I had some new author photos taken on Saturday. The last lot of photos I had taken were shot in the summer of 2009 when I was single, unpublished and child-free. A lot has changed since then – not least a change of genre (from women’s fiction to psychological suspense) – so I figured it was time to get some new ones taken.

I wanted a photo that was darker in mood and more grown up but still with a hint of glamour (i.e. not showing every last line and open pore!) and enlisted the help of photographer extraordinaire Jim Ross and my friend, senior Mac artist, Rebecca Butterworth. The first few shots made me look very hard-faced and Elvira-like but, after a few tweaks to make-up and lighting, the magic started to happen and we ended up with some great indoor portrait shots.

With some decent photos in the bag Jim and I headed out with the equipment to take some more under a graffiti’d bridge near a local shopping centre. I don’t think I’ve ever been so stared at in my life – we were passed by joggers, dog-walkers, families and shoppers – or squatted so much outside of the gym (so that we could get the right angle) but Jim worked his magic again and I’m crossing everything that the pics look as good close-up as they did when I peered at them in the viewfinder. I’ll post a selection here once I’ve received them. Exciting stuff!