Stories of rural life, folklore and moments in between
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Paperback publication day
Plashy Fen is now available in paperback today. Publication coincides with Michaelmas Day, one of the quarter days I write about in the novel: Today, Maurice’s ghost is taking in the autumn sunshine. It is 29th September, Michaelmas Day, the Feast of Michael and All Angels, a day that sits on the edge of winter,…
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Mary Anning at Lyme Regis
This bronze statue of palaeontologist Mary Anning strides off towards the cliffs she once explored with great success at Lyme Regis, Dorset. It was created by sculptor Denise Dutton and unveiled in 2022 on the anniversary of Mary’s birth in Lyme in May 1799. The story behind the statue is very inspiring. It’s all down…
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September reviews
I’ve been a bit lax lately when it comes to reading books, being so caught up in promoting my own. (In case you didn’t know, Plashy Fen comes out in paperback on 29 September. As you can imagine, I’m very excited.) I had been reading a doorstep of a novel, The Year of the Locust…
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To live without my music…
In the words of singer songwriter John Miles, ‘would be impossible to do’. It’s funny, I’m not keen on that song much, but, for me, the lyrics are so true. I’ve been surrounded by music all my life, growing up in the 60s and 70s as the youngest of five. And I think my siblings’…
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Book launch – save the date!
I’m delighted to announce I’ll be launching Plashy Fen on Saturday 10 October at Washingpool Farm Shop, Bridport, from 11am-12 noon. It’s a particularly appropriate venue because one of the key locations in my new novel is a village farm shop, run by Derek and Maggie Galpin. Like the Holland family who run Washingpool, my…
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Rabbiting on
One from the archives, this. A few years ago, in a field above Lush Places, I stumbled across this. It scared the bejeezus out of me. I thought I’d ventured on to the set of Donnie Darko (which I’d never seen because I was too frightened) or Harvey, which was actually one of my favourite…
