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Hi, I’m Vanessa and welcome to my site.
In 2015, I won Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect event and my first novel, Death Will Find Me, was published in February, 2019. The second Tessa Kilpatrick book will be out early next year and in the meantime, I’ll soon be launching a series of art crime thrillers.
You can find out more about me and what I’m up to by following the links at the top, and there are contact details below if you want to ask me any questions or invite me to talk at your bookshop, library or festival.
Category Archives: Writing
January’s writing – not just about words on the page
I began 2016 feeling pretty positive about my writing and where the novel’s going and I’ve got a fair amount written this month, if not quite the 20k I planned here. But there have been a few writing-based happenings this … Continue reading
Posted in My Writing
Tagged critique group, literary agents, Stephen King, writing
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10 brilliant podcasts for writers and readers
I first discovered podcasts when everyone was talking about the first series of Serial towards the end of 2014. Up until then, I’d kind of assumed that they would be slightly amateurish, poor quality journalism and that they’d sound as … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Reading
Tagged podcasts, reading, serial, The New Yorker, Thinking Sideways, writing
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Typing, typing, typing…
This week I had planned some lovely blog posts but they’re not going to happen I’m afraid. Next week should be marvellous though – I have an interview with the marvellous Joanna Cannon, a post about blogging (it’s a decade … Continue reading
Posted in My Writing
Tagged agents, deadlines, writers' groups, writing
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12 ways to make this the year of your novel
It’s great when successful authors take time to write blog posts and articles about how to get your novel written and share their success. But I read those writers and feel even more discouraged because their advice doesn’t seem to … Continue reading
December’s writing – hitting the target
After my plot breakthrough at the end of last month and my arse-kicking (in a kind way!) from Mark Leggatt, I set off into the not-so-snowy wastes of December with the goal of having 20k of pretty clean text finished … Continue reading
Posted in My Writing
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