My advance copies of 'Ursula's Secret' have arrived! It is an amazing feeling to hold a book with my name on it in my hands - very, very exciting but quite surreal too. It also means the work I'd scheduled for today on the next book is unlikely to happen as Ursula just keeps getting in the way. Hey ho...guess I'll have to give in and go celebrate!

.I'm very excited to let you know that we'll be launching Ursula's Secret on November 4th at 6pm at Waterstones West End, Princes Street, Edinburgh.

The event will be held in the Cafe W area on the top floor, It's free and there will be refreshments, but as space is limited it would be really helpful if you could RSVP on the Facebook event page where you'll find full details. Thanks and hope to see you there! 

Please RSVP here https://www.facebook.com/events/1504180023240009/ 

A brilliant weekend at another successful Portobello Book Festival. Can't believe how good a programme they give us every year - and the whole thing is run entirely by volunteers. Very impressive.

The opening inheritance-themed event on Friday night included music from the Lothian B'Us Male Voice Choir (I'll never get on a bus again without hoping the driver will burst into song) and a beautiful song from Rosie Nimmo to raise funds for the refugee crisis (Clouds Colliding - check it out) as well as a couple of sets from The Blue Moon Travellers and a few tunes from Doug Johnstone who also read a short story. Other readings included more short stories, essay extracts and poetry, and it was lovely to be given the opportunity to read an extract from Ursula's Secret. Highlights from the rest of the weekend included a writing and yoga workshop run by Meaghan Delahunt and Brigid Collins - hope they'll do more of these - and Val McDermid talking about her inheritance books. For obvious reasons, I was particularly interested in hearing novelists Catherine Simpson (Truestory) and Lucy Ribchester (The Hourglass Factory) talking to Lynsey May about their experiences of having their first novels published and what happens next. Always good to know what to expect...

,Friday 2nd October 8-1030 pm FREE EVENT

​Will be reading a short extract from 'Ursula's Secret' at Portobello Book Festival opening event on Friday evening and then enjoying many of the free events over the rest of the weekend. If you're in the area and love books, hope you'll join us and support this brilliant volunteer-run all-free festival. Tickets available from Portobello Library or on the door for most events.

Last Wednesday Thomas from Black and White Publishing turned up with camera and lights and so on and got me to talk about Ursula's Secret. Writing it was a lot easier,

I think there may be another one with Q&As coming soon but in the meantime, hope you enjoy this one! 
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