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Club Pride

The store is awash with red, white and black. Stripes galore, part of Sheffield United’s tradition and heritage since the nineteenth century. Full strips, warm up tops, duvet covers… all in the same three colours. Bobble hats and bench coats, teddy bears and track suits. Red, white and black. Flags and footballs, wigs and watches.  Red. White.  Black.  There’s variety with the goalie shirts of course, lurid orange and mouthwash green; and the women’s section, where pastels mingle with the brights.  But what’s that?  Is it…?  Could it be…?  Yes, yes it is!  I hardly noticed it at first, buried by its red, white and black siblings, but it’s definitely there.  Red.  Orange.  Yellow.  Green.  Blue.  Purple.  A rainbow twin, non-identical, sits beside it – more of a wallflower than the full-on rainbow scarf, this is predominantly black.  Reaching out I touch the scarves, one at a time; seeing myself reflected back.  The flag that signifies the fight.  The name of my team, the one down the r
Recent posts

My big news!

2021 is shaping up to be a busy year! I've just signed a contract with Bloodhound Books and although I can't share details just yet rest assured the books coming your way will have all the romance, friendship and community spirit that my previous novels are known for.  Bloodhound are making waves in the industry and have sold over 6 million books worldwide since 2014 - it's exciting to be a part of it. I can't wait to tell you more!

I'm going back to the start...

It's been a weird time. Dreams have been vivid, ideas have been brewing, but actually having the time and inclination to write... Well, let's just say that hasn't happened much during lockdown.  Me and my agent recently parted ways, all very amicably, but it has given me cause to reassess. It reminds me of being a newbie author subbing directly to publishers and pitching to agents (and having the absolute soul-crushing misery of opening a rejection email without a side-helping of an ego-massaging comment from her).  I'm not going to lie, it's a bit scary putting myself out there again, especially as someone with anxiety. It's a competitive industry; the chances of getting a 'no' are far higher than that elusive 'yes'.  My book being on a supermarket shelf didn't mean I'd made it as an author, it meant I had one book that was bought by a supermarket. Ditto having books picked for promotions. Four novels in, I still have work to do.  So I&#

End of decade round-up

My family didn't grow in the way I thought it might, turns out it was only ever meant to be me, David and Zachary. Instead, the pitter patter of tiny feet came from our guinea pigs, Wally and Percy, and our feline friend, Clarence. I gained a niece, a nephew, a god daughter and a promise daughter and a host of special little people who I hope will always call me Auntie Kate. Zach started and finished primary school and adjusted well to life at secondary, making new friends to add to those he already had. He has gone from being an exuberant livewire tot to an exuberant livewire preteen, which only goes to show that some things don't ever change. We started the decade in a house I loved with great neighbours, ending it in one that's served us well but has never really felt like home, surrounded by boxes ready for a move in January. Bring on the bay window! In 2010 I'd been poorly for a number of years but given no diagnosis, by 2019 I'd officially been a Crohnie

Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart

January 9th, 2020 - save the date! My new novel, Make Do and Mend a Broken Heart, is being published in the new year, which is perfect for a book with an overarching theme of new beginnings. What's that? You want to know more? Well then, I'd better share the blurb with you ... When you know how, you can make anything from scratch, including a new life after love... When Leanne and Richard bought a dilapidated old seaside cottage to renovate together as their forever home, their future was full of hope and promise. But heartbreak was just around the corner: fast forward a few months and Richard is gone. With his death, Leanne finds herself stony broke, faced with an uninhabitable home and lacking even the basic skills to do it up herself. With the help of the friendly woman who runs the library and the reluctant assistance of the man who works in the local hardware shop, the cottage is lovingly restored. But broken hearts aren't so easy to fix... are they?

Good Writing Days, Bad Writing Days

There's nothing better than a good writing day, one where the words flow without stutters or false starts. On a good writing day being a novelist is the best job in the world. Pride flutters in my chest when I've not only met my wordcount but nailed a chunk of text that drives the story forward, or includes a sentence or image that I'm particularly proud of. Those highs are addictive, they're what I'm striving for on a daily basis. Of course, words don't always come easily. There are times where I'm frozen in fear as I look at a blank page, terrified that the ideas in my head won't translate to the page, or when all creativity eludes me. Sometimes I'm tired after a day at work and staring at a screen is the last thing I feel like doing. Writing can be painful, exhausting and sometimes near impossible. However, now I've been writing 'seriously' for a good few years I've come to accept that both good days and bad days are

2019 Goals