Author Photos

If there is anything on this earth I hate with a passion, it's having my photograph taken. But, as one of my New Year's Resolutions was to take my writing more seriously, I thought I'd bite the bullet and set up not one, but two, photo sessions for a professional Author Photo. 

I booked the lovely Aurelie Stratton from ELOQUENT PHOTOGRAPHS . We spent an intense few hours, with Aurelie snapping away, at the same time trying to relax me from my frozen gritted-teeth pose! I posed outside, I posed inside, I posed with Shadow my cat. I posed until I melted and Aurelie had taken hundreds and hundreds of snaps! (It felt like thousands!)

But I hate the camera and the camera hates me right back. The chances of getting a photo of me with my eyes open and my mouth shut (at the same time!) is very slim, but there are some very nice ones, although you can clearly see my suffering at the thought of being in the camera spotlight! I've put the photos from my first (and, if I have my way, last!)  real photo shoot on my Facebook  so you can see how gorgeous Shadow is, with her black fur, pink collar and great big green eyes.  

I'd also booked a back-up session with my big sister Iona Cockerill, who is a talented artist (watercolours) and an equally talented photographer.  Below is my favourite author photo, taken by my sister. I think it's the blissful look on Shadow's face that makes this such a great photo to use as a profile and PR author photo!

Photograph by Iona Cockerill 2014