Horrid woman novelist on board perhaps (10)
I believe the answer is:
gorgonzola
'on board perhaps' is the definition.
(gorgonzola might be on a cheeseboard)
'horrid woman novelist' is the wordplay.
'horrid woman' becomes 'gorgon' (mythical snake-haired monster ).
'novelist' becomes 'zola' (Zola is an example).
'gorgon'+'zola'='GORGONZOLA'
(Other definitions for gorgonzola that I've seen before include "Italian blue cheese" , "Italian town" , "Big cheese" , "Blue-veined cheese" .)