Recipes, Tales and Adventures

How do you know that an idea is a good one? How do you know it will work? How do you know you won’t regret it? You try it. That’s how.

Somebody called Michael Heppell was starting a Write That Book challenge. So I phoned him. Fast forward to October 2026 and it was time for another get-together. Four writers, 15 books. Not bad going, if you ask me.

Guest speaker at Longthwaite Writers’ Retreat in Cumbria: a weekend of marketing and self-publishing workshops with Paul Underwood, a vegan menu that won me over, and news of our return in April 2027.

Sometimes, there’s nothing you need more than a traditional afternoon tea. If I had my way, I’d have afternoon tea every day of my life. But, belie...

She stood at the edge of the North Sea, arms wide open, and screamed at the top of her voice. When I asked her later what she was doing, she told me she was controlling the waves. Four days in a campervan with my seven-year-old granddaughter. Best. Holiday. Ever.

From rattling a St John Ambulance tin outside Woolworths to teaching CPR at Hampden and Ibrox — and now being taught the recovery position by my seven-year-old granddaughter, on a unicorn, in the back of Evie.

I was once the person too scared to share my own writing — too scared to stand up and read something I'd written out loud in front of other people. Yes, me. Here's why I'm launching Tell Us a Story, a free open mic evening for writers of every level.

Today, Book 7 goes up for pre-order — and if you’ve been following Florence this far, you already know what that means: something new is coming. Cl...

Four nights alone in Evie with Ursula the bike — cycling the Caledonian Route 78 towards Fort William, editing Celia's opening chapter on the fly, and sharing a bench at Cuil Bay with a Yorkshireman who made Scotland feel a little more like home.

From pole dancing in the 1970s to a suspicious email with a missing apostrophe — this week's blog is about authenticity, fake photos, and why the smallest details are always the giveaway.

It's almost August, which means three whole weeks with Minnie, foraging for windfall fruit, and maybe an episode of Beyond the Tearoom. This week I'm sharing the McLean Windfall Crumble recipe from Book 6, The Tale of Florence and the Turtle.

A week in the Lakes with no WiFi, no deadlines, and no plan — and how doing absolutely nothing led to an unexpected discovery about Jane Eyre, Celia the Accidental Cyclist, and the strange way good ideas find you when you finally stop chasing them.