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Well I do, and I am sure that many other authors do too.  I am now at the final stage of the DI Andy Horton marine mystery police procedural novel, number seven in the series, and I am checking the words and phrases and making sure that everything hangs together. This should take me probably one more week depending on other commitments then it will be off to my editor.  At this stage I get the feeling of relief mixed with anxiety: is it good enough? Should I re-write one more time? Could I have changed anything? Too late when I’ve pressed the send button and it’s gone to my editor. I also experience a sadness. I've lived with Andy Horton and Sergeant Cantelli, with alpha male, Superintendent Uckfield and the ice maiden, DCI Lorraine Bliss for well over six months and I'm sorry to leave them. Solution?  Start the next DI Andy Horton. The ideas are there and soon I'll be mapping out the plot lines and thinking about sub plots and with this stage...

Tide of Death , the first Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel is to be published in China soon and the cover was posted on Facebook by the translator of the novel. I can't wait to receive my author copies.  The cover design and title is the same as the UK version but I have no idea what the Chinese on the cover means. When I get a larger version of the cover I'll post it here. Tide of Death is the first in the Inspector Andy Horton series of murder mystery novels. Horton lives on his sailing boat, a Winkle Brig, after being ejected from the marital home and rides a Harley Davidson. It is DI Andy Horton’s second day back in Portsmouth CID after being suspended for eight months. Whilst out running in the early morning he trips over the naked battered body of a man on the beach. PC Evans has been stabbed the night before, the DCI is up before a promotion board and Sergeant Cantelli is having trouble with his fifteen-year-old daughter. But Horton’s ...

Exciting because it is fresh unchartered waters and although I have a basic plot outline and character sketches I'm still not sure where the tide will take me and which shore my novel will wash up on. It is tense too because I am in a hurry to write it as fast as I can while my head is full of ideas.  I try to resist editing too much as I write the first draft because editing slows down the creative process and it is very easy to get hooked on editing and therefore postpone finishing the novel. However, because I research as I go along and the characters and plot grow, some editing is inevitable. I resist the temptation though to revise every paragraph, sentence and word, that can come later.  The aim is to write the first draft as quickly as possible. So a good rule, which I therefore try to follow (although not always successfully) is to begin each day from the last sentence I wrote the preceding day. So far I am up to chapter fou...

I walked over the farm behind our house at the weekend and found a new sign had been erected marking the area of one of Britain's largest  Roman Temples, which is now in the middle of a wheat field, called Touncil Field, I believe.  The dry spring has exposed the outline of the temple built around 60AD, which was excavated between 1897 and 1907 and again between 1976 and 1978.  The farmer has kindly ploughed the outline of the temple and erected additional signs allowing people to walk around the temple, just as long as they keep to the paths and don't trample all over his crop. My husband and I duly obeyed his instructions and soon on this flat landscape that gives way to the sea in Chichester Harbour I found myself standing in the doorway of the temple. It's at times like this I wish I could travel back and see what it had been like then, and then return to the present day.  How different the area must have looked with hedgerow...

I'm off to the Express FM studio today to re-record my interview with Rob Richardson, which was first recorded two weeks ago but suffered a technical hitch, so we're doing it again.  I don't mind though.  It's always good fun talking to Rob Richardson who also runs a very lively writing group and web site called Write-Invite  which has some very exciting and rather unusual short story writing competitions.  I'm not sure when my interview will be broadcast, possibly next Tuesday evening between 7pm and 8pm, but I'll check this out and post something here. Meanwhile the new marine mystery crime novel (or as they call them in the States, my police procedural) is coming along quite nicely. I've written the first two chapters but there's still a lot of research to do yet before it all comes together.  P.S I'm very pleased VAT wasn't added on books in the Chancellor's budget, but not so pleased about the rate being increased on audio and e bo...

Writing isn't just about bashing a novel out on a keyboard but much of the time is spent thinking through the plots and characters, and yesterday I did plenty of that on a twelve mile walk on the Isle of Wight. It was a glorious day, with a fresh northerly breeze, which was perfect walking weather.  The sea was sparkling blue under a clear sky and the rolling countryside rich with the beauty of the wild flowers: Poppies, Daisies, Buttercups, Foxgloves and Sea Campion, and the shrubs fragrant with Honeysuckle and Apple-Scented Roses. It was good to get away from the computer for a day, and there was plenty of time to both enjoy the countryside and sea shore and think through the next Inspector Horton marine mystery crime novel.  And the thinking continues even now that I have physically started writing the first draft, the seventh in the series. I like to begin as soon as I can and then research as I go along. Now I am pleased that I've started and ...

Here are a couple of spectacular photographs taken by Peter Rocchiccioli when I was on board the Wightlink ferry, St Clare, which travels from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, doing a book signing, organised by the Hayling Island Bookshop. This is Andy Horton's country, the Solent on the south coast of England and the setting for my marine mystery crime novels. This picture is taken from the upper deck of the St Clare and looks down on the Town Camber and across to the Cathedral in Old Portsmouth.  You'll find the location in many of the Horton novels, but particularly in Deadly Waters and The Suffocating Sea. And this picture is of a ferry sailing through the narrow entrance to Portsmouth Harbour.  It's a fascinating and vibrant area with lots going on, including mystery, murder and intrigue....!!

Read an e book Week is now over for another year. My crime thriller novel, In For The Kill , was offered as a free e book for one week only, between 7-13 March 2010. Some authors wouldn’t agree with giving away free copies of their novels but sometimes it is a good way to raise one’s profile and introduce your work to people who might not normally come across you or be inclined to pick up one of your novels to read. Analysing the early results of this marketing activity, it seems to have been successful. In For The Kill was mentioned on the Read an E Book Week web site, on several blogs, in the book trade press, and of course on my own blogs and social network sites, including Twitter and Facebook, thereby generating traffic to my official web site. Over 400 copies of In For The Kill were downloaded and many more web pages viewed with some new readers signing up to my regular e newsletter. Analysing the long term results of this activity is a little more difficult because ev...

I was inspired to dash off this little ditty this afternoon after reading a 'Rhyme On Publishing' on a great little blog written by Sophie Dean http://www.bitbookish.com/2010/02/08/rhyme/ Writers in Rhyme We toil away for days and days With pen and PC in a writer’s haze Creating, researching, dreaming up plots Until many months later we have something hot. We hone and revise until sick of the thing Then it’s off to the editor with an e mail ping. We wait for weeks and with bated breath Has it been given the kiss of death? Some minor changes just here and there We make them grudgingly, but with flair. Copy edits and proofs keep us very busy And the cover image makes us feel rather dizzy! Then silence follows for weeks, maybe more Until a lumpy parcel arrives at our door. The novel’s in print, hurrah you cry But are sales and marketing giving it a try? If you’re really lucky, or quite well known You’ll get some PR from a girl called Joan. Is it selling wel...

I know I've covered this here before but because it's the question that people ask me most often I thought there would be no harm in covering it again, albeit in a different way and with more information. People are genuinely fascinated to learn where writers get their ideas from and many people tell me they'd never be able to come up with an idea for a book let alone enough ideas for a series of novels.  But ideas really are the easy part of writing - once you have trained your mind to openly look for them, or spot them when they miraculously occur - it is turning the ideas into a novel of 80,000-100,000 words that is the tricky bit. Ideas for novels come from a variety of sources: overheard conversations, stories relayed by others, personal experience, locations and the news, which pops up in my Google Reader: for example a Windsurfing Festival on Hayling Island could serve as a potential investigation for an Inspector Andy Horton marine myste...

This morning I did some location research for the Inspector Horton crime novel I am currently writing, which will be number six in the marine mystery crime series. (Called marine mysteries because they are all set against the backdrop of the sea, around the Solent area on the south coast of England).  This  Horton novel is again based in Portsmouth and around the harbours of Portsmouth and Langstone, and this time also around the historic and splendid ruins of Portchester Castle. (Photograph courtesy of the English Heritage web site).   Portchester Castle is an impressive ruin of a Roman 'Saxon Shore' fort, originally built in the late 3rd century.   "It is the only Roman stronghold in northern Europe whose walls still mainly stand to their full 6 metre height, complete with most of their originally twenty towers," and well worth a visit if you are in the area. There are stunning views over Paulsgrove Lake into Portsmouth Harbour. And there's al...

I'm delighted to announce that the second  marine mystery crime novel featuring my rugged fictional detective, Inspector Andy Horton, has been selected as one of ten titles to be featured in a special promotion in the UK throughout February aimed at promoting new and burgeoning talent. Deadly Waters will be featured as part of an "Arts Council initiative in conjunction with Legend Press called ‘Exclusively Independent’ aimed at bringing independent bookshops and independent publishers together to feature some of the best books from new and burgeoning talented authors." Wow! Books are selected on a monthly basis by an industry panel to feature in the promotion. Participating libraries in London are Shepherds Bush, Hammersmith and Fulham. Co-operating bookshops include: Housmans Bookshop, Peckham Review, Bolingbroke, City Books, Scarthin Books, Red Lion Books, The Family Bookshop and One Tree Books, and I think there might be others. My books are already sold nationw...

The answer to the above riddle is this little gem of an article which has just popped into my Google Reader from the Isle of Wight County Press. It's a  serious story because criminal damage is no laughing matter but I will just have to weave this into one of my Inspector Horton crime novels somewhere. You can read the article by clicking on the link below to see what I mean but here is a little extract: Toilet rolls caught fire in suspected arson : "WITNESSES have been urged to come forward after an incident in which toilet rolls caught fire at public toilets in Ryde." Investigating officer PC Dave Dovey said: "I’m keen to speak with a group of men and women, aged in their late teens to 20s, who may have important information. One of the group was described as a young man, possibly walking on stilts. Another was a woman with pink hair. All of the group were described as dressing in Gothic style clothes." Now they shouldn't have been hard to miss!

My fictional detective, Inspector Andy Horton's home patch of Portsmouth, England has reached the finals of the bid for the UK's City of Culture 2013. The neighbouring cities of Chichester and Southampton are also on the list of 14 final hopefuls, which is great news because the heroes in my stand alone crime thriller novels, In Cold Daylight and In For the Kill also visit those cities.  My novels are set on the South Coast of England. Portsmouth is my home town.  It is where I was raised and the primary setting for my contemporary marine mystery crime novels so I'm obviously going to be biased in rooting for it.  I am often asked why set my crime novels here?  Why not?  There is a belief in some publishing circles that only novels set in London are acceptable or will sell worldwide, but that is nonsense as many crime fiction fans know. Many are set in Yorkshire, Scotland, the Cotswolds and the West Country along with crime novels ...

At this time of the year I like to look back over the year's major writing achievements and activities (before looking forward to the coming year) so I thought I'd do a quick round up of all that has happened regarding my writing in 2009.  Hope it doesn't bore you, but if it does you can always click off. February 2009 The Suffocating Sea , the third Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel, was published in trade paperback in February 2009. It was chosen as one of the Top Ten BEST OF BRITISH CRIME FICTION by The Book Depository, the fastest growing book distributor in Europe. I was on Angel Radio, Havant.  I was also on Wolf Radio, Wolverhampton talking about my crime novels and the unsolved murder of my Great Aunt Martha Giles who was killed fifty years ago, and my thwarted efforts to get the case re-opened. March 2009 The mass market paperback edition of Deadly Waters was published in March 2009. The second in the marine mystery seri...

Tide of Death is the first in the marine mystery series of crime fiction novels, featuring the flawed and rugged DI Andy Horton.

Lee-on-the-Solent Library is my destination this afternoon to give a talk about my marine mystery crime novels and my life as a writer. It's a lovely little place with a High Street set just off the seafront. I'll be able to gaze across the Solent, which of course, is Inspector Andy Horton's patch, to the Isle of Wight beyond, getting a view of the western part of the Island and Cowes - a different view of the Island compared to that seen from Portsmouth and Hayling Island where we look across to Ryde and the eastern reaches of Bembridge. I haven't featured Lee in my crime novels, but there's time yet.  The Andy Horton I am currently writing, ( number six) is coming along a treat.  It's a shame though that the World's biggest liner has sailed.  It was anchored off Lee-on-the Solent (and not Southampton as the Daily Telegraph reported). The Oasis of the Seas is longer than four football pitches and cost £800m. The 6,296-passenger Oasis of the Seas dropp...

I've just received the cover image for the new Inspector Horton marine mystery crime novel which is being published by Severn House on 26 February 2010. I hope you like it. The design follows through from my previous crime novels by using the marine theme. Blood on the Sand is the fifth in the crime series to feature the flawed and rugged detective and is set on the Isle of Wight rather than Horton's usual patch in Portsmouth.   It is being published in hardcover in the UK and the USA and is already availabe to pre-order through Amazon.

I visited Ventnor Library today, and for those of you who have no idea where Ventnor is it’s on the beautiful Isle of Wight (IOW), which is situated across the Solent from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, where Inspector Horton of my marine mystery crime novels does his best to catch villains and make the streets a safer place for law abiding citizens.  And no, there wasn't a body in the library, at least not a dead one but lots of very lively people making use of the facilities including a group of children who were listening intently to a story being told them. The Isle of Wight features in one of my crime thriller novels, In For The Kill and in my new Inspector Horton, Blood on the Sand , which will be published by Severn House on 26 February 2010. And just in case anyone from Southampton or Lymington is reading this blog then I had better quickly add that the IOW is also situated across the Solent from both Southampton and Lymington. Anyway, to get ...

I was asked the other day how I feel when I tap out the immortal words THE END at the completion of a novel. The timing of the question was quite eerie because I was just reaching the final pages of the copy edits of my latest DI Horton marine mystery crime novel Blood on the Sand which is being published by Severn House in February next year. It is the fifth in the Inspector Horton series. Reaching the end of this my feelings were relief mixed with anxiety: is it good enough? Should I re-write one more time? Could I have changed anything? Too late…I’ve pressed the send button and it’s gone to my editor. The next time I’ll get to review this will be at proof reading stage and all the anxieties over what, if anything, I should have changed will return. But by then it really is too late to make changes. So how do I feel when I tap out the immortal words THE END at the completion of a novel? (Although I don’t actually tap out THE END ). It really depends on which draft I am writing...