My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
It’s ridiculous, really, that I hadn’t been to Scotland. I love travelling. I love the excitement of exploring new places, of filling my senses with new sights and scents and experiencing new cultures. I’ve been to some fascinating places: India, Israel, China, Africa, Mexico. And there are lots of places I want to go to, …
I’m excited to reveal the cover for my next novel, Five French Hens, which is available from December 10th. It’s a story about people seeking fulfilment and it shows that sometimes life’s routine appears fine until you move away from it and take a look from a different angle.It is a novel about celebrating life, …
I moved home about fifteen months ago, at the end of the summer of 2017, into a beautiful old farmhouse in the sticks. It is quirky, fairly spacious, perfectly habitable, well-loved by its previous owners; it’s in a fantastic setting of fields and trees, sheep, pigs, pheasants and buzzards, with great neighbours. Last winter was …
Continue reading Why I’ve stopped writing my new novel for at least a week…
I've just had an interesting conversation with a man who shovels poo for a living. More accurately, he has a machine which slurps waste from septic tanks and cess pits. Not the best job in the world, perhaps, but someone has to do it. On the plus side, it took him half an hour to stand …
Continue reading If a vegan diet is good for a septic tank, then it might just be good for us…
Coverage of major sporting events is difficult to escape: whether it is the World Cup, the Six Nations, Wimbledon or The Tour de France, it is regularly in front of our eyes, on the television and in the newspapers. It is the main talking point in the news, perhaps more than the NHS crisis or …
In complete harmony with my rock and roll lifestyle, I'm keen to celebrate my novel coming out in paperback today. Available at Waterstones, Tesco, Amazon, at all good bookshops throughout the UK, 'A Grand Old Time' has finally hit the shelves. I have been on book tours, had radio interviews, been featured in newspapers, on …
Continue reading My novel is out today! But how should I celebrate?
For International Women's Day, I've taken five writers who inspire me. I have chosen them because their use of language is unique and thrilling and because they do not follow other writers' rules and conventions. They are iconoclasts, writers who write their own way, in their own style, and the result is stunning. Have …
Continue reading Five inspirational writers on International Women’s Day.
Christmas is over and we have finished celebrating the arrival of a new year. It’s now a time when we can look forward to the wonderful gifts 2018 can bring. We all hope for health and happiness for ourselves and for those we love and we wish for world- wide peace and an end to …
People who love the taste of meat and then become vegetarians or vegans are admirable. The idea that you give up something you find delicious because of ethical beliefs or the idea that it is beneficial to your health is commendable. It's much easier for me. I've never liked eating meat. Some of my earliest …
It is autumn now. There is something new, something sharp, a scent of change in the air every morning and the fields are damp. A soft mist rises and leaves are already falling from trees. Autumn is a time when, if it's not raining, it's good to go for a walk and breathe cool air, …
That quintessence of dust 