One of my favourite parts of New Years when I was a kid was the seemingly never-ending supply of lists.  Every newspaper had its own "Best of" list.  Each tv station ran its "Year End Show of Favourites."  And, of course, every person I knew had their own list of New...

I'll be signing off for a few days, but I want to wish everyone the happiest of holidays and a peaceful and fulfilling New Year.  But just to be a bit different too, here's a couple of my favourite holiday songs.  Love to you all..

Anyone who has ever been in hospital knows that it's the secondary stuff that gets you.  I have a dear friend who is presently battling leukemia, and with everything he is going through, it's a terrible case of dry eye that is causing him the most aggravation....

Hi everyone!  I'm back.  First, I want to thank everyone for all your kind wishes, good karma, lovely thoughts. It helped tremendously.  I'm happy to say that all the scary possibilities came to nought, and although I'm left with a lovely, large scar and a few looming...

A friend of mine sent me an amazing article which first appeared in Forbes. It describes an American banker’s ordeal of being trapped in The Taj Hotel during the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Please do read it here.  You won't regret the three minutes.Out for a simple...

My blogging will be limited over the next few weeks.  I thought for a moment about whether I should talk about this much, but I decided that I wanted to.  After all, as I say above, we're all in this together.Two days ago my doctor found a large cyst on my ovary and...

Yesterday, I had the amazing experience of meeting my new friend, Tania Hershman (whose new short story collection, The White Road and Other Stories, was recently discussed here). I say this was amazing, not only because I had a fantastic time and a non-stop fun and...

I love it when technology works.  Take a look at my wonderful little widget on the right displaying the progress I'm making on novel number 2.  Thanks to JJ, it's now functioning so well I have moved it up top as a constant reminder (to me) of where I've been on this...

One of the negative side effects of spending a week, such as I did, in an inspiring retreat in West Cork is that you come home, look at your refrigerator and maybe your washing machine, and say to yourself, "So, now what?"  What can I possibly do to recreate, if even...

Tania Hershman's short story collection, The White Road, is a book I was very much looking forward to and even more excited by once I read it.  Tania is a very gifted writer.  These stories capture entire lives in just a few strokes.  They are generous of spirit and...

I often forget that I believe in magic, but my trips to Anam Cara remind me that I do.  And the magic has happened again.  Now that I am home and looking back on it all, I can't believe how much happened in just one too-short week.  It begins with Sue Booth-Forbes...

Tomorrow I'm off to Ireland! I've discussed before here the wonderful writers' retreat, Anam Cara.  It's hard to believe that this will be my sixth stay, but it's a testament to what a wonderful and important place it's become to me.  Before I found Anam Cara, I knew...

Studs Terkel died yesterday, on Halloween, at the age of 96.  Born in New York, he lived most of his life in Chicago, but to be honest, he made all of America, its people and its history, his true home.  As he said in 1980,‘If there’s something I want to do, it’s...

One of the many wonderful by-products of having my parents visit is that I get to play tourist.  Actually, whenever my parents come over to London we spend most of our time eating our way through the local restaurants (of which there are many). But every now and then...

Last week I wrote about the end of a well-established poetry competition, the Petra Kenney Memorial Poetry Competition, here.  Soon after, I read in Sarah Salway's blog about this year's version of the competition she has been running with Lynne Rees called Messages....

As many of you know, over the past few months I have been on my own curving road, a road which has veered, sometimes precipitously, off to the side into sometimes dangerous terrain. I'm talking, of course, about how I stepped out of my life as a diligent though rather...

What's the derivation of the word "meme" anyway? And how do you pronounce it -- to rhyme with 'dream' or as if it was 'me-me'? The second choice makes the most sense to me, but I'm so often wrong. But anyway, I first saw this one on Lane’s blog, and although she...

Isn't it a wonder how we can have worldwide conversations with friends new and old without leaving our chairs, roll as they might?  One such conversation is about to begin next week as the very talented Tania Hershman begins a worldwide, "virtual" tour to promote her...

Almost exactly one year ago, I was at my favourite writer's retreat, Anam Cara, in West Cork, Ireland.  I'm due to go back in a few weeks, so I'll write more about it then.  But one of the happiest of consequences of these stays is that I get to meet other writers and...

What a beautiful city Stockholm is. I had a wonderful escape with Number 2 Son, although I'm very conscious of this being the last of these school calendar imposed October breaks.  I'm doing a lot of that this year -- noting that various events are "the last this" and...

Many people have been asking me what it's like to be a "West End Producer". Well....There’s a life I seem to remember with nostalgia and longing from a few months ago. It’s my life as a writer. In that life I:* wake up, look at my diary to see a morning free to work...

I can't believe it's been a week since my last post, but what a week it's been!  The photo tells it all, I think.  This week saw the opening of CurvingRoad's world premiere production of SH*T-M*X at London's Trafalgar Studio. What a difference this "launch" night was...

Picture it: Borders on Oxford Street in London.  Rows of chairs full of expectant eyes, all turned towards a small desk, a display of books, a microphone.  Behind the desk, dressed in a perfect little black dress (couldn't see the shoes) was none other than that...

Remember I was on ExpressFM the other night?  Well, for those of you who weren't locked in their homes listening intently, here is the link so you can download it and listen to all I have to say at your leisure.  But be forewarned, the link only stays active for 7...

The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is a very special place. The theatre itself is absolutely beautiful in the way only "old world" European opera houses can be.  Yes, there's Paris' l'Opera, there's La Fenice in Venice, Prague has two of them.  But Covent Garden?...

Last night was The Bluechrome Poetry Reading in Camden Town's Trinity Church.  These events are always worth going to, not only for the great poetry, but for the sense of community.  Ruth O'Callaghan is the grande dame of these evenings.  A wonderful and quite...

What a lovely town Portsmouth is.  There's the famous spinnaker tower,all those outlet shops at Gunwharf Quays, famous old ships and seaside promenades:But there was more than that for me yesterday.  There was a large and busy Waterstones, full of lovely, helpful...

It's finally happening.  CurvingRoad's production of the new play, SH*T-M*X, by the young new playwright, Leo Richardson, opens at the Trafalgar Studios in two weeks.  The box office is open  and, as they say, book now to avoid disappointment! SH*T-M*X is a play about...

With all the theatre hubbub going on lately, it's easy for me to forget that there's a little matter of a novel out there, still waiting to be spread around.  Despite the bits and bobs of pr we've done for Tangled Roots, I still can't shake the feeling that I have to...