Blog Entries
I’m Heather Belleguelle of Behest Fiction Editing. Welcome to my blog! I hope the posts I write will give you some handy tips, information, and ideas to help you on your writing journey.
As a British editor working with authors from both sides of the pond and having spent a year living in Canada myself, I’m very aware of the differences that exist between British and North American life and culture. My hope is that if you aren’t so familiar with all things British, I’ll be able to pass on some tips to help you ensure your British characters and settings are as authentic as possible and that I’ll also be able to introduce you to beautiful Britain.
If you have any questions or subjects you’d like me to consider covering, please drop an email to heather@behest-editing.com or send me a message via the contact form on this website.
- Britain in the Snow
Happy new year from Northumberland! The UK has begun 2026 with quite a cold snap, something that certainly doesn’t happen every year. We’ve had snow – enough snow for it to officially look like snow and not just a sprinkling of icing sugar. And it feels darn chilly and icy out there. My husband and Continue reading...Category: All Things British - British Christmas Baking
In our earlier blog post about Christmas food, we looked at the traditional British Christmas dinner. That sounded delicious, I hear you say, but what about Christmas baking? Don’t panic – we’re coming to that now, although, to be honest, there aren’t too many traditional sweet treats to write about. My husband and I lived Continue reading...Category: All Things British - A British Christmas Dinner
“Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat. Please do put a penny in the old man’s hat.” We’re in December now, and Christmas really is coming, although the rain currently pouring down outside isn’t making me feel very Christmassy! But let’s not worry about that and turn our thoughts instead to food and what Continue reading...Category: All Things British - Money, Money, Money
“In for a penny, in for a pound.” “Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will take care of themselves.” “A penny for your thoughts.” British English has plenty of sayings and proverbs relating to the country’s currency. But how many pennies (or is it “pence”?) are there in a pound? And what about Continue reading...Category: All Things British - Clothing: British vs. North American Terms
“I want you all to walk down the staircase in your pants and suspenders.” This instruction from the female photographer rather shocked our very British friend and his groomsmen during the pre-wedding photoshoot on the day he and his Canadian wife married in her hometown. “Pants” and “suspenders” have rather different meanings in the UK Continue reading...Category: All Things British - Choosing First Names for Your British Characters: Part 2
In the previous two posts about choosing names for your British characters, we looked first at surnames and then started to discuss selecting first names. In this post we’ll continue with first names and consider a few tips to help you avoid landing your characters with ones that wouldn’t usually be found in the UK. Continue reading...Category: All Things British - Choosing First Names for Your British Characters: Part 1
“Ruby, Duchess of Mitford, floated into the ballroom on the arm of her handsome new husband, thrilled that she was—at last—the hostess of an evening of lavish entertainment that the Regent himself would attend.” In our previous post about British names, we discussed how to go about choosing surnames for your characters. Now it’s time Continue reading...Category: All Things British - Choosing Surnames for Your British Characters
Brilliant! Ingenious, twisty-turny plot – check. Original, inviting setting – check. Compelling, intriguing characters – check. What next? Ah, those characters need names. Should it be Johnson or Johansen, Bowen or Bouvier? When you’re writing a book set in your home nation, particularly if it’s contemporary fiction, naming your characters shouldn’t present too many challenges. Continue reading...Category: All Things British