Here in Gloucestershire, England we are in full Lockdown again. I’m lucky enough to have a large garden which kept me sane and occupied during the long stretches of 2020 when I couldn’t go anywhere. A winter Lockdown is harder but luckily imaginary worlds are not subject to Covid Rules. Nothing has made me happier… Continue reading
This month sees the publication of my most recent novel, `The Diary of a Woman Scorned’. Like most professional authors, I have often had to make changes in my work to please agents, editors or publishers. When you are starting out you don’t have much choice but for many creative people there comes a point… Continue reading
Late in 2019 I was contacted by American writer and film-maker, Michelle Clay, to ask if the film rights to my `Seven Citadels’ novels were available. I’ve turned down film-right requests in the past, but Michelle was willing to fly from Los Angeles to England just to persuade me that she was the right person… Continue reading
This week I’m recommending a novel which should appeal to connoisseurs of invented magic. “Thirteenth Child” (2009) by Patricia C.Wrede is the first in the “Frontier Magic” trilogy, which is set in an alternate version of mid 19th century America. It tells the story of Eff, the “cursed” youngest daughter of the magically talented Rothmer… Continue reading
This week I’m recommending “Arcady” a poetic Science-Fantasy novel by American author Michael Williams, who is better known for his Dragonlance series. “Arcady”, which was published in 1996, is the first of two books which Williams wrote about the Hawken dynasty and their extraordinary family estates. The sequel is called “Allamanda” (1997). You can still… Continue reading
As we’re coming up to Valentine’s Day I should probably be recommending something romantic. Well, this week’s choice does contain two love stories but it isn’t romantic in a slushy, happy-ever-after kind of a way. “The Reader” by Traci Chee is a Dystopian Fantasy written for Young Adults. It came out in 2016 and is… Continue reading
Timeless Classic is an overused phrase but it genuinely applies to this week’s choice – “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. This American children’s story was first published in 1961 with quirky black and white illustrations by Jules Feiffer. I don’t think it has ever been out of print. “The Phantom Tollbooth” is available as… Continue reading
For my first post of 2018 I’m recommending a novel by K.M.Briggs based on the British Fairy Tale known as “Kate Crackernuts”. The unusual thing about this story is that “ugly stepsister”, Kate, is the main heroine. In case you’re wondering, Kate’s nickname is due to her habit of hoarding nuts like a squirrel. The… Continue reading
As we’re still within the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas I’m going to continue the theme of Christmas ghost stories by recommending “The Inn at the Edge of the World” by British author, Alice Thomas Ellis. This novel was first published in 1990. Second-hand paperback copies are easy to find and it has recently become… Continue reading
My seasonal recommendation this year is a time-slip story which ends with Christmas celebrations in two different eras. “A Traveller in Time” by Alison Uttley is a very English Children’s Classic which was first published in 1939. I don’t think it has ever been out of print so there are numerous editions out there. This… Continue reading