Short story competition - closing date coming up soon!

Anyone out there intending to enter the Exeter Writers Short Story Competition? If so, the closing date is coming up soon - it's 31 March 2010. All the details are on the Exeter Writers website at www.exeterwriters.org.uk.

New season, new titles...

Well, it's officially spring, although you wouldn't know it here in Devon, where it's raining all the time and blowing a gale.

But the great thing about spring is the new novels that come thudding through my letter box from editors and publicists hoping for a mention in Writing Magazine. Here are two first novels that are worth your attention - Christy Lefteri's moving story set against the background of the Graeco-Turkish conflict in Cyprus in 1974, A Watermelon, A Fish And A Bible, and David Abbott's The Upright Piano Player, about family break-up, loss and reconciliation.

They're both available to pre-order on Amazon now at www.amazon.co.uk.

Harry Bowling Prize 2010

The Harry Bowling Prize for 2010 has been won by Debbie Johnson with the opening of her novel Fear No Evil. The runner up is John Barfield, whose novel is entitled Sunrise.

You can read more about the Harry Bowling Prize and see who else was on this year's longlist at www.harrybowlingprize.net

Nigel Farndale in Writing Magazine

The April edition of Writing Magazine has just hit the shops, and contains an interview with novelist and journalist Nigel Farndale, whose novel The Blasphemer is currently getting rave reviews on Amazon.

Quite right, too. It's a complex, multi-stranded story which asks one of the all-time big questions. If you were ever in a life or death situation, if you were tested and you failed, how would you cope with the fall-out?

Be afraid...

I always have several novels on the go at any one time, and late last night I finished reading Jane Fallon's second novel Got You Back, which I thought was probably going to be a light romantic comedy, but which turned out to be much, much darker and more frightening than any romantic comedy I've ever read.

All those wives of cheating husbands out there - be inspired.

All those cheating husbands - be afraid. Be very afraid.

New month, new novels...

I've just come back from a few days away from home to find a big pile of post, an even bigger pile of virtual post, but some nice surprises, too. The Loves Me, Loves Me Not book signing which Linda Mitchelmore and I did in Paignton last month is featured in the March edition of Devon Life, and spring is a great time for new novels. As a novel-reading junkie who can never get enough, I'm looking forward to a delicious few weeks.

I've just started reading Trisha Ashley's latest, Chocolate Wishes, which is a delightful romantic comedy, and I wasn't surprised to learn that last year Trisha was shortlisted for the prestigious Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance. You can find out more about Trisha if you visit her website at www.trishaashley.com.

I'll also be reading David Nicholls's One Day and Matt Lynn's Fire Force - there's nothing like variety!