My Writing Space: From Promotion to Planning

Growing up, I shared a bedroom with my two sisters.Then, when I went to teacher training college in 1969, I found myself sharing a room with another student. I’ve always wanted my own room; a space in which to write and dream. It wasn’t until I married in 1973 that I was able to achieve this. Our first home was a large three bedroom pallisaded villa and my husband turned the smallest bedroom into a study for me.

Scroll forward a few years to when we were able to take early retirement and pursue our hobbies. Me – writing my first novel, and husband Dave restoring classic cars and metal detecting. (He still hasn’t found the elusive Saxon horde but lives in hope). I live in hope of writing that award winning novel and seeing it made into a movie! Well, a girl can dream, can’t she? My ambition is to have ten novels to my name and I am about to start writing number nine for publication next spring.

My study

I’m old school and call my writing den/office ‘my study’. It has everything I need and more besides, including a mug from the Literary Gift Company bearing Virginia Woolf’s eponimous book: A Room of One’s Own. The room overlooks the garden, has a window into our conservatory straight in front of my desk and, to my left, a shelf which my husband erected so I can spread out papers etc. In the winter, we have a wood-burning stove in the conservatory to keep us warm and in the summer, the doors open directly onto the patio. I sit at an old desk I bought years ago out of the local paper. My chair is new and supports my back. The desk is wide enough to hold my PC, printer, pens and notebooks, etc. I’ve also added a piece of wood over the top right hand desk drawer which provides me with extra space for my diary and in-tray. I have thought of installing a coffee machine but decided that would be a step too far.

Recently, I’ve had a massive clear out and have donated some of my paperbacks to charity shops. You can’t keep everything, right? Some books I can’t bear to part with – my ancient ‘penguins’, Mary Wesley, Jilly Cooper and Georgette Heyer novels; and of course all of my research materials. I figure that one day someone will have to empty my study so I want to make the task easy for them.

Where else do I work ?

When I’m planning the next novel I use post-its and large sheets of A3 paper, I like to work at the dining room table with MacBook, pens, highlighters, etc to hand. Again, it has everything I need, and through the double doors, I can see the sitting room where I can go to relax and watch TV/DVDs and videos for inspiration and research. My current fixation? HIGHLAND COPS ON BBC iPLAYER.

Research, caravanning and holidays

Followers of my blog will know that we try to spend most of the summer caravanning in Scotland. This year will be no exception. Once there I manage to get down to some writing each day using my MacBook Air. I save the manuscript each day on Dropbox and back up on Microsoft. Belt and braces, that’s me.

Recently I bought a keyboard to work alongside my Ipad and that takes up even less space. I do like music in the caravan (when I’m not writing) and take my blue-tooth speaker along to listen to music on Spotify. This summer , I hope to work on the sequel to Winter Star ready for publication in 2026. If you haven’t read Winter Star and the pre-quel Dark Highland Skies you can read an extract on their Amazon page.

Here is one of my favourite reviews – from Sue Baker of Facebook group – Rivetting Reads and Vintage Vibes, who recently organised a Burns’ Night celebration of my books

Well, I guess that about wraps up February’s blog post. Please be sure to follow my blog as over the coming months I will be organising a couple of giveaways . . . signed paperback copies of my novels. Until then, stay warm and look forward to spring.