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2 March 2021
Ironing by Navajo
By Gwyn Rees With most novels, you know what to expect in terms of structure before you’ve even turned the first page. First comes the set-up and the introduction of ...
1 March 2021
Poems, Piety, and Psyche: Progressive Poems for Rebellious Christians by David John Keighley
Poems, Piety, and Psyche: Progressive Poems for Rebellious Christians by retired vicar and progressive theologian Reverend David John Keighley is a collection of poems with the gloves off, calling for ...
26 February 2021
Writing for young adults by Connie Glynn, author of Princess At Heart
When reflecting upon the books I read as a teenager, I imagined adult fiction would be tremendously different and advanced compared to the books I was reading at the time. ...
26 February 2021
Author Caroline Flanagan discusses her new book Be The First
Author and mum of four Caroline Flanagan discusses the Imposter Syndrome she’s struggled with throughout her career and how her new book aims to help other women and men of ...
26 February 2021
The importance of community during lockdown by Yvonne Bennett
Yvonne Bennett discusses the importance of community during lockdown and reveals the important role a South London church plays in the lives of a group of young mums. For a ...
25 February 2021
From prison to palace – how to turn your lockdown home into a sanctuary by Vanya Silverten
We all know that living in lockdown can be a little like living in a prison. You can’t go anywhere, waking up and going to sleep in the same environment ...
25 February 2021
Exclusive: We talk to new author Sarah Pearse about her debut novel, The Sanatorium
Pearse’s first book, The Sanatorium, follows Elin Warner, a former detective who heads to a Hotel in the Swiss Alps for her brother’s engagement party. The dark twist? This luxury hotel used ...
24 February 2021
Seven tips for financial freedom by Seven Dollar Millionaire, author of Happy Ever After
“The Seven Dollar Millionaire” is a fund manager who was so worried his daughter was learning nothing about money at school, that he wrote her the book “Happy Ever After: ...
24 February 2021
Seven MORE things I'd like my readers to know about me by Barbara Copperthwaite
1. I did a lot of research for my latest book – including being shut in a car boot! My partner was incredibly nervous about the whole thing and urged ...
25 February 2021
Review: Shiver by Allie Reynolds
The world of competitive sport is a dangerous one for a bunch of different reasons. Take snowboarding, for example. Not only do you have to compete with the fear of ...
Book review
18 February 2021
Review: The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse is a brilliant debut thriller!
Horror and thriller books may be the hardest to write, with the author having to describe each moment through language rather than through sight. Fortunately, Sarah Pearse cuts right through ...
Book review
14 February 2021
Review: Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Blood Orange is the Edinburgh-born author’s debut novel and Tyce has since released a second novel 'The Lies You Told'. Harriet Tyce's thriller Blood Orange is the perfect book to ...
30 November 2016
For All Time by Susan E Birch
- No quarter requested, No quarter received. ...
30 November 2016
Who ARE you? by Susan E Birch
- I am a monastery bell Calling through the mountain air. ...
30 November 2016
'Granted!' by Bruce Costello
Slouched on one of the seats customarily occupied by husbands foolish enough to accompany their wives shopping, Leonard waits. He's a little old man with a long, scrawny neck and ...
2 March 2021
Ironing by Navajo
By Gwyn Rees With most novels, you know what to expect in terms of structure before you’ve even turned the first page. First comes the set-up and the introduction of ...
1 March 2021
Poems, Piety, and Psyche: Progressive Poems for Rebellious Christians by David John Keighley
Poems, Piety, and Psyche: Progressive Poems for Rebellious Christians by retired vicar and progressive theologian Reverend David John Keighley is a collection of poems with the gloves off, calling for ...
26 February 2021
Writing for young adults by Connie Glynn, author of Princess At Heart
When reflecting upon the books I read as a teenager, I imagined adult fiction would be tremendously different and advanced compared to the books I was reading at the time. ...
26 February 2021
Author Caroline Flanagan discusses her new book Be The First
Author and mum of four Caroline Flanagan discusses the Imposter Syndrome she’s struggled with throughout her career and how her new book aims to help other women and men of ...
26 February 2021
The importance of community during lockdown by Yvonne Bennett
Yvonne Bennett discusses the importance of community during lockdown and reveals the important role a South London church plays in the lives of a group of young mums. For a ...
25 February 2021
From prison to palace – how to turn your lockdown home into a sanctuary by Vanya Silverten
We all know that living in lockdown can be a little like living in a prison. You can’t go anywhere, waking up and going to sleep in the same environment ...
25 February 2021
Review: Shiver by Allie Reynolds
The world of competitive sport is a dangerous one for a bunch of different reasons. Take snowboarding, for example. Not only do you have to compete with the fear of ...
Book review
25 February 2021
Exclusive: We talk to new author Sarah Pearse about her debut novel, The Sanatorium
Pearse’s first book, The Sanatorium, follows Elin Warner, a former detective who heads to a Hotel in the Swiss Alps for her brother’s engagement party. The dark twist? This luxury hotel used ...
24 February 2021
Seven tips for financial freedom by Seven Dollar Millionaire, author of Happy Ever After
“The Seven Dollar Millionaire” is a fund manager who was so worried his daughter was learning nothing about money at school, that he wrote her the book “Happy Ever After: ...
24 February 2021
Seven MORE things I'd like my readers to know about me by Barbara Copperthwaite
1. I did a lot of research for my latest book – including being shut in a car boot! My partner was incredibly nervous about the whole thing and urged ...
24 February 2021
Marianne Cronin shares the inspiration for her new book The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
During lockdown, we’ve clapped and we’ve cheered, and we’ve banged pots and pans but we’ve also painted, cross-stitched, sketched, sculpted, sung and written. Anthony Gormley’s announcement of The Great Big ...
24 February 2021
Which type of mum on mat-leave are you? by Zeena Moolla
Maternity leave can be a minefield. Rhyme Time, coffee mornings, NCT meet-ups; whatever your choice of baby group, it can all become as tribal as the playground. And I hate ...
23 February 2021
How my partner’s experience of being a stay at home dad inspired my novel by Charlotte Duckworth
My partner is a singer and an actor, so when our daughter was born, it made sense for him to stay at home in the daytime while I went back ...
23 February 2021
Ten things I want to tell my kids about social media by Ali Benjamin
I was a member of the last generation of children to grow up without the internet...and the first generation of parents to raise children with it. I remember well the ...
22 February 2021
Living on a smallholding by Seni Glaister, author of Growing Season
The reality of the smallholder’s life rarely delivers the rustic simplicity of the dream. There’s no such thing as a lie-in, a day off or a sick day. The commitment ...
22 February 2021
Seven things I'd like my readers to know about me by Jessica Sanders, author of Me Time
- 2020 was a rollercoaster ride like something out of an amusement park for me. A Spinball Whizzer of highs and lows with twists and turns that had me out ...
22 February 2021
Publishing a bestselling novel during the pandemic with three children by AJ Campbell
2020 was a rollercoaster ride like something out of an amusement park for me. A Spinball Whizzer of highs and lows with twists and turns that had me out of ...
22 February 2021
How your body shaming is shaking your dating confidence by Astrid Longhurst
Dating can often feel like a daunting affair. It often brings up feelings of insecurity as we wonder if another person will like us or accept us for who we ...
22 February 2021
Writing to see yourself in fiction by Julie Ma, author of Happy Families
In Eastenders, ‘Beale’s Plaice’, Ian’s fish and chip shop used to be a Chinese takeaway called the Green Lantern. Do you remember it? No, neither do I. It’s better to ...
22 February 2021
Healing through nature and the natural world by Gill Lewis, author of Swan Song
When did you last laugh, I mean really belly laugh? When did you last look up and notice the sky? These are some questions Dylan faces in Swan Song, a ...
22 February 2021
Seven things I'd like my readers to know about me by Kate Eastham
I was a nurse before I became a novelist and did my training at a time when nurses wore starched caps and collars and the wards were ruled by strict ...
19 February 2021
Seven surprising things I learned from my readers, by author Leslie Wolfe
Being an entertainer at heart, I love staying in touch with my readers. In doing so, not only do I extend their reading experience and, occasionally, answer plot questions or ...
author interview
18 February 2021
Review: The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse is a brilliant debut thriller!
Horror and thriller books may be the hardest to write, with the author having to describe each moment through language rather than through sight. Fortunately, Sarah Pearse cuts right through ...
Book review
18 February 2021
Seven things I'd like my readers to know about my writing, by Liz Eeles
To celebrate the release of her new book, Secrets at the Last House Before the Sea, we asked author Liz Eeles to open up to our readers here at Female First. ...
18 February 2021
Things my readers don't know about my writing journey by author Rosie Goodwin
My love of writing began when I was a child but I didn’t pursue a career in writing until my children were grown. Instead, I was always writing short stories ...
17 February 2021
Seven of my favourite love stories by Dani Atkins, author of Gone Too Soon
There’s no denying the power of a love story. The best of them will take you away from reality and into the characters’ lives. And if there was ever a ...
16 February 2021
10 Things I'd like my readers to know about me by Ellery Kane
I work as a forensic psychologist. Forensic psychology begins at the intersection of psychology and the law, and its practitioners are involved in a variety of diverse issues, ranging from ...
14 February 2021
Review: Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce
Blood Orange is the Edinburgh-born author’s debut novel and Tyce has since released a second novel 'The Lies You Told'. Harriet Tyce's thriller Blood Orange is the perfect book to ...
11 February 2021
Expert advice for those struggle with Valentine's Day by Heidi Hauer
No matter how much we remind ourselves that we don’t need a romantic partner in order to be happy, being single (and happy!) on Valentine’s Day can sometimes feel like ...
Valentine's Day
11 February 2021
Mills and Boon author Rachael Stewart writes a short story for Female First
London is named the most romantic town in Great Britain, followed by Edinburgh and Halifax, according to a new piece of research of over 1000 post towns in the Great ...
11 February 2021
Eight things I’d like my readers to know about me by Carole Hayman
In these dystopian days of occasional truth, alternative facts and downright fake news - I will leave you to decide dear reader, which (if any) of the following are true. ...
11 February 2021
Seven “taboo” words feminists should shout from the rooftops by Flynn Meaney, author of BAD HABITS
“Vagina” is a forbidden word at the plaid-skirted and patriarchal St. Mary’s Catholic School in my new YA novel, Bad Habits. So much so, in fact, that my purple-fauxhawked rebel ...
11 February 2021
Seven things I'd like my readers to know about me by DD Armstong
I am currently working on a Study Guide with 3 different English teachers to create the resources for schools to teach UDDC at GCSE level. It will offer an alternative ...
11 February 2021
Seven things I'd like my readers to know about me by Jenna Kernan, author of A Killer's Daughter
Despite writing thrillers involving a serial killer, I often refuse to watch scary movies and cover my eyes during tense scenes. I don’t like waiting to be frightened and I ...
10 February 2021
How to explain autism to a child by Tanya Kharina, author of Alfie’s Way
Being a mum of two incredible boys, one of whom has autism, coupled with researching vast amounts of media pertaining to the subject, one might think I would be able ...
9 February 2021
My favourite buildings and sculptures in London by author Martin Collins
All images courtesy of Martin Collins. We all do it. We get on a bus and just stare out of the window, our minds a complete blank, unless something on ...
London
8 February 2021
How I spent my lockdown by Annabelle Knight, author of Chasing Clouds
For me, lockdown hasn’t been all too dissimilar form my everyday life. A large bulk of my work involves writing, usually done from home, so in that respect some of ...
8 February 2021
Seven things I'd like my readers to know about me by Suzette D. Harrison
- I met Shirley Temple: Yes, the real Shirley Temple, not the drink! When I was a little girl, I loved watching her films with my nan. I would dance ...
7 February 2021
Review: It by Alexa Chung
Alexa Chung is a British writer, model, fashion designer and renowned (as well as now self-professed) 'IT-girl'. The book's title alone shows that Alexa Chung recognises herself, and rightly so, ...
Alexa Chung
7 February 2021
Meet the author raising money for bereaved families of the NHS
What is it like to build a successful international business for 25 years and then nearly lose it all within a month? That is what happened to Founder and MD ...
6 February 2021
Review: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman is a triumph!
Four senior citizens getting together to solve a murder doesn’t seem like the racy thriller you’re after, but believe us, it really is. Richard Osman, comedian and writer, surpasses himself and ...
Book review
5 February 2021
Seven things I have learned through my writing journey by Patricia Gibney
I’m a writer who finds it impossible to plot out the entire story before I begin, and I’ve found that the best way to work is to keep writing to ...
4 February 2021
Five ideas for a virtual Galentine's Day event by Anna Bell, author of The Man I Didn't Marry
This year, when we’re missing spending time with our girls there’s never been a better time to celebrate ‘Galentine’s’. Author Anna Bell, suggests her top 5 ideas for livening up ...
4 February 2021
Author Imogen Church discusses the inspiration for her new audiobook Death and the Burlesque Maiden
I tell other people’s stories for a living. I mean, literally; I narrate audiobooks. I spend most of my days, reading books, first in my head and then out loud. ...
4 February 2021
Top tips for writing romcoms by Julie Houston, author of Sing Me A Secret
Wanting to write a romcom? One can, I would imagine, go to Google and up will come a pretty formulaic way to go about it. It’s funny (funny strange, not ...
4 February 2021
How best to plan for 2021 by Holly McCulloch, author of Just Friends
I have always, always been a planner. It’s how I work, it’s how I write, it’s even how I relax. But it’s really hard to plan the year ahead when ...
4 February 2021
Seven things you need to know about my writing day by Wendy Clarke, author of His Hidden Wife
I can’t write in one place. Some people have a favourite writing place, a study maybe or a quiet room somewhere at the back of the house. I have my ...
4 February 2021
My plans for 2021 by Dani Atkins, author of A Sky Full of Stars
I’m a planner, I always have been. I like nothing better than filling in the squares on my wall calendar (so retro) with my plans for the year. And just ...