We interrupt this page to bring you these messages from our sponsors. Well, not exactly. Not remotely, as it happens. But one of the best things about having your own website (aside from the obvious plusses of being able to twitter uncensored and upload only gratifying pictures of oneself) is that you can use it as a forum to wax lyrical or otherwise about just about anything important in your life. Mostly this takes the form of thinly veiled pleas to buy my books, obviously, but today I bring you some glad non-begging-for-book-sales tidings. Namely as follows;
That if it's a new kitchen you're after you couldn't do much better than go to Sigma 3 (www.sigma3.co.uk) because they make rather fine ones. In addition to that, if you go and purchase your sigma3 kitchen in their branch in East Cardiff, you will be further delighted by the attentions of the Debonair Dean and the Jaunty Jamie (yes, I'm sorry about the naff alliteration, guys, but I Am A Writer and so am excused) and also Martin, who I only dealt with in a minor fashion but who makes extremely nice coffee.
Trust me, dear reader, I have tested these gentlemen, and found them up to scratch in every professional department.
Another lovely man sorely tested is the ..erm, search for R word...fail to find one...urr...rigorous in all matters (it'll have to do) Richard. As in Richard Threllfall, excellent builder of this parish (Richard Threllfall, General Builder 029 2041 2276) who has been a giant among men in pretty much every conceivable way, even though faced, in the main, with an obstreperous, nagging and generally tedious customer these past weeks, and who has at no point, to my knowledge, cracked under the strain. Though I suspect his poor wife might have by now. Richard (in conjunction with Dave and Luke; in total, a sort of Cardiff A Team with paint effects and dust sheets) is simply the only builder I'd now consider for any building related needs. Which is praise indeed from a builder's daughter, I can tell you.
And now, without further ado - or buy my books pleas - back to the home page...
I always start with a list. No, those aren't my words but those of my very first full-length fictional heroine, Julia Potter, who begins her journey by having a damn good spring clean.
Which is where life, as it so often does, imitates art, because those of you who've ventured down this byway before will know that spring cleaning is something I've been up to myself, which is why this website, though green, is no longer green, and why, rather as with Sainsbury's, everything's moved once again.
The reference to Julia isn't random, however, because this being my homepage, and therefore the first one you come to, it behoves me (in the interests of both book sales and lexical diversity) to let you know that she's had a bit of a make-over too, in the form of having got herself a lovely new jacket. She's in the shops now, but if you really can't wait, you can get her via Amazon by simply clicking on Shop...
And there's more. If that's not enough excitement to be going on with I must also use this space to regale you with news of my latest - Out on a Limb, which is out now and also available from the Shop page... While you're there, check out the Out and About page as well, for a very twee picture of me and my mum, who, I'm bound to tell you, did NOT provide the blueprint for Abbie's...
'My mother has just the two modes of operation. Either slightly dramatic or seriously dramatic. That this is the latter means just the one thing. That my day is about to get worse…’
And for single mum, Abbie, life is complex enough. So once her eldest son, Seb, has gone on his gap year, she’s decided it’s time to make changes. She’s just left her old job and started a new one (to escape the gorgeous man-who-turned-out-to-be-married), and is planning some space for herself at long last.
But fate seems to have something else in mind for Abbie, in the shape of her demanding and incorrigible mother, whose feckless fourth husband, Hugo, has just died. Temporarily in a wheelchair after a recent knee op, Diana – retired TV fitness icon and dancer – will need looking after so will have to move in. Still, Abbie tells herself - gritting her teeth - it won’t be for more than a few weeks…
But Abbie hasn’t figured on the sudden arrival of Hugo’s 20 years’ estranged son. Gabriel Ash, a suave TV Weatherman, not only owns the deeds to what they thought was Hugo’s house, but also has plans of his own…
But whatever your proclivities - whether you’ve come as avid reader, fellow writer, or just someone who fetched up here whilst looking for an affordable and attractive new home of character in a semi rural setting (that’s Barratt with an ‘a’ you’ll be wanting, incidentally), I hope you’ll find something in these pages to interest, amuse or inspire you.
So, what is on here, exactly? First timers might be interested to read first chapters, so I’ve included those of all my novels, in the hopes that you’ll enjoy them and (somewhat self-evidently) want to buy the books. There’s also a selection of my short stories and journalistic endeavours, some writing related articles for the creatively afflicted, and all the sorts of things you’d expect to find on a writer’s website. Twitterings and crowings various, news about projects, links to other sites I like, including the ubiquitous and afore-mentioned Amazon, plus Women'sOwn, the weekly column I write for the Western Mail Magazine. (The Western Mail being the national newspaper of Wales, for those of you not lucky enough to live here). It replaces the blog that used to fill that page. And is a whole lot more coherent. I hope.
The reference to Julia isn't random, however, because this being my homepage, and therefore the first one you come to, it behoves me (in the interests of both book sales and lexical diversity) to let you know that she's had a bit of a make-over too, in the form of having got herself a lovely new jacket. She's in the shops now, but if you really can't wait, you can get her via Amazon by simply clicking on Shop...