Romance is not dead. 😆

For what it's worth - I believe that if you use AI to brainstorm ideas for your book, plan chapters, help with structure, edit, create dialogue, make story suggestions or ANY part of the creative writing process you are a hack and a fraud. You are not an author.

Finished reading THE CHALK MAN, by @cjtudor.bsky.social a couple weeks ago, and what a ride it was! Loved the deep, constant disquiet on every page. Its dueling timelines were each as gripping as the other. Definitely recommend for mystery/thriller fans- I flew through this one! #AmReading #BookSky

Doris is a VERY good girl! 😁

5⭐️ "But it's the little things that get to you. Like having a nose." First book read of 2026. I knew it would be good, but HOLY COW!! @cjtudor.bsky.social outdid herself here. This was amazing. Thriller/horror, perfect snowy read

Dry January going well! 😆

Took my Xmas pressies - Nike Alphafly 3 - out for a run this morning. Pro's - bouncy, fast on the flat, effortless 8 miles. Cons - the NOISE. Oh my God, the right shoe squeaks like a demented mouse. Hoping it reduces as they wear in or it's gonna drive me nuts! 🏃🐭😆

Ice skating and hot chocolate with my beautiful girl (she skated. I inched round clinging to the side)! 😂

It's my birthday! 54 rocks! 😜

Tree up. Port poured. It's Christmas!

So, 140,00 words, 18 months and many mornings waking with anxiety later and SERENITY FALLS is finally finished! I started this book in July 2024, two weeks after my mum died. It's been a slog. At times, I worried I'd never bring it together. But today I wrote those two magic words. Now for a gin!

Beautiful and spooky Halloween biscuits from my lovely publishers @michaeljbooks.bsky.social! 🐈‍⬛🕯️🎃

Such a brilliant time at #KnihaBrno (Brno Book Fair) in Czech. Beautiful city. Amazing audience. Signed books for an hour and a half - oh, and bumped into these scary dudes! 😱🤣

Prague is a beautiful city - plus they have the best bookshops!! 😆

Got the best greeting from my Czech publishers when I arrived in Prague yesterday!

Tomorrow I fly to Prague, en route to the Brno Book Festival (Kniha Brno). Very excited. First book event in a while and first visit to Czech! 😃

Pumpkin carving today. Betty carved Alastor from Hazbin Hotel and Freddy from FNAF. I went for classic scary pumpkin! 🎃🎃🎃

This whole article is massively offensive, displaying a complete lack of understanding of the writing process. Plus the stuff about 'famous authors' is insulting to every other author slogging their arses off to write great books. Tone deaf. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

So chuffed to be included here alongside some of the very best horror authors around. If you're looking for scary Halloween reads, dive in!

Started Halloween-ing the house today. Spiders and cobwebs to follow tomorrow. 💀🎃🕷️🕸️

Visited @waterstonesblue today. Thrilled to see my books on display (in fine company). Also, met the lovely Alice who told me she recommends all my books which made my year! I've been out of the publishing bubble for a while so it was a nice reminder I'm actually an author! 🤣

Watched a few films on the plane to Florida and back. Favourite - The Substance. Least favourite - Sinners. Might not be a popular opinion but I just didn't think it was a good *vampire* movie.

Coasters we loved and screamed on at Disney, Universal and Epic: Tron, Space Mountain, Guardians of the Galaxy, Rock 'n' Rollercoaster, Hulk, Velocicoaster and Stardust Racers. Guardians still tops them all for me! 😱🎢

#Vampire #horror @danieljvolpehorror.bsky.social @katdunn.bsky.social @cjtudor.bsky.social @johannavanveen.bsky.social @buehlmeister.bsky.social @timlebbon.bsky.social @sgj.bsky.social @jeffstrand.bsky.social @natcassidy.bsky.social @keithrosson.bsky.social @daniel-lorn.bsky.social

Been away for a couple of weeks, doing research for the new book. #SerenityFalls is out next fall!

Every year I forget our anniversary. This year it's extra special as it's 25 years. Still forgot. 😬 But thanks for the memories, Mr Hocking @studiobloke.bsky.social 😁😊🥰

My daughter is practising her face painting skills for a school fun day next weekend! 🦋 Life of a horror writer, right? 😆

Urge. I really hate it when our daughter goes back to school. I miss having her around. The house is too quiet!

Reading 2025 #25-27: Holiday reading. We were travelling from Edinburgh to Denmark by train so plenty of time for reading. I had a total @cjtudor.bsky.social fest, and read The Gathering, The Taking of Annie Thorne, and The Other People. All fab. #amreading #horror #crimefiction #booksky

Anyone else watching #AlienEarth? I really enjoyed the first episode. Felt Ep. 2 was a bit all over the place. Hoping Ep. 3 is an improvement.

Took Betty to see Hades Town this afternoon. Enjoyed it but not sure it quite lived up to the hype. 🌹

Just finished watching The Good Place (missed it first time around) and I think it might be one of my favourite TV shows ever. Perfect. 🥲

Trip up to Nottingham (my hometown) this weekend to catch up with friends. Cracking time. Great city. Wrote a lot of my first novel, The Chalk Man, in the Waterstones there!

Also, just finished this brutal beauty by @keithrosson.bsky.social. I love a good vampire novel 😉 and this is a seriously good vampire novel. Gritty seventies revenge noir with bloodsuckers. What's not to enjoy?

Read a few books while I was away - blurry pic because of sun cream on the lens! 😂

Lovely week's holiday in Gran Canaria. Hot, hot, hot! 🔥

Playing daughter at Super Mario chess. We've left it at a tense stand-off!

Happiness is a dog and an empty beach. 😊

Very much enjoyed this Vampyre detective story set in a snowy Alaskan town. (Great way to cool down. 🧊🤣) Could absolutely see this as a cracking mini series. The Gathering by @cjtudor.bsky.social #amreadinghorror #amreading #booksbooksbooks #vampirebooks #vampirefiction #horrorfiction #cjtudor

Had a cracking time at the Penguin 90th Birthday party last night. Great to catch up with my lovely editor, Max and star authors Eve Chase, Katherine Fleet, Claire Douglas and Tim Weaver. 😁

Not only have I reviewed this splendid book on the podcast today, but also #TheGathering by @cjtudor.bsky.social won an award at @capitalcrime.bsky.social ! #booksky #readsky

I'm such a slow reader right now but I loved this from @richardchizmar.bsky.social and W.H. Chizmar. A full-on ghost story with the chill factor turned up to 11. You will definitely want to sleep with the lights on. Thoroughly terrifying. 😱👻 Out September!

Great evening at Brighton Waterstones talking horror with the fantastic @linwoodbarclay.bsky.social and equally fantastic @emlynreeswriter.bsky.social. Thanks to Sam and all the staff for hosting and to everyone who came along! 😁

Daughter's twelfth birthday next week. Took her for a day out with friends to Bluewater on Saturday. Shopping, climbing, trampolining . . . and THIS!! 🤣

I'm so excited for this! I'll be joining the brilliant @linwoodbarclay.bsky.social and @emlynreeswriter.bsky.social to chat about all things thrilling and supernatural at Brighton Waterstones on June 10th. Don't miss it! www.waterstones.com/events/an-ev...

This is so lovely - and I was thrilled to have @loreleiking.bsky.social narrate the novel. She rocks!

For #WorldDraculaDay I have 13 recs for you! Incl 🦇Black sapphic Dracula via @traumbooks.bsky.social ks.bsky.social! 👰Dracula's brides tell the story with @stgibson.bsky.social on.bsky.social! 🩸legally protected vampires from @cjtudor.bsky.social! everybookadoorway.com/13-vampires-...

Fab time @mcmcomiccon.bsky.social. Never too old for cosplay! #LondonComicCon

At the writing desk. New book is edging closer to being finished. I'm looking happy, but really my brain is fried mush! 😂

Yay! Thanks so much @keithrosson.bsky.social for this very cool looking copy of Coffin Moon. Looking forward to sinking my teeth into it. 🩸