Posted in Personal life, Writing

Driving Lesson Disasters with Sophie Sayers and Friends

In the run-up to next week’s launch of my ninth Sophie Sayers Cozy Mystery, Driven to Murder, in which Sophie learns to drive, I asked author friends at my publisher Boldwood Books whether they had any funny stories or cautionary tales about their own driving lessons and tests.

Their flood of answers made me wonder whether anyone ever learns to drive without mishap! Huge thanks to Team Boldwood for allowing me share their entertaining anecdotes on my blog today, interspersed with some exclusive excerpts from Driven to Murder.

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Posted in Personal life, Reading, Writing

My Ears Are Alight – and other Mondegreens

Decades ago, when I worked for a PR firm in an old banana warehouse in the shadow of Southwark Cathedral (but that’s another story), my colleague Rob was keen to improve his vocabulary.

Perhaps he was hooked on the old Readers’ Digest column, “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power”, a motto I’ve always admired. He designated a new word to learn every day, which he shared with us all. I worked alongside him for only a few months, but if I’d shared his office for the rest of my career, I reckon he’d have increased my word power too by around 10,000 words.

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