FAQs

Planned releases for 2024 and beyond:

  • April – Blackwood Security #17 – The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Knox & Caro)
  • June – Blackwood Security #18 – Blue Moon (Luna & Ryder)
  • August – Happy Ever After #3 – A Very Happy Halloween (Janie & Eisen)
  • The Planes #2 – A Devil in the Dark (Blane & Wren)
  • Blackstone House #4 – Hard Luck (Jez & Cole)

Planned releases for 2025 and beyond:

  • Blackstone House #5 – Hard Code (Alexa & Nolan)
  • Standalone – The Ex Files (Ally & Brooks)
  • Happy Ever After – A Very Happy Easter (Heath & Gigi)
  • Happy Ever After – A Very Happy Thanksgiving (Crossover with the Choir)
  • Blackstone House #6 – Hard Evidence (Justin & Jess)
How long does it take you to write a book?

How long is a piece of string? My record is six days for the first draft of a novel (Roses are Dead), and then I slept for a week afterwards. But usually around two months.

The first draft is the easy part, though. Those really aren't pretty! Editing takes around eight more months. First, I let the book sit for a few weeks, then I read it through with fresh eyes and make the first round of changes. This includes fixing continuity and timeline errors (hopefully!). Then the book goes to my team of beta readers, and I make more changes based on their feedback. Next, it's off to my wonderful editor, Nikki, for her first read-through, and once she's given me her thoughts on the story, I make yet more changes. Then I go through the nitty gritty of spelling and grammar corrections before the manuscript goes back to Nikki for her to work her magic and pick up all the mistakes I still haven't noticed. And after those changes, the book goes off to my three proofreaders for a final going-over.

Why are your books different prices?

For the most part, I price my books depending on length. Longer books cost more because I have to spend more time writing them, plus editing and printing costs are higher. Sometimes I make earlier books in a series a little cheaper (or even free) because I want to encourage new-to-me readers to pick them up 😁

What order should I read your books in?

You can find the suggested reading order HERE.

How do the different series fit together?

I write in two main worlds – the Blackwood world and the Planes world. Blackwood is the “real” world, and the Planes is mostly our world but also includes some supernatural elements (magical realism).

The Blackwood world consists of:

The Blackwood Security Series

The Blackwood Elements Series

The Blackwood UK Series

Blackwood Casefiles

Baldwin's Shore

Blackstone House

The Happy Ever After Series

The Trouble Series

Life (standalone novel)

Blackwood Security, Blackwood Elements, and Blackwood Casefiles are very closely interlinked, and you'll spot familiar characters popping up from time to time across the other series.

The Planes world consists of:

The Planes Series

The Electi Series

Coco du Ciel (standalone novel)

If you like to read romantic mysteries with ghosts, vampires, supernatural assassins, mutant trees, and the Lord of the Underworld thrown in, these are the books for you 😎

Who is your cover artist?

The artwork for most of my covers is created by digital artist Abigail Sins. You can find more of Abi's work on her Deviant Art page. Sometimes I design my own covers too.

What do you look like?

I really hate having my picture taken so I don't have many photos of myself, but here's one of me with my furry mate, Trev, where I look almost human:

Who are your favourite authors?

I have so many! For mysteries and thrillers, I like John Sandford, Jeffrey Deaver, and JD Robb. For romantic suspense, Rachel Grant, Toni Anderson, and Lynn Raye Harris, and for romance, I'm liking JA Huss, April Wilson, Lucy Score, and Karina Halle at the moment.

Where can I find your books?

My ebooks are available from all good online retailers, plus my own website:

Amazon

Apple Books

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Thalia (Germany)

Vivlio (France)

Eden Books (romance-only bookstore)

Smashwords

If you'd like to read with a subscription, you can find my books on Scribd and Kobo Plus, and if you'd like to read for free, my books are all available through digital library services (Overdrive/Libby, Borrowbox, and Hoopla).

And if you prefer to read on an app, you can find all of my books on Radish and most of my books on KISS and Dreame. A few free books are also available on Wattpad from time to time.

I also have audiobooks available from Audible, Apple, Kobo, Nook Audio, Google Play, Scribd, audiobooks.com, libraries, and my own webstore.

Why aren't your books in Kindle Unlimited?

In order for a publisher to enrol a book in Kindle Unlimited, Amazon demands exclusivity. This means that I wouldn't be able to make my book available through libraries or all the other retailers and apps listed above. I would rather make my stories available all over the world (Kindle currently only serves a few countries), and also allow people to read my books for free through libraries than put all of my eggs in the Amazon basket and restrict my readership. For subscription reading, my books are all available in Kobo Plus (for Canada/US) and Scribd (global).

Are there content warnings I should be aware of when it comes to your books?

Uh, probably? Quite apart from Emmy's swearing, a number of my books address sensitive topics and contain difficult situations. I don't put trigger warnings on my books because (a) everyone has different triggers and I couldn't possibly cover them all and (b) they're too much like spoilers.

If you're sensitive to bad language or on-the-page sex, I do have clean versions of several books in the Blackwood Security series with these elements removed. You can find more on that HERE.

Do you write full time?

I think I'd get bored if I was writing all the time, plus I like to get out and meet people, so I currently have a side hustle as a chartered accountant. I split my hours between the two.

I'm writing a book too! Can you read my stuff/give me feedback?

Sorry, but I can't. Firstly, there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to get everything done as it is. Secondly, if I read an unpublished novel and it happened to have a similar theme to one of my own unpublished books, then I could open myself up to a possible claim of copying (rare, but I've heard of it happening), and I just won't put myself in that position.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Somewhere in the middle. I start each book with a rough outline of around two thousand words, and I generally know how it's going to end. But the middle parts usually get changed as characters and scenes take on a life of their own, and I often end up with a very different book to the one I initially planned. And then side characters spawn their own books, or I ask myself a question and the answer is a whole new novel, and it never freaking ends…

Can you send me a free copy?

Writing pays my bills, and unfortunately, I can't afford to work for free. So until I manage to trade my other half for a sugar daddy (joke, if my other half happens to read this), then I'm afraid the answer is no. But I do run giveaways for signed paperbacks in my newsletter and Facebook group.

Do you base your stories on your life or real people you know?

While there is a bit of me in all of my stories, I'm not particularly like any of my characters. I can safely say I've never shot anyone, although I do share Emmy's dislike of pineapple on pizza and Ella's hatred of mushrooms. As for other people? Well, a few work their way into my stories, but I'm naming no names…

Can you tell us anything else about you?

Well, I have no problem writing a novel, but a couple of sentences about myself? Pffft.

I live in England, and my mental age is younger than my birth certificate tells me. As well as the little voices in my head, I have a horse, three dogs and a hamster to keep me company.

My other hobbies include scuba diving and wakeboarding, and I've got a weakness for fast cars that makes my wallet weep.

I tend to talk too much, or so people say, and I have a peculiar affinity for chocolate and wine 🙂