The Lovely Bones Film – New Insight Onto a Terrifying Subject

What could be worse than losing someone you love through untimely death? And what could be even worse than that? Losing them through murder. And then worse than that? Just imagine – the person you love, who is murdered, is a child, with all life and hope ahead of them. This is the nightmare scenarioContinue reading “The Lovely Bones Film – New Insight Onto a Terrifying Subject”

Take a Look at My Author Interview on Rebeccah Giltrow’s Blog

Hi everyone! Another kind blogger has just published an Author Interview with me. You may like to take a look at the interview here. Many thanks to Rebeccah Giltrow for giving me this opportunity!

Why Les Miserables Is So Popular

How is it that the story of Les Miserables has tapped into the emotions of so many? I first read Victor Hugo’s novel in my late teens/early twenties, and a central idea stayed with me over the years (though not necessarily in the exact words Victor Hugo used): You have been taken away from evil,Continue reading “Why Les Miserables Is So Popular”

Men Into Monsters – Spidermen, Octopuses, Lizards and Aliens – Why Do We Love Them in Books, TV Dramas and Movies?

Who’s the most compelling character in a Spiderman movie? For me, it’s Dr Otto Octavius (Doc Ock) and Dr Curt Connors. As I watched “The Amazing Spiderman” DVD again the other day, it was Rhys Ifans in the role of Dr Curt Connors, that my eyes were on. Rhys Ifans is an actor I loveContinue reading “Men Into Monsters – Spidermen, Octopuses, Lizards and Aliens – Why Do We Love Them in Books, TV Dramas and Movies?”

The Core of a Successful Novel: The Ring of Truth

Q – What is the core of a successful novel? A – You can in some way identify with it; you recognise it as relating to your own life experience. And this doesn’t mean you need to have experienced exactly the same events that the novel describes: simply that you recognise the truth in theContinue reading “The Core of a Successful Novel: The Ring of Truth”

The Next Big Thing: A Passionate Spirit

I was invited to take part in “The Next Big Thing” – a blog hop for authors –  by Fay Sampson who has written many wonderful books for children and adults arising from Celtic history, and also includes mystery, suspense and crime fiction in her output. In her capacity as a manuscript editor for TheContinue reading “The Next Big Thing: A Passionate Spirit”

Page-Turning Psychological Suspense Free on Kindle

Mystical Circles by SC Skillman   PAGE-TURNING ROMANTIC SUSPENSE    FREE ON KINDLE Download for free any time between 8pm on 24 November and 8am on 27 November “Hi, you in crowded, stressed old London from me in the peaceful, perfect Cotswolds. Massive change of plan. I’m in love. Craig is gorgeous, sexy, intelligent. Paradise here.Continue reading “Page-Turning Psychological Suspense Free on Kindle”

The Big Bad Wolf, the Human Capacity to Deceive, and the Case of Jimmy Savile

In recent weeks many of us have been shocked by the case of Jimmy Savile and the BBC, and wondered how someone who did so much good in the world could turn out to have such a dark side. The case of Jimmy Savile should make us all look with new eyes at the cultContinue reading “The Big Bad Wolf, the Human Capacity to Deceive, and the Case of Jimmy Savile”

Childhood Imaginary Worlds

When I was a little girl, my friend Alison and I created imaginary worlds. One of these was the land we named “Coneland”. We wrote stories about the royal family of this land; at the bottom righthand corner of the map is the palace and the royal park, situated of course in the capital city,Continue reading “Childhood Imaginary Worlds”

Special Time, Ordinary Time, and the Time the Weeping Angels Snatch

Who’d have thought there’s a connection between emigrating to a far country, and being snatched by one of Doctor Who’s greatest foes: the Weeping Angels? But I believe there is. The Weeping Angels played a vital role in the plot of the latest Doctor Who Episode, “The Angels Take Manhattan”, during which we, and theContinue reading “Special Time, Ordinary Time, and the Time the Weeping Angels Snatch”