Writing Life: October 2026

Hi and welcome to my Writing Life! Here you can read about: People, Places, Words and Wit that inspire me; How and where I write, and Things I Love About Now.

As I write, we’re sliding into autumn, so I’ll start with a favourite quote: ‘Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.’ (Albert Camus).

I find it heartening to remember that autumn is as much a beginning as an ending; and as I look around my garden, shrubs and trees are already in bud for next spring. It’s already October, yet summer seems reluctant to slip away; and I’m reminded of a writing workshop where we were asked to write ‘six things we love about now.’ Sitting at my desk each morning, the seasons fluctuate before me: one day beautiful sun and shadow; the next misty and laced with cobwebs. So here’s my new list:

Cosying up with a beloved literary blend.
Soft-winged bats and padding cats at the day’s end.
Postcards of Cornish beaches, with cottages on green baize hills.
Bookshops with coffee and fresh bakes; cafés in old mills.
Autumn festivals and fêtes; village walks and country gates.
Early morning shadows, as autumn wakes.

It’s always good to be reminded of summer, though, so here’s a photo constantly open on my desk as I edit my contemporary romance, The Cornish Kissing Tree Inn. Meet beautiful Perranporth, in Cornwall: all rugged black rocks, blue sea and golden sand. The village in my book is entirely fictional, of course, but its backdrop is inspired by this area of Cornwall’s coastline. The perfect reason for research: time spent just soaking up the atmosphere (along with the sun).