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This year -- for the first time in many -- we're having a proper summer. By 'proper summer', I mean that it's not raining every day of the week, the temperature's above 15 C, and you don't need to head out swathed in scarves to brave the elements. (I'm not joking. One year, I didn't even unpack my summer clothes.)

So to celebrate, this week's Ten for Tuesday will be all about my favourite summer things!

1. Pimms. When I posted about Pimms a week ago, many of you didn't seem to know what it is! ...

Oh, I do like to make things complicated for myself -- especially when I'm plotting. It's taken me ages to understand story structure, and I still wouldn't say I have a firm grip on it all. But for me, one thing is key: the simpler the better.

This month in Prospera Publishing's newsletter, ! And makes a guest appearance, too, talking about her pet plot peeves. The newsletter's full of great advice - you can get yourself on the mailing list by cli...

Dear Brain,

I'm tired of you. I'm tired of your lame excuses, of hearing it's too hot, of trying to move the muscles off to clean the kitchen floor because a synopsis is toooo haarrd! Suck it up! You've been around for 36 years. You might be starting to lose some brain matter but you still know better!
Focus. Concentrate. Do what you need to do, and stop writing 140 characters to anyone who'll listen every five minutes!
And try to limit the drinking to one glass of wine per day, please? I'm...

Although it's been awhile since I've lived there, I'm proud to be Canadian! Living in London makes me appreciate the space of my homeland like never before. So Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians 'back home' and beyond.

This Canada Day is particularly special thanks to I'm so honoured and thrilled to be in such great company. Thanks, Lynn.

And now I'm off for my annual dosage of maple syrup, poutine...

Ha. I say that ironically, of course, because sometimes self-promotion can be downright cringe-worthy. I speak from experience, having had to approach bookstores first-hand to stock my London guide book. Luckily the results were generally positive... but still my face flamed and my hands shook (you can read about it ).

But it's great when you see author's promotional efforts -- with unique and innovative methods -- pay off. One recent example of this is the interactive widget developed by ...

I'm going to a conference in a week and a half and I'm becoming increasingly nervous about one thing. No, it's not the big-name authors I'll be mingling with, nor is it meeting the experts whose workshops I'll be attending.

It's my wardrobe, with one question howling around in my head: what should I wear? It's a desperate state of affairs.

Just how desperate?

1. My wardrobe has shrunk down to one pair of Primark jeans and about 10 black Primark T-shirts, along with three or four summer dresses ...

Today has been a hot and squishy day. With temperatures in London topping 30 degrees Celsius most the weekend and today, writing in the heat of the afternoon has certainly been challenging! The late-afternoon sun pours into my office, making the logistics of writing in shorts whilst sitting on black leather fairly, well... squishy.

I can't complain, though, having spent Saturday lolling in the park listening to the distant strains of . Yesterday we headed out to fo...

It's Friday, I've finished my rewrite (otherwise known as Draft 2), and while it's only half two, I feel quite certain it's !

Would you care to join me by my favourite tree in Hyde Park, right in front of the ?

In other news, I shall shortly be posting some extremely egocentric photos from my photo shoot on Facebook -- just if you care to see them. I'd love your opinion on perhaps the top 3; they all look the same to me now!

Happy Friday!

Athletes can get a lot of injuries, yes. But writers? Sure, sitting at your desk isn't exactly a contact sport. But writers can suffer through their share of physical afflictions, too.

This week, I have been suffering from a full-blown case of desk-contact-dermatitis (don't laugh!). Yes, that's a skin condition that has been created by the constant friction of resting the side of my arm on my desk. It went from rosy pink and a little scratchy to bright red and freakin' itchy! Hubby (who train...

On a steamy London night, I braved the sweaty masses on the Tube and headed to the London Writers' Club to hear author John Williams speak about his new book, Screw Work, Let's Play. John has had phenomenal success with the recent launch: he's been featured twice in the Sunday Times and even been named as one of the top six self-help books of the summer. So how does a first-time author get a book deal and become an Amazon best seller?

Here are John's tips. While these are mainly for non-ficti...