“When I was just a little girl…” I desperately wanted to be a boy. Most of my friends were boys, my favourite pursuits were football and rugnby, and I just hated it when I had to do needlework at school. Or deportment classes. I don’t know if any of you, dear readers, have been subjected […]
I find it somewhat amusing to see just how many authors of historical fiction are quite the savvy movers and shakers in the techie world of today. Take dear Francine Howarth, who on her rather fabulous blog Romancing the Blog (and boy am I jealous of that snappy title) has taken the initiative to set
Come see, come see, a virtual book fair for thee! Read More »
Given the title, this post is mainly going to be about food. (I think. My posts tend to live a life of their own at times… ) I am a food person. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a whole lot of other things person as well (mainly books & tea ) but food is definitely
To paraphrase Descartes: “I eat, therefore I am” Read More »
My books are set in the seventeenth century for a variety of reasons, none of which have anything to do with the prevailing fashions of the time. Still, as a conscientious writer I spend a lot of time investigating what people wore, partly to get the details right in my books, partly because you never
Dressed for success – wardrobe issues for the reluctant time traveller. Read More »
Maria Grace’s interview with me. And yes, just so you know carrots weren’t always orange, they were a yellowish white to begin with – close to parsnips. And then along came a Dutchman, incensed by the fact that there were no veggies sporting the beautiful Dutch orange and the rest, as they say, is history
I have fallen in love with my Kindle. Totally, unequivocally in love. I smirk (yupp, no other word for it) when I consider just how MANY books I can carry around in this versatile little device, thereby avoiding strained shoulders due to heavy hand luggage. BUT. Major but … there’s a lack of sensory impressions.
A book, a book, a kingdom for a … (hang on; wasn’t that a horse?) Read More »
No sooner have we celebrated the fact that we’ve all survived the end of the world as predicted by the Maya calendar (which, BTW, seems to have been a TOTAL misunderstanding as the Mayans mainly concluded one cycle of time would end on the 21 of December 2012 and be replaced by a new one)
When Barbara Gaskell Denvil asked me if I wanted to participate in the Next Big Thing ”bloghop”, I was thrilled – and intimidated. Now the funny thing about Barbara nominating me, is that our main characters share a name. Her Alex (in Satin Cinnabar) is a man attempting to find his feet in a society
My Next Big Thing – religious conflict in Lowland Scotland Read More »
There are various rewards to writing, starting with the exotic experience of being sucked into a fantasy world of one’s own creation. I suspect all authors experience moments of such utter absorption everyday life becomes a fuzzy noise in the background, an inconsequential little irritant in an existence that is entirely focused on the story
I guess (assume, HOPE – take your pick) that most of us believe in freedom of speech. Many of us do so by rote, i.e. it’s a knee-jerk reaction rather than a rational conclusion – we’ve been brought up believing in democratic rights and it’s necessary appendage, freedom of speech. Now and then I think
Why idiotic tracts have to be conserved for the future Read More »