I love a good cave. Not in a hard-hat-gee-that's-a-tight-squeeze-caving kind of way, but anywhere with a decent cave tour gets my attention. Kents Cavern in Devon have a very good tour and literally layers of history to uncover. The caves have provided shelter to animals and humans for thousands of years. A human jawbone fragment... Continue Reading →
Juggling a blog, social media, your WiP, competition entries - not to mention your day job - can make it feel like you need twelve pairs of hands. If you're struggling to keep your writing on track, a simple schedule may be the answer. Here's how to make it work: Make a List First, write... Continue Reading →
Wells is the smallest city in the UK. Its status as a city dates from medieval times, and depends on its stunning cathedral complex. It's been a filming location for a number of productions including 'Poldark', 'Dunkirk' and 'Hot Fuzz' - the high street and market place are immediately recognisable from the climactic shoot-out scene.... Continue Reading →
In 'On Writers and Writing', Margaret Atwood discusses (among other things) the notion that a writer is in fact two people. The 'writer' is an ever present twin aside the 'person'. One observes, the other writes. This duality is explored mirrored by writers themselves in many stories from 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' to 'A... Continue Reading →
Trude doesn’t expect much from life anymore. Least of all a mysterious box, a possible romance and some distinctly unusual ‘growing pains’... In case you weren't aware, 'Under this Skin', my dark, funny and downright odd e-book is now only 99p on Amazon Kindle. If you're not sure whether it's the kind of thing for... Continue Reading →
Have you ever wanted to roam around Lothlorien looking for the elves? Or test your courage in Mirkwood against the foul things that dwell there? Well pop into Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean and you can. You'll need a smidge of imagination, but not much to understand why this place is said to have... Continue Reading →
The Monte Hotel is a rather different to Gerna Manor, the derelict building I wrote about in part 1. It's a lot bigger, far more accessible and has an interesting story behind its rise and fall. Perched high above the Lagoa das Sete Cidades, you can understand the attraction of building a hotel here. It's... Continue Reading →
The Azores are a stunning set of islands in the Atlantic, formed by volcanos and colonised by the Portuguese in the 15th-century. They're perfect for walkers with lush, mountainous trails dotted with fascinating points of interest - including an abandoned building or two. This is what's left of Grena Manor, built next to Lake Furnas... Continue Reading →
Put your Words into Pictures I used to think of Pinterest as a tool people used for things like interior design, wedding planning or perhaps picking a tattoo - for creating visual things essentially. But could this online mood board maker also be good for a writer? Your book may have pictures, it may not... Continue Reading →
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