in good company. Of …
Continue reading A Plea to Readers: Please Leave Book Reviews
I've got a great summer recipe for you. And it's bursting with goodness. It's delicious and your friends will love it. Don't be put off by using avocados in a key lime pie. It's perfect and you won't taste them. The avocado or avocado pear is an evergreen tree in the laurel family. It is …
Sometimes my daily word count impresses people. I don’t seek to impress anyone, but often writers find it difficult to write a large number of words in one go. Or even start writing a novel. That's normal. But for some reason, I don’t have that problem. People say, ‘How many words did you write this …
Continue reading When I Wrote Five Thousand Eight Hundred Words In One Day…
Let’s start this blog post by saying that our sense of smell is a gift. I’m fascinated by smells; I have a keen sense of smell. I can often smell things others can’t. And I love to include smells as an integral part of my writing. It’s evocative.It's beautiful. Or it's powerful. While walking in …
A few weeks ago, I blogged about an audio play that was recorded in my living room. It was no amateur jaunt though. Many of the cast had performed before, in various plays on stage and screen, and the writer is a gifted professional with several published books to her credit. We recorded the play …
I loved writing The Silver Ladies Do Lunch, and the stand-alone follow-up, The Silver Ladies Seize the Day. I enjoy writing every novel, immersing myself in characters and plots and emotions, and I suppose there are different reasons why each novel feels just a little bit different. This one is number twenty four, but I …
Continue reading The Silver Ladies Seize the Day. (And why we should all do the same.)
I’ve been catching up on reading, researching and discovering new books that inspire. Reading outside, in the sunshine, is such a lovely way to spend lazy time, the body resting and rocking in a hammock, the mind travelling to a place far, far away. The two books I've recently read come under the category of …
Continue reading Two Recommended Reads, for Different Reasons.
I have to share this with you. I had some great fun the other weekend. A friend wrote a radio play, a comedy full of zany characters, and she wanted to record it. Her intention was to do a quality demo that might one day land on the desk of someone of influence, who’d recognise …
That quintessence of dust 