Some time ago I read Roz Morris's first Nail Your Novel book, (Nail Your Novel: Why Writers Abandon Books and How You Can Draft, Fix and Finish With Confidence)which gives advice on what to do with a first draft and how to work on it so that you don't end up hurling the dratted thing into the shredder and taking up crochet instead. It so impressed me with its step-by-step guide and common sense that when I saw the author had published this follow up I bought it without even reading the blurb. Nail Your Novel: Bring Characters To Life is another gem of a book from Roz. Easy to read and broken down into manageable sections it helps you to create believable characters who won't just… Read more
I've never read a Stephen King novel, although it turns out I have seen some films and tv programmes based on them - I never knew he wrote The Green Mile, for instance. I bought this book because everyone seems to recommend it as a great read for would-be writers. I admit, I wasn't convinced, fearing it would be pretty dull for someone who wasn't a fan. Well, I was wrong. This book is incredibly easy to read. The writing style is so easy and flows so well that you just don't want to put it down. The book is divided into different parts - one part is about his life and the other about writing. At the end is a separate part which deals with an horrific accident that the author was… Read more
Where to start with this review? I have read several of Carole's books and have enjoyed every single one of them. She really is a truly gifted writer, able to draw the reader into the story, creating interesting and appealing characters and absorbing stories that can't fail to entertain. A Cottage by the Sea has her usual mix of personalities and situations, but there was something more to this novel somehow that made it stand out from the other Carole Matthews' novels I have read. The story is about a holiday in the charmingly named Cwtch Cottage on the Pembrokeshire coast, owned by artist Ella who lives with her band manager husband, Art. She has invited her long-term friends, Grace… Read more
