I have spent the last few months working with my editor to spit and polish the manuscript for 'Murder in Mt Martha'. A few significant changes were made, including the title.

At the time, I wasn't sure that what was being suggested would work, but wisely - in hindsight - I decided to accept the advice.

And that has lead me to where I am now - as pleased as a pampered puppy with the final result. I love the size - it will fit snugly in handbags and pockets. I love the cover - stark and beguiling. I love the layout - no nonsense and no distractions with funny falderals to separate sections and so on.

Therefore, my advice to authors, basd on my one experience, is to think long and hard about an editor’s suggestions, and because you the writer are probably a little too close to your baby, you’re perhaps not the best person to judge what will work and what won’t. After all, chances are high that your editor has launched more books than you!

The Guardian published an article in titled ‘The award for best fiction editor goes to ... nobody’ where the author opines that marketing and finance has taken precedence over the creative editor, and that unless we reward editors, the role will continue to decline and the consumer will be left with pap and rubbish – perhaps not written as strongly as this, but you get the drift. Read the article here and make up your own mind.

So thank you Anna Blay from Hybrid Publishers for your patient and painstaking work on my novel!