Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Lifestyle on July 26, 2025
Few books effect me enough to blog about them. Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell is one of those books. I’ve been raving about it to anyone who will listen.
The novel is set in Dublin and features a young woman, Ciara, who is being coercively controlled by her husband, Ryan. One day she’s had enough and, on the spur of the moment, bundles her young daughters into the car, along with a random selection of belongings, and drives away. She escapes one unbearable situation but arrives in another. She has little money, no job, nowhere to stay and her family are in England. And Ryan is relentless in his quest to get her back or to win custody of the children he’s shown little interest in, until now.
Ciara’s strength of spirit is tested to its limit as she navigates creating a home for her children in a hotel room, finding a job and facing the demons in her head.
The writing is wonderful, evocative and emotional. This is fiction but for me the book was heavy with real life. It paints such an authentic picture of the lives of families forced to live in a hotel room because of the lack of emergency social housing. Before reading Nesting, these families were just statistics to me but now they have a voice, a face and my respect.
Nesting is not holiday reading but it will leave you with a new perspective on coercive control, homeless families and the strength of maternal love.
Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell is available on Kindle, in paperback, hardback and audiobook. (And I’m not on commission!) Or try your local library – which is where I borrowed my copy.
If you’ve read the book, do leave a comment – I’d love to know what you thought?
What I Learned at the Lichfield Book Extravaganza
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Events, Promotion on July 15, 2025
A few months ago I discussed the pros and cons of authors paying for tables at book fairs.
Meeting the Deputy Mayor of Lichfield at the Book Extravaganza
That post was based on the experiences of other writers. I’ve now taken part in one of these events as a stallholder. Here is what I learned:
1. A tall pop-up banner proclaiming your name, genre, book titles etc. is not essential. Individually they look professional, but space around the stalls can be limited, meaning the banners crowd each other out. I don’t have a banner and don’t plan to get one in the near future.
2. It’s essential to be able to accept both cash and card payments. I downloaded the Sum Up app onto my android phone in order to take card payments – this app doesn’t require the purchase of a separate card-reading device. I practised at home to ensure that I knew where on the back of the phone the customer needed to tap their card/phone. I had a couple of failed payments on the day but discovered that closing the app and starting again solved the problem. Sum Up takes a very small commission on each transaction. Also ensure you have a cash float in order to give change to those who hand over a £20 note.
3. Very few people will stop and peruse your table of their own free will. Make eye contact as people pass your stall and then immediately engage them in conversation; a question about the weather, compliment their outfit, bag etc., make a general comment about the event or whatever else pops into your head. Then lead gently into the books on your table. But accept that a lot of people will ignore you or not be your target reader. As with the rest of the publishing industry, you need a thick skin!
4. Have an ‘Event Special Offer!’ to attract people’s attention and act as a conversation opener about your books. This helped me a lot.
5. Make friends with an adjacent stallholder – you will need someone to watch your table when you go for a toilet break or in search of a cup of tea.
6. Take enough food and drink to last the whole day to reduce the amount of time you spend away from your stall.
7. Have business cards and bookmarks to give out.
8. Take a tablecloth plus book stands and an easy to see price list. I noticed that the few stalls with books just laid flat on a bare table attracted the least interest.
9. When someone buys a book, encourage them to join your email list either by displaying a QR code for direct online signup or by taking down their email address on paper to manually add later. I regret that I forgot to do this!
The Lichfield Book Extravaganza was a success for me (as well as a learning experience). I sold twenty books which more than covered my costs and I enjoyed the day. I will do this event again because it was fairly close to home, but I would think twice about travelling a long way unless it was for something special.
Please leave a comment if you’ve had experience of similar events?
5 Questions About Writing With . . . Ellie Henderson
Posted by Sally Jenkins in 5 Questions About Writing on July 1, 2025
Ellie Henderson was brought up in Glasgow and now lives near the sea on the east coast of Scotland.
She has written five books set on the Isle of Arran and is working on a new series set by Loch Lomond. When she’s not writing, she runs creative workshops in the community and delivers training in First Aid for Mental Health. She also writes psychological fiction under the name Lorna Henderson.
Find out more about Ellie at: https://elliehendersonbooks.com/ellie-henderson
How do you discipline/motivate yourself to write and do you set daily targets?
It very much depends on deadlines and other work projects that I am juggling. I wish I could say that I sat down every day at a certain time to write x number of words. But I’ve had to learn to be flexible and fit in writing when I can. I used to work as a journalist – so I do love a deadline – that tends to motivate me. Recently I’ve found that walking is a good way to unclutter my mind and work out where the plot is going next. Then I sit down and write. Although I can also procrastinate so I will switch off the WIFI and phone and set a timer which helps focus my mind!
What are the most important qualities required by a writer? Do you have them?
I think anyone can write for the love and process of writing and I’m a great believer that creative writing can be really positive for our wellbeing. I think writing in order to be published can be different and can bring a lot of other additional challenges. Some of the most important qualities are: imagination, patience, perseverance, being open to feedback and learning. But most of all you need to actually just get on with it and write.
How do you market yourself and your books?
Fortunately my publisher, Joffe Books, does a lot of the marketing which is wonderful. I have previously self-published books and the marketing takes a huge amount of effort. I am quite introverted and prefer to shy away from publicity. I’d much rather be writing! However I know it is important. I use social media, mostly Instagram, which can be fun and am lucky that I have a lot of supportive followers who help to spread the word. I also keep in touch with local newspapers and let them know if I have any book news which might be of interest.
Which writing resources have you found useful, e.g., books, courses, organisations, websites etc.?
I loved The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron; I also did an MA in Creative Writing which I personally found useful as it gave me a framework to follow at a time when I needed it most and I was trying to juggle work and family life and develop my writing.
A top tip for other writers?
Don’t give up! Keep persevering and trust you will get there at the right time. I’ve had hundreds of rejections over the years but that probably made me more determined to succeed. The final tip would be to enjoy the writing process. It’s such a gift and something I am very grateful for.
About A Summer of Secrets on Arran – published June 2025
A Summer of Secrets on Arran is a heartwarming, emotional romance about second chances, family ties and the healing power of love. It’s about three women, Rosie, Isobel and Bella and a secret that could change everything they knew about love.
Excitement and Nerves
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Events, Lifestyle, Successes on June 16, 2025
Have I got news for you!
Choc Lit Authors before the Joffe Summer Party
My publisher, Choc Lit (an imprint of Joffe Books) has signed me to write two more novels!
Both books will feature a later-in-life romance as part of the storyline. The first book has a working title of Because You’re Worth It and follows Michelle, who inherits a mysterious fortune from her mother. Michelle must embark on a journey of self-discovery and learn that it is never too late to trust her heart. All being well, this will be published in summer 2026. The second book, which currently has no plot and no title, will follow in summer 2027.
This has made me extremely excited but also slightly anxious. I have to provide my editor with the manuscript for the first book by 1st December this year and I’ve never written to a deadline before. It’s like being back at school with that pile of homework that needs to be done always at the back of your mind.
Watch this space for how I get on!
In other news, last month I went to the annual Joffe summer garden party in London. The picture above is me (second from right under the window) with several of the other Choc Lit authors in the pub beforehand. It’s the second time I’ve been to the party. This time I was more confident and made a point of searching out everyone in the Choc Lit/Joffe team who’d had a hand in making my books a reality. I got to meet the lovely Kate Ballard who, along with Becky Slorach, the head of Choc Lit, gave me great editorial advice on Out of Control, which was published earlier this year. I also spoke to the lovely people who deal with marketing and social media and those who format both the Kindle books and the paperbacks. It really does take a whole team to make books happen!
Final bit of news: My second short story collection, Hit or Miss?, was chosen as a June Amazon Monthly deal. This means the Kindle version is only 99p until the end of June, so now might be the time to indulge yourself (!) The book challenges the reader to decide which of the short stories were competition or magazine hits and which failed to land on the right editor’s desk at the right time.
5 Questions About Writing With . . . Abigail Johnson
Posted by Sally Jenkins in 5 Questions About Writing, Authors, Books on June 3, 2025
Abigail Johnson is an author from Birmingham whose stories have been longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and Exeter Novel Award and shortlisted for the Edinburgh Award for Flash Fiction.
Although her primary school teacher predicted she would grow up to be an author, it was only in her forties that she decided to take writing seriously.
How do you discipline/motivate yourself to write and do you set daily targets?
I don’t set daily targets as I find that some days the words flow and some days they don’t, and if I force myself, I’ll just end up feeling frustrated! Instead I might set rough goals, for example, aiming to get to a certain point of the story within a set timeframe. The motivation can be hard when I’m feeling stuck and that’s when I think it’s important to try and move forward, even if you skip past a tricky part and revisit it later.
What are the most important qualities required by a writer? Do you have them?
I think being able to have empathy with your characters is probably the most important. If you want your readers to care about the characters you’ve written, you really need to be able to step into their shoes. This is something that comes quite naturally to me but the other important element needed is being able to structure a story well and I find this a bit harder.
How do you market yourself and your books?
My books are uplifting book club fiction and I’m grateful to the publicity team at PanMacmillan for their marketing of my book. I’m trying to get myself known by taking part in events and meeting readers. I also have a website and promote myself on social media, which doesn’t come very naturally to me.
Which writing resources have you found useful, e.g., books, courses, organisations, websites etc.?
Despite the fact that I love reading, for some reason I don’t particularly like to read about the craft of writing but this isn’t because I don’t have lots to learn. What I have found useful is attending workshops and listening to other authors talk about how they approach their writing. I found the Jericho Writers’ Festival really helpful when I was starting out and I’m thrilled I’m going to be delivering my own workshop at this year’s Festival! I’ve also done a number of writing courses where I’ve learned more about the publishing industry as well as writing techniques. The Secret Collector, my debut novel, was written while on the Curtis Brown Creative three month novel writing course.
A top tip for other writers?
Keep going! It’s so much harder to write a novel than I had ever imagined and I could have easily given up many times along the way but if you don’t stick with it, you’ll never finish what you started. If you are feeling very stuck, I recommend taking a break and perhaps being creative in other ways. Write a bit of poetry or flash fiction or a short story or even draw something. It might just be what you need to feel inspired again.
About The Secret Collector – published April 2025
The Secret Collector, is set in Birmingham and is an uplifting and warm story about friendship across generations, the power of community and finding hope where it had been lost. Alfred is an elderly widower who uses antiques and collectibles to fill the hole in his heart left by his late wife. Kian is a lost teen who has been let down by the care system and finds it difficult staying on the straight and narrow. After Kian throws a brick through Alfred’s window, Kian is enrolled on a restorative justice programme to help make Alfred’s home liveable again.
A £10,000 Advance!
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Authors, Books, Travel on May 13, 2025
No! Stop the applause and put the champagne away. It’s not me!
£10,000 is the amount Benjamin Disraeli received as an advance on his novel ‘Endymion’ published in 1880. I had no idea that Disraeli, one of our most famous prime ministers, had had a literary career. Endymion is described as a ‘romance’ by Wikipedia and is set against a political backdrop during the years 1819 to 1859.
Members of GoodReads have awarded it an average of 3.52 stars.
This wasn’t Disraeli’s first novel, that was ‘Vivian Grey’, which was heavily criticised but didn’t stop him writing. His output only slowed when he became an MP.
A thought to take away with you, according to Wikipedia, £10,000 in 1880 was equivalent to £1,257,376 in 2023! I can’t say whether this huge sum was because of his literary prowess or because he was an ex-prime minister.
(The plaque illustrating this post can be found at Hughenden Manor, a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire).
5 Questions About Writing With . . . Lee Benson
Posted by Sally Jenkins in 5 Questions About Writing, Poetry, Writing for Children, Writing Handicaps on May 6, 2025
Lee Benson was the owner of successful Birmingham art gallery ‘Number Nine’ for 14 years and the sales director of a commercial gallery prior to that. 
He is a fine watercolourist with two sell out solo exhibitions and many group shows. Lee has published 11 children’s illustrated books, six of which were recorded for TV. He has visited over 100 schools performing the stories and has been a guest author for World Book Day as far afield as Dubai and Stourbridge. Lee has also had nine books of poetry published, with two new collections due for release early this summer. He has produced three novels, a ghost story and seven complete discographies in collaboration with A. Sparke. Under the pen name of Lee Hemingway he released an alien crime novella in the USA.
Lee can be contacted through his website: https://thecreativeleebenson.com/
All of his books can be viewed on his Amazon page.
How do you discipline/motivate yourself to write and do you set daily targets?
Great question. My mind is always busy and so is my life. I put myself into writing mode by walking in the fresh air and absorbing the atmosphere. This applies to both my children’s stories and my poems. When my mind is in the right gear, I write. I write from within the story. I see it, then write it.
What are the most important qualities required by a writer? Do you have them?
Self-belief.
I do not believe in writing to order or being formulaic. If I’m not feeling it myself, it gets binned. I hate rewriting chapters so I edit in my head first before committing to paper. My wife is a great listener, she tells me if it flows or if it doesn’t make sense. We all love reassurance that what we have created is good. Children are the best critics for my children’s tales.
How do you market yourself and your books?
I use all social media badly. I find performing at schools is the best way to sell my children’s books. After a lockdown drought, schools are letting us indie authors in again but the receptionist frontline can be a tight fortress to get through, plus teachers have to follow protocols now.
Which writing resources have you found useful, e.g., books, courses, organisations, websites etc.?
Because I am dyslexic writing courses are difficult and frustrating. Searching for help is even more challenging. You have to ask the right logical questions to get to the right logical answers and I have a problem with thinking logically. So I rely on my brain and my life experiences to help me.
A top tip for other writers?
Write away selflessly without editing. Don’t think you have to write a certain amount of words per day. If it flows, then go for it.
About Random Hopefulness – published October 2024
Random Hopefulness is a collection of observations on humour, love and loss, with a little tongue in cheek included for good measure. It is the first of a new series of poetic oddities. Lee focuses on what is all around us. He says, “Sometimes I don’t realise I am writing at mad unholy hours and voila in the morning, there it is, Random Hopefulness is the answer.”
7 Interview Tips for Authors
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Promotion, public speaking, Successes on April 25, 2025
I’ve had an exciting time since the launch of Out of Control in mid-March.
My bestseller flag!
The Kindle version achieved one of those little orange bestseller flags in the UK Kindle Parenting and Family Humour chart! Quite a niche chart, I admit, and the flag might not still be there when you read this but, for a short while at least, I basked in the glory of being a bestselling author!
Also, over the past month I’ve chatted on two radio shows, West Wilts Radio with Chris Penhall and Black Country Xtra with Lee Benson (to air 18/5/25). I featured in a quickfire video interview with Joffe Books and was invited to write a guest post on publishing for the Pounds and Sense personal finance blog, which is aimed at the over 50s and therefore fits very nicely with Fiona, the new retiree in Out of Control.
The prospect of being interviewed, either for radio or video, strikes fear into the heart of many of us! So I’ve listed below the strategies that helped me sound reasonably (I hope!) coherent rather than gabbling. Full disclosure: The interviews that I did were all pre-recorded so I knew anything that did go wrong could be edited away.
- Ask in advance if there are any particular questions or topics that the interviewer would like to cover and get your material ready.
- Prepare (and practise!) the elevator pitch for your latest book or whatever you are publicising. People won’t be persuaded to buy from an author who can’t succinctly describe his plot and characters.
- If you are asked to choose music as part of a radio show, have a reason why you’ve chosen a particular track. Does it remind you of a particular event or person? Do the words of the song mean something special to you? Does a character in your book dance to this tune?
- If you are being interviewed remotely via a video conferencing app (as I was) ensure that the house will be quiet (ideally empty!). Close windows and doors to avoid a sudden siren or traffic noise spoiling things. Put your mobile on silent and take any landline off the hook.
- If it is a video interview be aware of your background. It might be appropriate to have a bookshelf in the background with a display of your books. I had a canvas of my cover art on the wall behind me.
- If you have ‘iffy’ wi-fi, position yourself where you get the strongest signal. And make sure your laptop camera and microphone are working.
- Enjoy yourself! It’s rare to get the opportunity to talk about yourself and your books to your heart’s content.
Is this the End of NaNoWriMo?
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Resources, Writing on April 17, 2025
Most of you will be familiar with National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo, as it’s commonly known.
Image Courtesy of NaNoWriMo
Like me, you may have used it as the discipline needed to get 50,000 words down on paper during the 30 days of November. Perhaps you logged your growing word count via the organisation’s website and participated in encouraging chats on its forums. I went to an in-person NaNoWriMo event in Birmingham one year, wrote an article about it for Writing Magazine and I’ve blogged about it several times.
But, according to this article in the Guardian, it seems that NaNoWriMo as an organisation has had to close due to financial problems compounded by reputational damage. The reputational damage relates to the behaviour of one of its forum moderators and to a statement made by the organisation about AI. More information can also be found on the Euronews website.
To me this is sad news because several of my novels started life as scrappy NaNoWriMo manuscripts and in the months after NaNo were honed to ‘perfection’.
So what happens next? Will you still use November to get those words written? Does it matter if there’s no formal organisation?
5 Questions About Writing With . . . Nick Daws
Posted by Sally Jenkins in 5 Questions About Writing, Non-fiction on April 8, 2025
Nick Daws is a semi-retired freelance writer, age 69. 
He’s written over 100 non-fiction books, from The Internet for Writers to Living and Working in Germany. He is also an award-winning short-story writer. Nick runs a personal finance blog called Pounds and Sense and writes as a freelance about finance and matters pertaining to older people.
How do you discipline/motivate yourself to write and do you set daily targets?
When I was a full-time freelance with no other source of income, the work imposed its own discipline, because if I didn’t write, I wouldn’t have any money to pay the bills! Nowadays I’m semi-retired and have income from other sources such as pensions so that isn’t such a big issue. Still, I set myself daily and weekly targets, and am a great believer in the value of to-do lists.
What are the most important qualities required by a writer? Do you have them?
You must be able to focus on work and shut out distractions while you are writing. In this day and age that can be difficult, of course. You must be happy with your own company, as writing is by nature a solitary occupation. And while you don’t need to be Shakespeare, you do need a basic grasp of spelling, grammar and punctuation. It helps a lot if you enjoy reading too, not just in your own field but more widely. I’d like to think I have all these qualities, though I do sometimes struggle getting down to work. I’m prone to procrastination and can find a million and one other things to do before sitting down to write. Once I’ve started, though, I often have to force myself to step away from the computer for the sake of my health!
How do you market yourself?
In the past I found word of mouth and personal recommendation among the best ways to market myself. Going to writers’ conferences (as a speaker or participant) definitely helped get my name (and face) known and sometimes generated commissions and bookings too. Some of my best long-term writing gigs actually came from replying to ads in the Guardian newspaper and specialist writing magazines. I was also lucky to get referrals over the years from clients and colleagues, including fellow writers. These days I rely more on social media, mainly Twitter/X and Facebook. My blog also acts as a calling card. I regularly get approached by people wanting to advertise and/or have content published there. It has also generated writing commissions for me, including from the Sun and Daily Telegraph.
Which writing resources have you found useful, e.g., books, courses, organisations, websites etc.?
I think every writer should have a style guide such as the one published for many years by the Economist magazine. The latest version, available from Amazon UK, is titled Writing With Style. I’m also a big fan of On Writing by horror author Stephen King. This is an entertaining read and has many good tips for fiction writers in particular. As regards websites, I regularly visit the free Thesaurus.com if I’m struggling to find the exact word I need or just require an alternative to avoid repeating myself!
A top tip for other writers?
Writing is a very competitive field and talent only gets you so far. You also need to be persistent and never give up, even in the face of repeated rejection. I’d also advise joining a local writers’ group. I have belonged to various groups over the years and the support and constructive criticism I have received from members has been invaluable.
About Nick’s Pounds and Sense blog
Nick has been running his Pounds and Sense personal finance blog since 2016. It covers making money, saving money and investing from an older person’s perspective. The blog also covers other subjects relevant to over-50s, including health, diet, holidays, and so on.
Sally Jenkins 