A Broad Abroad: Moving House

I set up this blog back in December 2007. Many of my posts have been travel-related. Some of the earliest ones were a series called: Emails to the Big Chief, based on the messages I might have sent home (but didn't) to my mother while I was travelling in Russia.

It's About Time

After all the effort of getting ready for Christmas—an effort that we are encouraged by the shops to commence earlier each year—it’s sobering to think how quickly the holiday passed us by. I know time is supposed to speed up as one gets older, but I suspect for most people of any age, 25th December seems an age ago. 

The lights have come down, the trees are packed away or piled up at the allotments awaiting shredding. We’re half-way through January already! And, if the commentators are to be believed, 90% of us will already have broken—or will be on the way to breaking—our New Year’s resolutions. 

Elizabeth Chats With...Paul Toolan

One of the things I love about my adopted home in the South West of England is the large number of writers who live down here, and the level of networking and support that provides. This month, I'm chatting to Paul Toolan, another member of the new group, West of England Authors. Paul writes detective fiction.

SMART Self-Assessment

This time last year, I posted an article about SMART objectives, and listed those I was planning to achieve in the coming year. Getting ready to do a repeat performance this morning, I thought I’d better review last year’s list to see how I got on. So here goes:

A Broad Abroad: Christmas in Jordan

Early evening, I’m sitting in Amman airport.  It’s Ramadan and the daily fast is about to end.  All around me are women and children, still and silent as statues, apart from occasional surreptitious glances at watches.  Suddenly, with no obvious signal, everyone moves at once.  Bags are opened, sandwiches unwrapped, fruit peeled.  The silence is replaced by murmurs of pleasure as hunger is swiftly appeased.  My neighbour offers to share her bag of dates.  I’ve not fasted, but they are so delicious, I almost miss my husband walking out of Arrivals.  So begins our most unusual and wonderful Christmas ever.

Elizabeth Chats With...T A Williams

In the last few months, I have become part of a loose groups of writers called West of England Authors who are exploring ways of promoting ourselves and our books in the increasingly crowded literary world. One of the people I have met is Trevor Williams who writes romantic fiction under the pen name T A Williams.

Time For A Change?

As the year draws to a close, many of us reflect on what we have achieved during the past twelve months and start planning for the future, This morning, I'm thinking about my blog posts.

And Relax...

As we get older, it appears that time speeds up. I seem to start every Christmas letter (and yes, I do write one of those dreaded things, but it only goes to a few friends that I know want to catch up on the details of our lives) with the words: where has the year gone?

Well today I am saying instead: where has the month gone? Four weeks ago, I posted about taking part in this year's NaNoWriMo. Fifty thousand words to write, thirty days in which to do it - plenty of time!

A Broad Abroad: Home is Where The Heart Is

Not long after the Soviet Union collapsed, I was asked to visit Kabardino Balkarya to carry out a technical due dilligence on a funding bid. A local businessman was hoping to convert a defunct electronics plant in to a factory for the production pharmaceutical infusions (large bags of sterile fluids) and had applied for a loan from an international bank to finance the project.

There Are No Words...

...to describe what most people must have felt when the news broke of Friday's atrocity in Paris. Angry, or distraught, or frightened, or belligerent, or heartbroken; they all seem terribly inadequate somehow.

Elizabeth Chats With...Terry Tyler

Two months ago, I interviewed my wonderful proofreader, Julia Gibbs. Now I'd like to introduce you to the woman who first put me in touch with Julia—her sister. She is a prolific author of contemporary novels described by her fans as a mix  of drama and romantic suspense with the occasional bit of rock fiction. She is also a book reviewer, blogger and originator of the highly amusing Zodiac files. This month, I am chatting to Terry Tyler. 

It's All About Quantity

November is the month when hundreds of thousands of writers from all over the world challenge themselves to write fifty thousand words in just thirty days. It’s sometimes hard to explain to a non-writer why we would want to turn out a large quantity of what is quite often garbage. Because, National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo) is very definitely about quantity not quality.

A Broad Abroad: Victoria Falls

In the previous instalment of this occasional series based on a trip to 1990s Zimbabwe, we toured Hwange Game Park and saw the 'big five' animals - eventually. Now read on...

A Novel Is Announced

Anyone who has read part 3 of my Business of Writing series, Improving Effectiveness, or indeed read Terry Tyler's Z Files last week where I exposed my inner Virgo, knows that I set great store by planning. In fact, it is sometimes suggested I would get more done by spending less time writing plans and just doing things instead.

Elizabeth Chats With...Bea Hutchings

I first met this month's guest when she turned up at a meeting of our local writers' circle. Then she emailed us to say she was looking for guests for her radio show. I volunteered before I had a chance to lose my nerve and, although I was petrified going on air, my host was so relaxed and so professional, I loved every moment of it and have been back several times since. She spends a lot of time interviewing other people; this time we're turning the tables on her. I am delighted to be chatting with Bea Hutchings, or Sooty, as she is known to her listeners on Riviera fm. 

The Sound of Music

This weekend reminded me just what a big part music plays in my life; and not just one particular genre, but a whole variety.

Chilling By The River

After three days of full-on treats, and rather more walking than we'd promised ourselves, today is a fairly unstructured day. We are meeting friends for lunch, but otherwise the day is ours.

Serendipity Day

Today we have plans for the afternoon and evening, but leave the morning to look after itself, heading in the general direction of Covent Garden. For people who usually know exactly where we are going - and how long it will take to get there - it is an unusual experience.

Where Have All The Years Gone?

The main protagonist in my current work-in-progress, which is set in 2004, lives in Vauxhall and works out of an office in St Thomas' Hospital. So we start our day on Westminster Bridge, strolling along the embankment, taking in the sights she would see on her journey to and from work and trying to work out what the skyline would have looked like eleven years ago.

Country Mice Go To The City

"Let's promise ourselves we won't walk our feet off this time," says Michael as we pack our cases. I happily agree, knowing we will blissfully abandon our promise as soon as we hit the city. It happens every time: Paris, Barcelona, Granada; every city looks small on the map, but turns out to be much larger in reality.