How to write: get involved

If you want your readers to get involved in your story and keep turning the pages until the end, you have to get involved as a writer.

When I came across this castle when out walking in Snowdonia I wondered about the people who'd defended and attacked it, and their families and friends.

Get as enmeshed with your characters as you are with members of your own family and your friends.

Give your characters lots of realistic family-members and friends and get to know them really well so that they drive the plot and help to bring out the personalities of your main characters.

In my novels, I love creating mini communities around my protagonists.

But remember a few golden rules: don’t have too many of these extras in your story, and don’t give them similar-sounding names. Even names that start with the same letter can be confusing. If your story HAS to have a big cast of characters, list them at the start or at the end of the book.

A meal I prepared for some friends: melons, raspberries, prosciutto -- divine!

Some of my novels are free on Kindle at the moment.