Writing the light and the dark.

Claire Gallagher

Claire is a self-published author of contemporary romances, often with a fantasy twist. She also writes much darker, multiple-perspective novels about women facing complex scenarios. Claire is a former teacher who now works for a national charity.
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Claire Gallagher is known inside the Colony as Claire G

Blossoming

Fractured Lit 2025 Anthology Prize Winner

Flash fiction anthology to be published by Fractured Lit in 2026.

Gorgeously-written. It completely took my breath away with its tender and vulnerable beauty.
Read 'Blossoming' here

Love, Christmas

Twelve festive stories.

A collection of twelve heart-warming love stories perfect for snuggling down with during the season of magic and mistletoe.

Brilliant, cosy short stories which really put me in a festive mood!
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Imogen Green’s Little Shop of Possibilities

A novella.
Imogen Green runs a shop in London. But it’s not just any shop. It’s been in her family for generations. Behind the façade of gifts and trinkets for all occasions, there is a room where she concocts potions and lotions to make all kinds of wishes come true. As long as the wishes are ethical, that is. Her only problem is Detective Miller…
This witchy closed door romance novella was super cute! I liked the contrast of modern day and witchy traditions. A perfect autumn read.
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Daisy Roberts is Dead

A story of love, friendship and hope.

What would it be like to die young, only to have to spend the next fifty years watching your loved ones move on without you?

Daisy Roberts is Dead follows the story of a young woman as she journeys through the afterlife and tries to come to terms with what she has lost. Beautifully written, I was completely hooked and compelled to read on to uncover the mystery shrouding her death...It was heartwarming and emotional...dealing with complex themes in a thought provoking way. I thoroughly recommend this book for anyone wanting a beautiful story of love and loss that will make you stop and think. Clever and compelling.
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The Strange Imagination of Pippa Clayton

A heart-warming and original love story.

Pippa Clayton is a grown woman with an imaginary friend. She also hears a soundtrack to her life. Clumsy but caring, Pippa works as a Receptionist for an advertising agency where she has a huge crush on the new Creative Director, Tom Arnold. But when potential client Max Wild spots her hidden talent and asks her out on a date, can Pippa be brave enough to leave the comforting world she has created for herself since an unexplained tragedy in her past, and learn to face up to stark reality?

A truly unique and swoonworthy romance story with an imaginary friend who produced many snort-out-loud moments. I like how the story progresses and the main character’s journey towards inner healing is slowly revealed. If you liked Bridget Jones or Ally McBeal (for those of us of a certain age) there is a lot to like about the brave and quirky female protagonist in this story!
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Don’t Just Take My Word For It

 ‘The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself’ - William Faulkner I love this. We often think about conflict...
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Theme

A theme in literature is the central idea or underlying message that a story communicates. While the plot tells us what happens, the theme explores...
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Structuring Scenes

I watched another excellent webinar recently. The content was helpful as both a planning tool and as an editing tool. Scene structure mimics story structure,...
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Self-Doubt

It sucks, but can it be useful? I think the answer is yes and no. It can be crippling, holding you back from persevering, from...
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How Interesting Are Your Characters?

The more complex your character is, the more interesting they are. The more interesting your character is, the more memorable they are. Note that ‘interesting’...
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Conflict

What is narrative conflict? Narrative conflict is a fundamental element of storytelling that involves a struggle between opposing forces, driving the plot, creating tension, and...
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Why Is This Your Character’s Story To Tell?

I watched an interesting webinar recently. Part of it focused on the title question of this post. At first I thought: ‘What do you mean?...
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Narrative Tension

Do readers care about what happens to your character? Are they invested in their journey? How can we keep the reader with us for 300-plus...
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Lessons I’ve Learned

Some of these lessons I’ve learned the hard way; some I kind of knew subconsciously but wouldn’t have known how to articulate them myself; some...
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Stakes

What are Stakes? Stakes refer to what characters stand to lose or gain as they pursue their goals. They create tension, a sense of urgency...
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Great Novel Openings Quiz

As writers, we all know how important it is to grip the reader from the very start. Intriguing, surprising and thought-provoking, these opening lines are...
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Working with a Literary Agent

The Querying In a previous post I mentioned that I was back in the query trenches. To recap, my earlier, experimental novel didn’t sell and...
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