Rena George's Blog, page 4

Walking in the Footsteps of Cornish Writers

Happy New Year Everyone! OK, so you’re still the teensiest bit hung over from the excesses of Christmas and New Year. But now it’s 2016, and time to ditch that cabin fever. Come with me. Fill your lungs with invigorating sea air, and stride out past the creeks and coves of beautiful Cornwall. We’re in the company of busy Cornish writer, Sue Kittow, who has dropped by my blog this week to tell us about her two very entertaining books ... Read More

The Yorkshire Floods

The misery of flooding has spread to the north of England – in particular Yorkshire – and in the cruellest way. My own family – daughter, son-in-law, our three little grandchildren and their Nana – all spent a sleepless night last night as the flooded River Foss crept closer to their home. It’s only feet away from their front door now and expected to rise even further over the next 24 hours. Furniture and electrical goods have been moved to ... Read More

Make Your Dreams Come True

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Many gifts still to wrap, cards still to write, food to buy, drinks to organise, phone calls to make, cupboards to tidy, floors to wash – and a chapter of the book to write! Isn’t Christmas wonderful? I’m not normally so disorganised, but this year, with so much to do, I’ve definitely been struggling. Next year things will be different! Step up my new best friend, the Erin Condren LifePlanner. This little beauty will keep me on ... Read More

A Writers’ Club’s Ghostly Success!

I recently had the pleasure of being in invited to judge a writers’ club ghost story competition. The quality of the submitted stories was heart-warming. The effort and sheer hard work that so obviously went into every single entry just shone through. I’m a big supporter of writing groups. They provide the opportunity to meet like-minded people and share support and encouragement with each other. Plus…you can have your work critiqued by fellow members. And if you’re lucky, someone brings cake. ... Read More

Plotting the Novel from the End!

I’m almost 30,000 words into Book Six in my Loveday Ross Cornish mysteries series. It’s been progressing slowly and steadily, which is great considering the different approach I’m trying with this novel. My cast of characters came first, as always, and I’ve fleshed the new ones out with a CV and backstory. I even write a little potted history and description of places my characters visit. This is also the first time I’ve plotted my ending first. I took advice ... Read More

Flying the Flag for Cornwall

You know me, any excuse to wax lyrical about Cornwall. The fact that the county has just been voted the UK’s favourite holiday destination for the SEVENTH time by the British Travel Awards is a definite reason to once again celebrate this gorgeous corner of England. If you’ve never been there, or (like me) are a regular visitor and suffering withdrawal symptoms because you’re not actually there at the moment, then here are a few images to wet your appetite. ... Read More

Writing Historical Fiction

I hadn’t intended writing a blog post on historical fiction this week, but these pictures, which I took in a 17th century coaching inn a day ago, seemed to lend themselves to it. Old places – I mean really old places – draw me like a moth to the flame. I have a fascination for the past and for how people used to live, which is why I set my Mellin Cove series in 18th century Cornwall. The pub in ... Read More

How To Write A Scary Ghost Story

Ghosts, ghouls and scary monsters that roam about in the night! It’s that time of year again when witches and warlocks engage in wicked practices, and the souls of the dead are set free to wander. Eeeeek! Have I scared you? For us writers it’s the time we all wish we had written that ghost story six months ago,  and were now reaping the rewards of our efforts in the pages of some glossy magazine. Never mind, there’s always next ... Read More

Can You Bake a Cornish Pasty? You Can Now…

They have a saying in Cornwall that a good diet is having a Cornish pasty in both hands. And when they’re as tasty as the one above then who would disagree? In the interest of research, over many years of visiting Cornwall, I’ve eaten a lot of pasties. Well…you have to, don’t you? Anyway, after all this dedicated tasting business I can report that the bestest EVER pasty comes from Ann’s Pasty Bakehouse (like the one above did)  on The ... Read More

Why do we love reading fiction?

It’s a no brainer. The stories in books can transport us into another life – a life that is more glamorous, thrilling, romantic and dangerous – more frightening, even than the real lives we all live. …And don’t we love it! In books we can visit exciting places; follow our characters into danger without the slightest fear of putting ourselves at risk. We can be romanced or shocked, terrified or intrigued, outraged or amused. We can be anything we want ... Read More