Wednesday word of the week – Font

DSC_0241font can be the object in a church which holds holy water for splashing onto those being baptised, a reservoir for oil in a lamp, or an old-fashioned word for spring or fountain.

The font is also the typeface in which something is printed or appears online. There are lots to choose from – Times New Roman if you want to be taken seriously, Comic Sans if

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Coffee and Welsh cakes

One of my short story collections, Coffee and Cake, is now available as an audiobook as well as ebook and paperback. If you’d like a free review copy let me know, as I have a few codes to give away.

51eanmyuiksCOFFEE AND CAKE

We eat and drink for more than mere survival. Food comforts and reassures, connects us with others. A mug of coffee wakes us up in the morning. A cup of tea can calm us down.

Cakes are great for celebrations, birthdays in particular. Making one specially for someone shows how much we care. The same applies to learning to make their favourite dish, or passing on your signature recipe.

The food and drink choices we make expose aspects of our personality. What we give to others, and the care we take when doing so, can be even more revealing.

Sharing food helps build, or repair, relationships. It creates and recreates traditions and brings back memories – if that’s what we want.

Whether you prefer unsweetened black coffee, or milky tea, rich sponge cake or something savoury, this collection of 25 stories provides the perfect snack.

You can get all formats here.

As well as the stories and all that food, this book has something else for you to enjoy – the lovely Welsh accent of narrator Dawn Lewis. Don’t blame me if, before you’re halfway through, you get an irresistible urge to eat Welsh cakes. That happened to me just from listening to her audition!Wales_7702

Coming soon…

Love Is The Answer coverMy 30th book will be out soon! As it’s a collection of romance stories, it seemed appropriate to pick our wedding anniversary of 12th July as the publication date. 

You can order it here (or from your local bookshop or library).

Here’s the blurb – 

LOVE IS THE ANSWER

Love is something that many people go to great lengths to find, and to keep hold of. Willow helps others find theirs through a combination of meticulous programming and random chance, Sal stumbles into romance through a series of embarrassing accidents and Gran discovers love on a protest march.

Margaret makes a very practical arrangement to secure her share of love and happiness, Doreen has to call on a friend to help discover it and Nadine uses a dog to track it down. Lorna wins her happy ever after through a dangerous aim at a coconut shy.

Lynn and Andrew’s marriage has gone aground like a stricken ship, but it and the vessel eventually refloat. Weirdly it is Thomas Telford who helps Nikki relocate it. For Patrick and Angie it’s a kite which does the trick, and Rachel has to break her arm to heal her relationship.

Whether they’re together forever, broken-hearted, or still trying to make it work, anyone who has loved has a story to tell. This collection contains 24 of them.

Wednesday word of the week – peck

peckThe word of the week is peck. You probably already new it meant to nip or pick up with a beak or a hasty kiss.

Did you know a peck is also a unit of measurement for dried goods? I did, but had thought it was a tiny and vague amount (like a pinch or a sprinkle). Actually it’s 1/4 of a bushel.

Still none the wiser? That’s two gallons or around nine litres.

Wednesday word of the week – noggin

nogDid you know a noggin was a unit of alcohol? I didn’t. Apparently it’s 1/4 pint.

I’ve only ever used the word to mean ‘head’. My dictionary doesn’t mention that use at all so I’m wondering if anyone else uses it or it’s just one of those weird words my family use.

If I was to drink 1/4 pint of the stuff I’ve got in that glass I’d have a very sore noggin the following morning. (That almost hardly ever happens.)

Apples and cake

TZ50_1961his illustration is for a story I have in the current issue of Allas magazine. Isn’t it gorgeous? Their illustrations are often lovely, but I think this is my favourite.


The story is in Swedish, but here’s a different one in English for you to read.