EDITOR’S LETTER
http://www.writers-online.co.uk MARCH 2020^3Published by
Warners Group Publications plc,
5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds,
LS1 5JD, UK
Main offi ce: 0113 200 2929
Fax: 0113 200 2928
Subscriptions: 01778 392 482
Advertising: 0113 200 2925
Editorial: 0113 200 2919
Marketing: 0113 200 2916
Creative Writing Courses: 0113 200 2917
Website: http://www.writers-online.co.uk
Publisher: Collette Lloyd
Email:
[email protected]
Editor: Jonathan Telfer
Email: [email protected]
Assistant editor: Tina Jackson
Email: [email protected]
Senior designer: Nathan Ward
Email: [email protected]
Editorial designer: Mary Ward
Editorial designer: Rajneet Gill
Editorial designer: Jackie Grainger
Marketing: Lauren Freeman
[email protected]
Advertising sales manager: Sarah Hopton
[email protected]
Advertising sales: Louise Clarke
Email: [email protected]
Subscriptions:
[email protected]
Creative Writing Courses:
[email protected]
Competitions:
[email protected]
WM Competitions, Warners Group
Publications plc, The Maltings, West
Street, Bourne PE10 9PH, UK.
Typeset by:
Warners Group Publications plc,
5th Floor, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JD
Printed by:
Warners (Midlands) plc, The Maltings,
Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH
Distribution: Nikki Munton
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01778 391171
Warners Group Publications plc,
West Street, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH
When you have fi nished with
this magazine please recycle itW lc m ...
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Warners Group Publications plc.
© Copyright Warners Group Publications plc. ISSN 0964-
Whilst every care is taken of material submitted to the editor for publication, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage. Email submissions preferred.
Warners Group Publications plc are not able to investigate the products or services provided by the advertisers in Writing Magazine nor to make
recommendations about them. Readers should make sensible enquiries themselves before sending money or incurring substantial costs in sending
manuscripts or other material. Readers should make their own assessments, and not allow their judgment to be blurred by optimism. Manuscript advisory
services do normally charge for their time, but agents normally do not (although some agents do quote a reading fee). Warners Group Publications plc cannot
act as a licensing or accreditation authority, but will investigate complaints against advertisers. Complainants must, however, send complete documentation
and be willing for their names to be disclosed.De r Read r
I’m hugely pleased that we managed to get Eoin Colfer as our star
interview this month. And not only because Eoin is an extremely talented
and popular writer, whose sales would be the envy of just about all of us.
What excites me especially about Eoin’s story is his approach. He wrote in
his spare time initially, and only found his niche when he stopped trying to
replicate what other writers were doing. His style, voice and themes grew
from making learning fun, for himself and his pupils. Once he stopped
worrying too much about what anybody else, or the publishing industry,
thought, his writing, and career, began to fl ow. And it’s clear he’s not
stopped having fun ever since. His new book for adults, Highfi re, grew
from making a start on what he thought would be another children’s book,
but when his early drafts deviated from the plan and steering it back on
track felt wrong, he simply embraced the change and committed to the
new direction. And that’s a valuable example for the rest of us. All too often
we try to fi nd new ways to plough the same furrow, because our style or
genre is somehow set. We decide early on what kind of writer to be, and
resist anything that takes us off the ‘correct’ path. But don’t be too hard on
yourself; let yourself enjoy your writing and follow interesting diversions.
As Eoin’s example shows, you might not know the right destination until
you fi nd it.
So what are you waiting for? Get lost!Jonathan Telfer
EditorSimon Hall is a crime fi ction
author and BBC TV news
correspondent. His novels are
about a television reporter who
covers crimes and gets so
involved in the cases he helps
the police to solve them.
He has contributed short
stories to a range of
magazines and is also a tutor
in creative writing, teaching at
popular writers’ schools such
as Swanwick, Fishguard and
Winchester, on cruise ships
and overseas.Mike Clough is a
non-tenured lecturer with
the Open University. He
has published stories in
literary magazines in North
America and Europe, as
well as contributing articles
to a national newspaper.
He is currently writing
a book about the rise of
‘woke’ politics and culture.
A lifelong Manchester
United fan, he bitterly
regrets the retirement of
Sir Alex Ferguson.Having spent many years
exploring at home and
abroad in a motorhome,
freelance travel writer
Mary-Jane Houlton decided
it was time for a change of
perspective. She and her
husband swapped their
home for a boat and are
now cruising the canals and
rivers of Europe. She has
just fi nished her fi rst novel
and, when back in the UK,
teaches creative writing and
Pilates.SIMON HALL
MARY-JANE HOULTON
MIKE CLOUGH
TAP HERE
TO WATCH
A WELCOME FROM
THE EDITOR