People often imagine a writer’s life as one of solitary confinement—a lone figure hunched over a typewriter in a dark room, perhaps with a single candle for company. I’m happy to report that the reality is much more social! While the actual act of putting words on the page is a private one, I find…
There is a common misconception that mystery authors spend their evenings exclusively with a magnifying glass and a stack of Golden Age detective novels. While I do love a classic whodunit, a significant portion of my life is spent reading far outside my own genre. If you were to peer at my current bedside table,…
After telling you about the inspiring places around it, it’s time to look at Hebden Bridge itself. While it doesn’t have historic literary stars like Haworth and Heptonstall, it has something perhaps more vibrant: a living, breathing community of writers, poets, and avid readers. A Sanctuary for Stories For decades, Hebden Bridge has been a…
Just a short, dramatic drive over the tops from Hebden Bridge, where I live, lies Haworth, a village that has become synonymous with the most famous literary family in history. For a mystery writer, the Brontës represent the ultimate closed circle—three sisters and a brother, isolated in a parsonage, creating vast, tumultuous worlds from the…
Friday is my writing day. I write every day (the writing muse loves a writing routine), but Friday is different… On Friday, I do nothing but write…Well, I also drink coffee and eat cake. But those are purely fuel for the writing. I’m lucky enough to have a full-time, successful indie author friend here in…