If you follow my writing journey, you’ll know that I’m less than a month away from releasing Book 2 in the Aucourte series, The 16th Earl's Only Love. It’s an exciting time, one of those shimmering moments in an author’s year when we feel a mix of shimmering anticipation and blind terror! But if you’re an indie author, you’ll also know that with the excitement comes something else: the sheer, relentless reality of marketing. Indie writers enjoy autonomy. We get to choose our

Are prologues a powerful storytelling tool… or a writer’s crutch? Few elements of fiction stir up as much debate as the humble prologue. Some readers skip them entirely. Some writers swear by them. Others insist they’re a sign the author didn’t know where to begin. Yet prologues have been part of storytelling for centuries, and their reputation rises and falls depending on genre, trends, and reader patience. So what’s the truth? Are prologues necessary, outdated, or misunders

There's a particular kind of hush that settles over my writing desk during the last weeks of a pre-order period. It's not the hush of finishing a book. That's a different sensation, often a peculiar mix of bereavement and terror if one stops to think too long about the next phase in the book's life. The pre-order period might be similar to putting together the launch pad for a spacecraft: A hush of anticipation. An unspoken fear of a crash and burn. Last minute confidence lap

This week I’m deep in the final slow read of The 16th Earl’s Only Love. It has to be done because those sneaky double spaces, floating apostrophes and extra commas are crafty little devils, and some always avoid getting caught by my editor. While I was working on this tedious task, and trying to ignore the main character from book three who is impatient for me to write about her, I considered the themes in book two: loneliness, duty, privilege, choice (or lack of) and most im

The world is frying… most rulers are suspect… society is broken and the machines may well give up on us and take over. Is it any wonder that one of the most popular genres right now is fantasy? Strangely, it’s my least popular “go‑to” for reading — but I’ll dwell on that a bit later. First, let’s talk about escapism, because it’s having a moment. A big one. Why We’re All Secretly Yelling “Stop the world i want to get off” Escapism gets a bad rap, as if stepping out of reality

The heatwave is back in Europe. In some places, I’m not convinced it ever left. Here in Cornwall, we’re forecast to reach 28°C today, while other parts of Britain are bracing for 32°C and beyond. Meanwhile, octopuses, for the second year running, have decided our normally cool, Cornish waters are the perfect holiday destination. In between mating they’re doing what all holiday makers do, sampling the local delicacies and feasting on lobster, much to the despair of the lobster

This morning, while making my coffee, I had Radio 4’s Today programme murmuring in the background. They were running a segment on the Taylor Swift / Travis Kelce New York wedding celebration, complete with an interview from an enthusiastic fan. And then she said it. She compared the Taylor Travis love story to Romeo & Juliet… and called it a “happy ever-after.” Reader, I nearly dropped my mug. Not out of outrage — more out of that fizzy, irresistible urge to whisper, “Oh no,

I’m diving straight in this week with something that’s been uppermost in my thoughts: genre. I’ve always struggled to “write to market”, even back when I was writing short fiction for women’s magazines. You’d think a strict word count would keep me on the straight and narrow. But no. Being a pantser—though I prefer free‑writer—I could blame my characters, but that would be dishonest coming from someone with the power of life or death over these lovely, complex people. The tru

I’m sitting now in the living room of my Cornish cottage, enjoying a very welcome coolness. If that sounds smug, let me assure you the recent heatwave didn’t spare me. After two hopeless nights of wakefulness, I finally admitted defeat, took my sorry brain and body downstairs, and kipped on the sofa. A very comfortable Laura Ashley sofa, I should add. I still woke several times, but by morning I was refreshed enough to face a day of writing — which is what I’m doing now, musi

This week I’ve been reading Kate Morton’s The Secret Keeper. It’s a bestseller, so of course it’s good. But it also contains huge time jumps, decades at a time, and for me to keep reading under those circumstances is a massive yes‑vote for the book. Normally, that kind of structure sends me skittering away. Usually, when a book leaps across time, the only thing that keeps me anchored is the characters. In this case, it’s the secret, possibly secrets, at the heart of the story

It’s hard to believe that The Earl’s Daughter has already been out in the world for nearly a full month. Book launches are always nerve-racking; a strange mixture of dread, doubts and daring, hardly believing you've done it, while clinging on to the hope that the story will find the readers it was written for. And I’m delighted to say that The Earl's Daughter has begun to do exactly that. In these first weeks, I’ve been especially touched by the early reviews. "Beautiful roma

Sometimes a book steps out into the world and finds its own little pockets of light. This week, The Earl's Daughter was selected for Written Word Media’s New Releases in Literary Fiction. And WWM asked if I’d answer a few questions about the book, my writing process, and the themes that shaped it. I’m not naturally someone who talks easily about myself or my work, so saying yes felt daring. But I’m glad I did. The conversation turned out to be not at all alarming. I’m sharing

Anyone signing up to join the Readers' Club today is in for a rare treat. Not just the welcome gift of a short prequel to The Earl's Daughter but also in the newsletter going out tomorrow [12 June] which contains part of a chapter from the new book The 16th Earl's Only Love. Quick! don't miss this sample, straight off the editing table and embedded into this week's newsletter. Fair warning: the men of Sea Castle are not on their best behaviour. I rather think that's the poi

The book, The Earl's Daughter, launched smoothly, early sales came in. Amazon US pre‑orders were delayed, leading to a long support chat and a fair amount of stress, but they eventually appeared, bringing the total sales so far to 27, but I'm still counting and bearing in mind that this book represents a change of course in my writing, so it is almost like beginning my career again. The real challenge was Meta Ads Manager. Two days of trying to refine my sales campaign left m

Countdown to Publication Day Welcome to the final stretch before The Earl’s Daughter steps out into the world on 1 June 2026. It’s hard to believe we’re this close. This book has been quietly taking shape behind the scenes for a long time, and watching it move from idea to manuscript to finished novel has been one of the most absorbing projects of my writing life. For anyone new to my corner of the internet: I previously spent several years writing contemporary romance before

The journey of a beloved book series is always a thrilling experience for both the author and readers. Today, we bring you an update on the latest developments in the Aucourte Series, focusing on The Earl's Daughter and the upcoming 16th Earl. Fans have much to look forward to as these stories move closer to publication and release. This post will walk you through the current status, what to expect, and why these books are capturing so much attention. The Final Check of The E

Writers are brave people. We face blank pages, deadlines, plot holes, and the occasional existential crisis about commas. But nothing, absolutely nothing prepared me for the terror of the button Vellum asked me to press this week: “Remove Licence.” If you’ve ever used Vellum, you’ll know it’s the elegant workhorse behind many indie books. It formats beautifully, behaves itself, and generally asks very little of you. Until you need to change the email address on your licence.

If you are searching for your next good read, then check out this short list of new books. The Earl's Daughte r [still on pre-release] is there but there's a range of writers, styles and titles to choose from. As usual, and only going on clues from the cover pages, there would seem to be a heavy bias towards USA writers. So if you are looking for a book with authentic English and British elements by an English author then you will find it in The Earl's Daughter. Here's the l

The Victorian era offers a rich backdrop for stories of romance, family, and social change. This period, spanning Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 to 1901, was marked by strict social codes, evolving class structures, and deep family loyalties. These elements create fertile ground for compelling narratives that explore human relationships within a complex social framework. The new novel The Earl's Daughter , the first book in the Aucourte series, captures this world with auth

Every so often, an author gets one of those emails — the kind that flatters your writing, claims to have a “private community” of thousands of readers, and promises algorithmic miracles if you’ll only reply “interested.” I received one this morning, and instead of deleting it, I decided to translate it into its true meaning. The Scam Email… Translated Into Plain English: Hi Gill, I found your book because I scraped Amazon for keywords like Victorian, forbidden love, and noble