Time to Change: Helping people with mental distress tell their story

HAVE you seen the Time to Change TV ad yet?

I'm working with Lyn Jenkins, the press adviser for Mental Health Media in the Midlands to help people share their story of how they've been affected by mental illness to reduce the stigma.

One in four people in the UK are said to have suffered from a mental illness, with depression being up there as the most common.

It's a privilege to be involved in such a campaign and I look forward to helping make a difference, however small.

Support Comic Relief with our new collection of comedy writing

Dave Spikey and Nat Coombs back Twitter-led charitable comedy collaboration

You can buy it here.

Follow the TwitterTitters progress at www.twitter.com/tweehee or via www.twittertitters.com.

TwitterTitters, a new collection of comedy writing created through social networking site Twitter is set to tickle the nation’s funny bone in support of Red Nose Day.

All proceeds from the book, which costs £4.99 to download or £9 in print, are to be donated to Red Nose Day by the creators of the project.

The TwitterTitters project, which was founded by Linda Jones and Louise Bolotin, set out to drive social change via Twitter, inviting comic writers to submit their work by using the social networking site to raise money for Comic Relief.

The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World

MY modestly-named book,The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips In The World, (yes, it's a light-hearted title) is out now.

Here's a selection of quotes from first feedback and reviews of The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World:

"Very, very good in cutting the fat from the bone and providing excellent advice not only to the aspiring freelance writer but also for those who are beyond the beginner’s stage.... The Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World adequately fulfills its obligation as offering down-to-earth practical advice and not the gibberish that we are often accustomed to reading." Bookpleasures.

Selected recent work

Twins with diabetes

Sweet magazine

FAMILIES whose twin children are diagnosed with diabetes face unique challenges. They've also powered research to unlock secrets of the disease, towards finding new treatments and hopefully, ultimately, a cure. Read more.

Double trouble for lazy authors

Guardian Books Blog

DID you see the BBC’s star-studded adaptation of Little Dorrit at the weekend? It went straight for the ‘evil twin’ cliffhanger as Mrs Flintwich came face to face with her husband’s doppelganger in the dead of night.

Dickens is not the only author to have trodden the well-worn path of mysterious, shady, mischievous or downright evil twins.

I wrote about this in the Guardian's book blog.

Things I have learned as an author

Journalism.co.uk

THIS time last year, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself. My first book, the modestly titled Greatest Freelance Writing Tips in the World had just been published. Holding some initial copies in my quivering hands, I’d felt a rush of pride. Now here I was, preparing for my very own book launch. Then one by one, more than half the confirmed guests dropped out. Read more.

Guardian books blog: Websites for fictional characters is a marketing ploy too far.

Brief resume

FROM detailing the horror of receiving big pants for Christmas in Bella, to reporting on the heinous crimes of Fred West for regional media, my career has spanned nearly two decades and seen work published in dozens of publications.

Human interest

The Sun (with John Troupe), Love It: House raid is a cock-up

WHEN Rachel found a policeman at her door asking for a stolen shuttlecock, she couldn't believe her ears. Read more.

Business, careers and technology

The Telegraph: Headhunted on Facebook

AS some companies ban social networks, others are using them to find recruits, says Linda Jones. Read more.

The Guardian: Carving virtual gravestones

MORE and more people are leaving tributes to loved ones on memorial websites, but are they opening themselves up to abuse? Read more.

The Guardian: Member of the twittering classes

MP Alan Johnson is using the microblogging tool in his campaign to be Labour deputy leader. But is it 'potentially the biggest waste of time in the world'? Linda Jones reports. Read more.

Parenting, relationships and health

I'M a former editor of Tamba's Twins, Triplets & More magazine and have written for various newspapers, magazines and websites. 

My blog You've got your hands full has received lovely feedback from parents, as well as being featured by publications including The Times Online and The Telegraph.

Journalism and PR

Press Gazette: How to break into the real-life magazine sector

CRACKING the so-called “real life” women’s weekly market is not only one of the most lucrative areas of freelance journalism, but can also be one of the most daunting. Read more.

Education

The Independent: My daughters' reports are meaningless drivel

SOMETIME in the early Eighties, heading home from school, I was a quivering wreck. My geography teacher had called me "erratic" in my report. Read more

Television

Is this year's Big Brother offensive to twins? Guardian Arts Blog.

MY twin daughters are feeling the Samanda effect - but at least they're not facing questions over being a nasty piece of work like Charley. Read more.