Blog

The Magic of a Good Book

Do you believe in magic? Or are you a more sceptical person who puts such frivolous notions down to coincidence and rational scientific explanation? I’m somewhere in between. I want to believe in magic and devour films and books that take me out of the real world and all its… Read More

Festive Fireworks – A short story by Tracy Corbett

Jessica Day had always loved the festive time of year. Not that she got to celebrate much these days. But that didn’t stop her imagining a time when she could put up decorations and lounge around her flat on Christmas morning opening presents with an attractive man by her side,… Read More

Sue Moorcroft’s Ultimate Christmas

Given a blank sheet of paper – or blank blogpost – to create my ultimate Christmas, I find myself almost unable to choose. Quiet? Or noisy? Busy? Or peaceful? Home or away? Do I hanker after Christmas in a posh hotel in a hot country, with lots of books and… Read More

Avon Books Christmas Guide

Avon Books Christmas Guide It’s that time of the year again! Christmas is just a few weeks away and we couldn’t be more excited! As wonderful as it is with the endless parties, mountains of mince pies and gallons of mulled wine, it’s also a very busy season and there’s… Read More

A Woman of War

A Woman of War It’s an old adage, but one that sits well with me: ‘write what you know’. As a midwife of almost twenty years, it is a good part of my world, and so when I came full circle in my writing – having been a journalist in… Read More

The Darkest Fears Are Often Rooted in Realism

The Darkest Fears Are Often Rooted in Realism   What scares you the most? As a thriller writer, it’s a question I tackle in my writing daily. My goal is to uncover the scariest, creepiest things in life and put the reader at their mercy. These fears certainly… Read More

Avon Books wins Publisher of the Year at the RNA Industry Awards

In case you hadn’t heard the news, last week we sent a team delegation to the Romantic Novelists’ Association Industry Awards because we’d been nominated for Publisher of the Year. Guess what… we won! Our fabulous Senior Commissioning Editor Rachel took home the prize. Here’s what the RNA had to… Read More

The Story of the Pear Drum

The Story of the Pear Drum Two children, sisters – Turkey and Blue-eyes. They had wandered off one day, out of their mother’s sight, when they met a ragamuffin girl. The girl had a pear drum and she was playing it by the side of a stream. The sisters were… Read More

Christmas in 1943

Christmas in 1943 When Avon asked me if I would write a post for their website on what Christmas was like in 1943 – the year my latest book, An Orphan’s Wish, is set in – I automatically said yes. However, it’s a rather gloomy subject because the war was… Read More

Our Halloween Story for Cuckoo

Yesterday we finally revealed Cuckoo by Sophie Draper, then spent the day eating Halloween treats and asking all of our colleagues to help us create a spooky story by contributing just one line. The first line was supplied by author Sophie Draper, but the story took a while to really… Read More

Taking a Creative Writing Course

I began writing seriously some ten years ago but my development as a writer really began when I secured a place on the Curtis Brown Creative writing course in September 2013. It almost didn’t happen. Earlier that year I’d submitted my first novel, an historical spy story, to Curtis Brown… Read More

A Day in the Life of a Publicity Manager

Hi everyone, Quick introduction – my name is Sabah and I look after all the publicity here at Avon Books. Publicity is something that people tend to get mixed up with marketing and events but the roles are very similar and there is a lot of crossover so I work… Read More

What zodiac sign is your cat?

Ever wondered how your cat’s zodiac sign affects its personality? What sign is the biggest hunter, or the most likely to be a lap cat? Which is the most fond of its food, or the most loyal? How does the zodiac sign affect their character? Can it also explain favourite… Read More

How to grow and use your own herbs

The dictionary defines a herb as a plant ‘of which the leaves or stem and leaves are used for medicine or for their scent or flavour’. Many of our most common herbs arrived in the UK with the Romans and they were the only form of medicine that we had… Read More

Setting a crime series in your home town

‘It’s a small world’ is a common phrase in the place I grew up. You see, I come from a small city in the Midlands. It’s a city that seems stuck in its past, trying desperately to rise above the smoky days of its history. But it’s a city that… Read More

What Makes Brighton Quirky?

I first visited Brighton as a child in the 80s. However, I didn’t see much of the place as we spent most of the day in the launderette! We were on the beach, playing our favourite ‘chasing waves’ game where we’d run down to the sea and then wait until… Read More