Welcome to The Inkwell
If you’re a writer who dreams of becoming a published author, welcome home.
If you’re a writer looking to build your best creative life, welcome home.
The Inkwell is a space for committed and ambitious writers to find their tribe. I write about creativity – how we nurture it, what gets in the way, and how to build a good life on creative foundations. Plus stuff about writing practice, honest behind-the-scenes updates on my work-in-progress and publishing journey, and occasional advice on writing craft. Maybe I’ll throw in some pet pictures too. Who knows? I’m still figuring this whole thing out!
Over time I hope to create a supportive and safe space to talk openly and honestly about creativity, practice and publishing – the kind of restorative community that feels like a good chin-wag with your pals over coffee and cake / pizza and beers (insert your personal poison here).
If that sounds good, pull up a chair, grab a cuppa and make yourself at home…
Why subscribe?
Free subscribers get
Posts about writing, creativity and building a fulfilling writing life
A behind-the-scenes peek at my writing process and publication journey
News and other bits and bobs straight to your inbox
Paid members get all this plus
Occasional members only posts
Monthly workshops and group coaching around common writing challenges
Ask me anything sessions where you can pick my brains
My gratitude, because being a paid subscriber means you’re directly supporting me and and my work.
Founding members get all this plus
A 60-minute 1:1 meeting with me where we’ll tackle your biggest writing challenges in a private, confidential space.
A special place in my heart.
Whichever option is right for you, I’d love to have you along. Let’s build this community together.
A bit about me
I’m a novelist based in West Yorkshire, UK, where I live and write in an eighteenth-century cottage on the edge of the moors, with a view right out of a Brontë novel.
Sounds pretty good, right?
It wasn’t always like that.
I always wanted to be a writer, but I spent years believing it was an impossible dream. I had no idea how to start, or if I'd be any good. It felt so huge, overwhelming and scary that I didn't even try.
I failed before I’d even begun.
I was ashamed of what felt like the deepest, most heartfelt dream I had. So, I buried it, even from myself.
Fast forward and I’m now a novelist with three books published by a major publisher and more on the way. I’ve won competitions and awards, had Amazon bestsellers and my work is in development for film and TV. It really is beyond anything I imagined was possible back then.
What changed? Well, me.
Once I owned my 'big dream', I found the determination and support I needed to get there, step-by-step.
Along the way I've learned so much about writing and creativity and the ways in which we hold ourselves back. From the beginner writer facing a blank page, to bestselling novelists with years of experience, we all face challenges that can make us want to give up.
Thing is, being a happy, productive and published writer is about so much more than putting words on the page.
I could paint a pretty picture, but it wouldn't be the truth.
It takes constant dedication and a whole load of passion and belief in our ideas — something that so many of us find hard.
It takes learning how to build writing habits that stick, how to be our own best cheerleaders, and how to champion our work with passion and persistence.
But you don’t have to do it alone. That’s why one of my favourite things is supporting other writers to find their voice and share their stories with the world. That’s why I started The Inkwell. If you're ready to take your writing seriously, I'd love to support you, too.
You can find out more about my 1:1 work and other ways to work with me here.
The boring bio bit
My debut novel, The Crimson Ribbon, was published in 2014 and my second, The Silvered Heart, in 2015. My third novel, The Coffin Path, became an Amazon bestseller, was nominated for the HWA Gold Crown Award and is in development for TV.
In the last ten years I’ve worked as an online magazine editor, a writing tutor at Sheffield and Manchester universities, co-founder of an international writing programme for historical fiction authors, and a teacher and mentor for hundreds of writers through organisations such as Arvon and The Historical Novel Society. I'm a qualified coach, accredited by The Coaching Academy, a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar.
You can find out more about my books and my coaching and mentoring work here.
