Pondering British history: Judge Jeffreys – Fearsome Monster or Fearful Man?
When writing ‘The Judge’s Apothecary’, the question I struggled with was: ‘Was George Jeffreys the monster that history painted him to be?’ Looking beyond the written word to find the balance… There is no getting away from the fact that the severity of the sentences he dished out during the Bloody Assizes were shockingly harsh,
Men, politics and a woman scorned. All is certainly not fair in love and war…
Don’t you just love a road trip? My latest novel, ‘The Judge’s Apothecary’ took me on a truly interesting one – from Hampshire to Dorset, Devon and Somerset. It wasn’t all plain sailing; in fact I was following in the footsteps of a really rather macabre historical figure known as Judge Jeffreys, aka, ‘The Hanging
Writing adventures during Lockdown
Amidst a truly surreal and horrifying year, I have been busy piecing together all of my research for my next novel and writing it. I won’t say it has been easy, in fact I realised that I had not put in all the primary research that I needed prior to lockdown and so it has
Unsung Historic Heroines
I am always so fascinated by the tangled web of history. But I have always wondered how much truth we really see in the ‘factual’ stories surrounding historical events. Does history always relay WHO played a poignant role in how significant events unfolded? No. There will always be unsung heroes who do not receive the credit
A story of Eyam, the plague village – the fact behind the fiction
See the places and influences behind the creation of ‘A Shadow Beyond’ I am so excited to share this short film with you! Imagine a visual tour of a book you loved reading. This mini documentary provides insight into the true story of the Peak District village of Eyam, and the tragic events of the
Seeds of Yesterday
Seeds of Yesterday The sky is blue, not a cloud in sight, So why does this day feel so much like night? A fine arid dust blows across the land, Time has slipped through our fingers like grains of sand. The sun beats down with each unrelenting ray, Starching and bleaching this melancholy day. We
World Book Day, International Women’s Day and NooNoo Pants Face
Today is World Book Day. Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. As an author, both resonate very well with me. I have celebrated World Book Day by reading to my daughter’s class. Aside from being called ‘NooNoo Pants Face,’ I escaped relatively unscathed and particularly enjoyed all the questions that the children fired at me about
The Village of Eyam – an historic story of plague
It was back in November 2015 that I stumbled upon the beautiful village of Eyam and the intriguing true story of the plague quarantine. I will never forget the holidays I spent in Eyam whilst working on this latest novel. It is an incredible place, with some fantastically helpful and knowledgeable historians who work hard
History really IS interesting!
A question struck me whilst on holiday, researching my second novel; why did I choose the genre I write about? There are a couple of good reasons, the first being because I absolutely love thinking about how people used to live and imagining the footsteps that they once took long before I was born or even prior
My thoughts on Christmas time
The Christmas period has always been a significant family celebration in my family. I love it. Cosy hissing and crackling as logs burn and tumble; the spicy warmth of a rich mulled wine and mince pies; the gaudy gleam of Christmas trees, laden with a vibrant and shiny array of decorations and the smell of
