Lissa Morgan

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year.  That might be because I've got a whole ten days off work, or it might have more to do with finishing the edits on my current work in progress a few days before my self-imposed deadline of December 25th :)  Typically, having struggled through a period of  disenchantment,  now I'm full of enthusiasm again and itching to go back to it and tweak.  Isn't that the curse of being a writer?!  I will be disciplined, however, and leave it alone to settle, with just a final read through after the New Year, and then away it goes to the editors. But I'm not going to deprive myself of romance completely over the holidays - albeit in a purely fictional sense.  I've lined up a few of Georgette Heyer's historical romances to keep me happy.  Her characters are so full of life that they leap off the page and I love her spirited blend of romance, adventure and suspense.  Add in some wine, chocolates, mince pies and candl

I just couldn't resist sharing the latest news from my balcony, namely the arrival of a noisy little flock of Long Tailed Tits! I've been seeing them in the trees while out walking recently, busily gobbling up the late-autumn seeds, but didn't expect them to venture onto my balcony, as they are a flighty species to say the least. So it was a delightful surprise earlier this week to see them come out of the blue - and how! They swooped in en mass, twittering nineteen to the dozen, took over the fat ball feeder completely, tails pointing in all directions, then just as suddenly, swooped off again. The poor Blue Tits looked like they'd been mugged !!     But how sweet is this chatty, marshmallow-coloured little bird?  Their tails are longer than their bodies and, in rural areas in former times, they used to be called 'Bum Barrels' due to the tiny, barrel shaped nest they build. Hope they are here to stay for the winter at least :)

I've been getting up mega early these last few weeks, obviously to do some writing before heading off for the day job, but also for another, rather lovely, reason.  Winter is fast approaching and that means Bird Feeding Time! Actually, we should feed the birds at other times of the year too, especially in late spring and early summer when they are raising their young, and songbirds have two or three broods of chicks to feed, which sometimes means mum and dad go without.   (c) RSPB This year I've made more of my balcony, planting out wildflowers like poppies and cornflowers, bluebells and honeysuckle, and hanging up a few feeders.  I wasn't sure if the birds would come, as I live on a modern housing estate with no gardens to speak of, although backed by woods and farmland.   Well, I needn't have worried! First on the scene were a family of House Sparrows who were roosting in the eves of the house opposite and their young were just leaving the nest. (c) RSPB

Last weekend I attended another of Kate Walker's fabulous writing retreats, organized by  Malaga Workshops.  The Hayes in Swanwick was a venue I'd not been to before and, although not far from Derby, it is set in lovely grounds and surrounded by farmland.  I went with the aim of not actually doing much writing as I wanted to do a lot of thinking instead. And, thanks to Kate's critique of my manuscript and her generous comments and encouragement, I was able to reassess very  carefully and positively my current work in progress. As such, from arriving feeling a little jaded, I came away with a much clearer idea of where the book is going and with renewed energy to do the editing necessary for submission after Christmas. As always, meeting up with writing friends - aka the legendary Walker's Stalkers - was great and a fun and productive weekend flew by far too quickly.  There were a couple of new faces there too and the group really worked well, with everyone gettin

Rachael Thomas's September HMB release From One Night To Wife is dedicated to me!  What a lovely honour, Rachael, thank you so much. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be there with you when you got the call nearly two years ago.  Many congratulations on this, your fifth book to date, and I am so enjoying your continued and well deserved success.  I hope to return the honour and dedicate a book to you one day soon :) You can read more about Rachael and her writing on her website: http://www.rachaelthomas.co.uk

Finally got my website fully responsive yesterday, thanks to the excellent and very patient help of my web designer, Technoleg Taliesin .  It didn't help my being so pedantic and knowing exactly what I wanted, down to the last nth. But, as a writer - like any other 'business' - my website reflects both my work and my persona, so for me it was very important to get it perfect, even for the tiniest mobile device.  I think it is absolutely fabulous - what you do think? Apart from tweaking my website - check it out at  www.melissamorgan.co.uk - I've been busy getting to grips with my new and rewarding job in nature and wildlife conservation. I've also been re-editing a book I started a long time ago, which has proved an interesting process and one that has made me question the wisdom of revisiting something that was written several years ago.   Whether it's because I've 'grown' as a writer since then or whether my characters belong in that partic

Last weekend I travelled to London for this year's RNA conference, held at St Mary's University, located alongside a canal that came complete with ducks and rats!  Weather-wise it was glorious and at times too hot but it was lovely to be in the Big City and to meet up with writing friends, old and new.   The sessions were as informative and useful as ever, especially Julie Cohen's  'Art of the Rewrite' - as that's something I always seem to be doing - and the HM&B Series workshop on 'Writing Success: The Essentials' - which was not only essential - naturally - but also dynamic and fun. Getting some positive and encouraging feedback about my work was on a par with hearing that several writing friends also received good vibes on their work too.   Way to go, girls :) Lovely canal-side shots apart, my ancient camera wasn't up to it this year and almost all the ones I took came out blurred :(  Cue yesterday's purchase of my first

In writing, like anything else, deadlines are part of the job.  For unpublished writers, perhaps they don't seem so important and, as such, are easy to move or ignore altogether! But, in many ways, self-imposed deadlines are every bit as important as those an editor or publisher sets you.  They may even be crucial because they are often the only thing that is keeping your writing on track. This has certainly been my experience with my current book, which I finished this morning, right on target :)  For some reason, this story has been the most difficult one I've written, even though it shouldn't have been, and stuck on Chapter 5 not so long back - and stuck not once but twice - I wondered if I'd ever get to The End!  There is still a bit of layering and some editing to do -  though hopefully not too much as I tend to edit along the way - but the satisfaction of finishing Book Number Five is a great feeling and makes starting Number Six even more of an incentive! En la

XH558   (c) NAC June is turning out to be a busy month - a new job, a writing deadline and lots of interesting things going on.  This weekend I went to the Welshpool Air Show and, as usual, it was a fabulous day.  Just small enough to feel intimate but big enough to feel there's really something going on, and the day just flew (how could I resist that pun!) The weather held, the air displays were breath-taking and the skill and enthusiasm of the pilots, both civil and military, was justly appreciated by the 10,000 or so crowd.  The amazing aircraft  included the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, with Spitfire, Hurricane and Dakota, the Eurofighter Typhoon (my ears are still buzzing) and - the highlight of course - the Avro Vulcan XH558, in what is probably her last flying year :(  Awesome is such an overused word but seeing this graceful and iconic aeroplane overhead was truly awesome . . . and then some! Then today, as part of the Gregynog Festival , I we

In my view, May is the loveliest month in the calendar, full of bluebells and birdsong and bursting with the heady scents of late spring.  As the sunny days lengthen and summer draws closer, and bold blue skies look down on vibrant green fields, everything around me seems to take on a new energy.  May, for me, has always been a period of the year that has brought changes in my life and, sure enough, it's all change once again, as I'm busy looking for a new job.   It's hard to sit indoors filling in application forms, however, when a walk through the woods beckons me outside. One of the joys of my current job working from home is being able to down tools for an hour or so in the middle of the afternoon and take a stroll.    Walking alone is a good way to clear the mind and blow some of the cobwebs away. Not that one is really alone in the countryside.  The fields are full of sheep and cows and horses and the trees alive with birds, their music

They say a change is as good as a rest so I spent a relaxing and rejuvenating few days away last week with writing friend Rachael Thomas.   We rented a lovely little cottage just outside Llanwrtyd Wells in mid Wales and it was truly idyllic.  Surrounded by hills, farmland and forestry, complete with a fourteenth century church, there were plenty of mind-clearing walks to enjoy in between our writing sessions and (on the whole!) healthy meals, and the combination worked beautifully for me. As I'd said in my previous post, I was stuck on Chapter Five of my current WIP and had been for a frustrating few weeks but a couple of days away from it all really unblocked my creative channels.  Working at home, which I am lucky enough to be able to do, is fine up to a point but sometimes a change of scenery, as well as having an inspiring fellow writer to bounce ideas around with, really makes a difference. Not only did I manage to get past the sticking point but got another two

Fishguard Bay Hotel (c) Writers' Holiday A couple of weekends ago, I went on the Advanced Romance Writers' course at the Fishguard Bay Hotel, run by the lovely Anne and Gerry Hobbs of  Writers' Holiday .  This was my fourth year of attending and it really keeps getting better every time, as I remarked to the course tutor, Kate Walker.  The group, a mix of old and new members,  was incredibly dynamic and this was especially true of the critique session. We discussed each others work in an intelligent and constructive way and it was brilliant to see a lot of very good writing had been done over the past year. As always, I got a huge amount out of this fabulous course and I'm sure everyone else who attended did too. And, as always, I've already booked my place for next year :) www.sarahsnowdon.co.uk A few days after getting back from Fishguard, I met up with another writing friend who couldn't make the course this year, Sarah Snowdon.  We had a lovely lu