Blog Tour: Day 15, finishing with Christine

It's been three weeks, ladies and gents, fifteen blog posts and countless comments, (plus three hot chocolate dates with friends and family - including one today!- and a completed round of edits for my WIP) and I've finally reached the end of my tour. Thank you all so much for sticking with me. I've enjoyed every second.

Huge thanks go out to the fifteen bloggers who made the tour a success with their fascinating and thought-provoking questions.

I'm heading to Christine Rain's blog today to discuss the most important element of a short story.

I'll leave you with one final picture of Artoo, and my leg - this is the view I had for most of the England v Wales game (the game we won during our Euro campaign) when he couldn't understand why I was watching telly instead of taking him for a walk.

Blog Tour: Day 14, shipwrecked with Stacey Bryan

It's been a busy day for me today - not only has Stacey Bryan shipwrecked me on a deserted island with a villain, I've been signing books at my local library.

In fact, as you read this, I'm still there, probably packing up. There will be photos to follow, probably next week when I've had a chance to breathe.

I couldn't find a picture of the library or a deserted island -funnily enough, I've never taken a photo of either! Here's a picture of St Michael's Mount just off the Cornish coast. Quite an easy place to escape from, due to being able to walk there and back during low tide.

Blog Tour: Day 13, being arty with Nicola

It's raining today. I had plans to go to the gym and be really busy, but I've woken up with really sore wrists and a headache. So I think I might take a relaxed day and read a book that I want to review for one of my author buddies.

While I hide from our weather, my blog tour is heading to Germany to visit Nicola Burgraff's Blog to talk about art.

This is a sunny photo to combat the rain. I'm not sure why I took this photo - it's just the end of my road - but apparently all photos can be useful eventually.

Here's another shout out for My Facebook Page and You. I. Us. Goodreads Page.

Blog Tour: Day 12, marketing with Sandra

Good effort, Iceland...


And moving on, today I'm with Sandra Cox, talking marketing, or lack thereof. This is a topic that always makes me shudder, because I never know the best way to do it... Like revising for exams - I used to spend more time on the revision timetable than the actual revising!

Today's photo is of me, dazed and confused, after the Costa Award ceremony. Coincidentally, dazed and confused is how I approach marketing...

Blog Tour: Day 11, sharing wine with Suzanne

Hi guys, are you still with me? It's the final week of my tour!

I hope you had a great weekend. Mine was spent mostly reading lots of newspapers trying to get to the truth about what's going to happen to my country next. As far as I can tell, not much for the moment. But that hasn't stopped a lot of people calling a lot of other people some nasty names, and all the political parties seem to be in turmoil. I think we've broken the political system...

In need of a cut?

(Yes, there's a reason why I'm not a political blogger!)

Today I'm telling Suzanne Furness all about my dream place to write, and simultaneously having my hair cut.

Tonight, England play Iceland in the first of their knockout rounds. On past experience, they only really need one!

Blog Tour: Day 10, with queen Elizabeth Seckman

Yesterday, Britain voted in the EU referendum.

(I'm actually writing this last night, just as the polls are closing, so I have no idea of the result - all I know is we've been left with a deeply divided country which will take a long time to heal.)

Anyway, that's as political as I'm ever going to get on this blog. There's no football talk today, either, because no one played last night - it was weird not to have a match to watch mid-afternoon.

Elizabeth Seckman's blog is today's stop, talking about my favourite monarch... any guesses?

No, it's not this guy, although a long time ago - when I worked in a library and had a desk in an office, Alastair Mackenzie was definitely one of my pin-ups!


I've given up (um, did I start?) replying to the comments on this blog for the time being. Keeping up with the tour posts, drinking hot chocolate with all my friends and relations, working, and editing my WIP (two chapters to go!) has been challenging. My plan is to go back over all the comments at the end, and go visiting.

Have you liked My Facebook Page and You. I. Us. Goodreads Page yet?

Blog Tour: Day 9, being literary with Mac

Euro 2016 update (coz I know you're all really interested now... I'm making you love European football, aren't I... aren't I??): England weren't playing yesterday because they played on Monday night, but the results of two games were important because one of those teams will be our opponents next Monday. For a long time it looked like Iceland, then it switched to Portugal (argh! no!), then in the very last seconds it switched back to Iceland when they won their game. Who-hoo!

Ahem... a now for some book stuff. Today, I'm on R Mac Wheeler's blog discussing the importance of a variety of literary elements.

I love Mac's blog because he posts some fantastic pictures of wildlife, his dogs and all nice things. As a picture-a-day has become an established part of this blog tour, I felt the pressure. So, here's a photo I took the other day.

It was on purpose, even though it looks like an accident. I was struck by the number of different tiles on the floor, and because my current WIP is set in the area, I thought I'd take the photo to remind me.

Blog Tour: Day 8, talking films with Libby

Ah, the half-way stage of the tour, but no slacking from me! Apart from the fact that I'm out for hot chocolate again, this time with my sister (yes, the shadow from Monday's post). And yes, there may be a little more shopping.

Today, I'm on Libby Heily's blog, talking about turning stories into films. As you'll know from Joanne Faries question the other day, my eldest is a budding film-maker, so perhaps I can ask persuade him to help me out...

I searched through my photo albums to find a good picture for this post, and stumbled across this one. This is the very notebook where all of the stories in You. I. Us. were conceived. In that beer garden, while listening to Hubby's lazy afternoon gig, I wrote two of the stories, one of which is In The Beer Garden...

The cider was nice too!

Blog Tour: Day 7, chatting with M.J. Fifield

(The link is live now, sorry if you tried and failed earlier.)

I'm very happy , because England scrapped into the last 16 of Euro 2016. I wasn't so happy last night, when they played a very average 0-0 game. But, at least they've got a week to get better! Can they? I don't know...

I'm having a few computer/internet issues at the moment, which is making commenting on my guest posts quite difficult. Randomly, my computer will just freeze, the internet will vanish, my cursor will disappear or my words will take several seconds to register on the screen - all of which is making this blogging lark mighty difficult. Please bear with me.

Anyway, today, I'm chatting with M.J. Fifield about my writing process. I hope you'll pop over and witness my oddity for yourself!

Here are some dog-walking photos - when I'm struggling with my WIP, the dog always gets extra walks.

Blog Tour: Day 6, crying on Yolanda's shoulder

'Tis the start of the second week of my tour. Has anyone read You. I. Us. yet?

I've had a couple of people from my home town tell me that one of the stories especially is making them quite emotional - both of them were men! Is it just me who likes to provoke that kind of reaction in my readers?

Coincidentally, I'm talking about stories that have made me cry over on Yolanda Renee's Defending the Pen blog today.

To counterbalance all this crying, here's a photo that makes me very happy - my sister and me on a weekend away a couple of years ago. I'm on the right!

Blog Tour: Day 5, magicking with Chrys Fey

We've reached the end of the first week of the tour, and already I feel like I'm slipping behind slightly. I've got Saturday and Sunday off, to catch up with commenting, though - I'm happy I was clever enough not to schedule every single day for three weeks!

Thanks for reading this week, and I hope you'll join me again next week for Part 2 of my tour.

Today, I'm with Chrys Fey, answering a Harry Potter question.

The photo is from a couple of months ago, outside my back door. I thought it had a particularly magical feel to it.

I'm just going to leave these links here again today, Goodreads and my Facebook page, because I love it when I get a new liker!

Blog Tour: Day 4, splashing with Joanne

Today I get to be a proud mum, because Joanne Faries is asking me about my kids.

I'm going to be a but slow replying today, however, because I'm meeting a friend for a hot chocolate - which always turns into at least two, and then some shopping as well.

When I get home, England will playing in Euro2016, against Wales, which will probably end up being a very nervy and nail-biting game.

And here's a picture of hot chocolate, and Artoo, who seems to enjoy hanging out with my blogging buddies now!

Blog Tour: Day 3, causing havoc at Julie's place

I'm having a great time on my tour so far, I hope you are too. Today, I'm on Julie Flanders's blog with my pup Artoo. I'm going to try to convince you that this little bundle of cuteness is actually a terror!

Have you added You. I. Us. to your Goodreads list yet?

Have you liked my Facebook page?

Blog tour: Day 2, Murees's turn

Thanks to everyone who visited Misha's blog yesterday, and got my tour off to a great start. Today I'm over with Murees Dupe answering possibly the most flattering question on the tour.

Here's a photo from a book signing at the weekend, in which I was completely unsure what to do with my legs, and my arms... In retrospect, the chair might have been a mistake.

Blog tour: Day 1, off to see Misha

My book and I are on tour.

Over the next three weeks, I will be visiting fifteen blogs and answering the single question that the blogger asked me.

Today, I am on Misha Gerrick's blog, answering a question on listening to music while I write.

See you there!



Note: I normally post between 6 and 8am BST, but during the tour, I'll be posting the links around 12pm BST, because some of my US tour hosts won't have the post up if I direct you there too early. Please be aware that, for some, even 12pm might be a little too early.