Author: Paula Hillman
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All But The Brightest Star
I finished my second romance novel last summer, only to have it rejected by my now ex-publisher. Was it the prologue that put them off? Was it the duel POV? Or the time frame (1996-2008)? Whatever it was, I feel this is my best novel to date, and the characters (especially Raphael Star) are to…
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Coming soon…
Not long until my eighth novel, The Silver Road, is out for publication! I have nothing but praise for my publisher, Troubador. They have supported me every step of the way, and have created a cover design and print layout/graphic that is perfect. They planted a tree to offset the paper used to print the…
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On Silver Hill
In the past couple of weeks, as our family cared for my mother-in-law, Olive HIllman, I made the decision to self-publish one of my ‘rejected’ novels. I still have no idea why my original publisher rejected On Silver Hill (or the other three novels) but I am determined these stories will be out for readers…
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Lenny Diamond
Looking back at my fourth novel, Chapel Field, made me realise how much I love the fictional Diamond family. I keep coming back to them in my writing and musings. The themes are so compelling: small town dysfunctional families, small town secrets; generational trauma. Chapel Field is my favourite novel in the mystery series I…
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You are no ruin
I entered this piece for the 2024 Nature Chronicles Prize. It didn’t get selected, but I quite like the piece. There are some bits from other pieces I have written, and the tone is quite formal, but if you’re a fan of Furness Abbey, you’ll understand the restorative atmosphere of the place! (title stolen from…
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The Silver Road
I’m reviewing the first of my unpublished novels at the moment. It’s called The Silver Road and it’s set in a beachside community (locals know it as The Black Huts). I have no idea why the novel was rejected…it’s hilarious and poignant and rather spicy in places. I’ve included this extract, as I was writing…
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Darkwater Farm
(Photo of Biggar Village courtesy of The Sankey Archive) I’ve had a read through my attempt at writing a historical novel set in Barrow. I based it on the farm at the bottom of Ormsgill Lane, reinventing it as Darkwater Farm. It was about twin brothers, William and Gabriel Ward, who buy the farm during…
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Black Ghyll Falls
I’ve been in the Lake District a lot lately, especially the Ambleside area, where I did my teacher training. Walking up Stock Ghyll got me thinking about setting a novel right there, and I penned a first chapter. I’ve put aside my epic romance now it’s finished, before I think about where to send it.…
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Moonlight, chapter two…
More rubbish news about my writing last week, and I had a few wobbly days. When I left teaching, I felt like every door I’d ever worked hard to open had been slammed in my face… this is how I felt last week, too. Then I remembered how those slammed doors forced me to search…
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Look for me by moonlight.
After four years of querying my children’s novel, Look for me by Moonlight, I’m giving up. I’ve had one full request (followed by a rejection), and hundreds of form rejections, or simple ‘ghosting’ from agents and publishers. Publishing is a brutal industry, but I knew that from the start, and I’ve accepted that trying to…
Paula Hillman, author 