Alongside the humour in my novel, Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home, Matty’s story tugs at the heartstrings. But readers differ in what they find particularly poignant. One early reader told me, I was all right until I got to the nuns. The most tragic part for me came when I was researching ballroom dancing for…
One of my favourite walks takes me over the moors and down through Eyam, the picturesque Derbyshire village made famous by the inhabitants’ self-sacrifice during the Great Plague. When the pestilence arrived from London in a bolt of cloth, the residents – led by the young vicar, William Mompesson – agreed to quarantine themselves to…
There’s a lovely tradition in rural Derbyshire where the community comes together to create a colourful mosaic using natural materials pressed onto a board filled with wet clay. These are displayed beside ancient water sources to attract visitors to the village and raise money for charity. I’ve always been in awe of the work that…
I’d been waiting over six months to check out the setting for an early scene in my novel-in-progress. Back in November, the rocky field carpeted with purple orchids of my imagination proved a pleasant distraction from the storms buffeting the land beyond my desk. It was based on a place I’ve visited often, albeit not…
Do you ‘read’ audiobooks? I often meet booklovers who express an interest in my novels and short stories but prefer to listen rather than read. About eighteen months ago, I bought some kit and did a record-your-own audiobooks course but, after much frustration, concluded it wasn’t for me. But never say never. When my fellow…
I’m interviewed by Yvonne Battle-Fenton for her podcast, Bookable Space, about my novel Matilda Windsor Is Coming Home. I also read three extracts, one from each of my main characters’ points of view. Yvonne asked me about the inspiration for this novel and what it was like drawing on familiar settings: Cumbria where I grew…
I’ve been leading a walk through Jane Eyre territory for years but last month was the first time anyone asked me where Mr Rochester, the owner of Thornfield Hall, got his wealth from. I couldn’t remember what Charlotte Brontë tells us in the novel but assumed – as did the woman who asked the question…
