When I first wrote The Refusal, two of the main characters, Janus and his best friend from college, Fabian, meet on the Brooklyn Bridge. Fabian is something of a mess and Janus thinks about how he is expecting to see him thrown out of a car onto the sidewalk. Every year I visit New York to see one of my best friends, John, and when I went to the Brooklyn Bridge on a location scouting trip, I realised (as all you New Yorkers will know) that the walkway doesn't sit at the s

I started out with this post thinking it might be fun to explore some writing before and after it’s edited. What was I thinking? One of the things I do after I've finished the first draft is what I call a ‘show don’t tell’ edit. But looking back at the first version of the novel is not helping me at all. I’m looking back at things I wrote thinking, why did I cut that out ? This is from the first time Jo meets Janus. Authors out there – are we ever happy with our novels

The Refusal. A sexy, contemporary romance with a fierce heroine and a man who thinks he can get anything he wants.