Time For My Close Up: My First Photoshoot!

When I found out I needed a promotional photo for my upcoming novel “Binary Witness”, I panicked. A quick flick through the options revealed a lot of big white dress and my engagement pics were two years and five hairstyles ago.

So I started hunting for a headshot photographer and a friend recommended Shane Gunning in Reading (who I also recommend, because he’s fantastic!).

My friend and I took a jaunt up to Reading and I freaked out over what to wear. When writing, I usually wear t-shirt and jeans (what I’m wearing now, in fact) but that wasn’t quite the look I wanted. I picked a turquoise green jumper dress with black tights and boots, with a thick black coat to keep out the cold. I put on some make-up, including a bit of cover-up for those late-night writer’s dark circles, and I did something with my hair that made it look less like I’d just crawled out of bed (default look).

Shane and his wife Anne really put me at my ease in the little church hall and library, but my natural broad grin wasn’t quite what he was after. It was time for Serious Crime Writer Face.

I am not very good at Serious Crime Writer Face. It kept breaking into Helpless Giggles Face and Headmistress Glare Face, but he somehow found a collection of photos where I look half-decent and like I am a Proper Author of Murder and Mystery.

I chose the picture to the left for my official Harlequin/Carina Press photograph and a couple more are peppered around the website. It was a fun experience, but I much prefer to remain on the other side of the camera!

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All photography courtesy of Shane Gunning. BINARY WITNESS is due for publication by Carina Press on May 5th 2014.