Fi Phillips

Spring starts this month (20th March in the UK) but there are already daffodils and crocuses in the garden, and birds chasing each other around in an amorous fashion. I like spring. Seeing the buds on the trees and petals poking through the earth makes the world seem a happier place to live in. With the milder winters in the UK, I'm not sure if any of our animals hibernate anymore, but spring always feels like the land (and my motivation) is waking up. Writing Not a great deal to report here except that I'm getting on with what I was doing in February. I initially had a plotline for the whole trilogy but after making so many changes to novel 1, I had to rethink the entire story arc. I discussed part of the process of doing this in Cut, Paste, File Away and now I'm dipping back into novel 1 to make sure all the clues needed for the big reveal at the end of book 3 are in place. Literary Agents I'm still waiting on hearing from a couple of agents. The latest ...

LastKiss - Etsy I hate doing the food shop. My children get bored going round the supermarket and start to fight. My husband takes too long to peruse all the offers. We always seem to encounter the shoppers who have no idea how to drive a trolley without injuring someone. The list of complaints I have around doing a food shop is rather long. What always brightens the event is using a shopping bag that a friend had made for me years ago for my business Murdering The Text . Why not do the same for your writerly friends? Cheer up their shopping trips with writer and book inspired bags. NinivzCreations - Etsy LAMarler - Etsy TheWritersStop - Zazzle sadbunny - Zazzle

I've already mentioned the writer's love for pens but along with that goes a writer's giddiness over a well-formed writing pad. Be it A5 or A4, lined or blank, ringbound or punched, a lovely, fresh pad will make any writer smile. As with the pens, they don't have to be expensive and they're widely available in stationers, gift shops or supermarkets.  Here's a selection that I came across. Pink Blossom Blue Sky Gifts, Zazzle Strangemoo, Zazzle W H Smith Tesco Paperchase

Just in case, you were looking for a new beautiful bookmark (or two) for yourself or to give as a gift, we've just produced a whole range in our Zazzle Store - Pink Blossom Blue Sky Gifts . They're only 60p each, plus postage and packing. Cupid Book Mark by PinkBlossomBlueSky More Cupid Rack Cards Wave Bookmark by PinkBlossomBlueSky design rack cards online with zazzle.co.uk Summer Swirl Bookmark by PinkBlossomBlueSky order rack cards from zazzle.co.uk Citrine Gems Bookmark by PinkBlossomBlueSky View more Citrine Rack Cards Angels Book Mark by PinkBlossomBlueSky See other Angels Rack Cards You can find the entire range here.

Not really. Who am I trying to kid? The last six weeks may have formed a glutenous mass of imagination, frustration and end result, but they've been enthralling too. I'll explain. 1. Zazzle My husband and I have always been all round creative lunatics. If we're not writing, we're discussing plans. If we're not doing that, then we're doodling designs. The list goes on and on in our constant creative endeavours. The result, almost two months ago, was the decision to do something constructive with our humour (well, it makes 'us' laugh) and our designs. Combining the two led us to a website called Zazzle . Zazzle is an online organisation that creates quality custom products. Put simply, you can upload a design and create a t-shirt, business card, tie or gift, either as an individual or as a store. Although Zazzle is based in the USA, it has bases in many other countries too, including the UK. We have become what is termed by Zazzle artists as a pair...