In November 1793, Philibert Aspairt went missing. He was the doorkeeper of the Val-de-Grâce hospital during the French Revolution. His body was not discovered until 1804, 11… Read more “The Scarlet Thread – free short story”
Category: Historical fiction
At the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month:
We shall remember them. ‘Hinky-Dinky Parlay-Voo’ is a free to read short story about the call-up, the media frenzy, and the popular songs of the day –… Read more “At the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month:”
HEART of CRUELTY: on ‘romances about brutal men’
One of my Amazon.com reviewers has written that the ending of HEART of CRUELTY annoyed her so much that she ‘wanted to throw it across the room.’… Read more “HEART of CRUELTY: on ‘romances about brutal men’”
HEART of CRUELTY: on the conflict at the core of the novel
So my book is launched today. Initial reactions from my reviewers are: ‘gripping’… ‘a page turner’… ‘hard to put down’. It’s a dark novel and the evil at… Read more “HEART of CRUELTY: on the conflict at the core of the novel”
HEART of CRUELTY: introducing the characters
I feel as if I’ve spent years with these two characters from my novel HEART of CRUELTY. Who are they? Coroner William Doughty is a medical man,… Read more “HEART of CRUELTY: introducing the characters”
Haunted by Workhouses
#HeartOfCruelty #Histwriter #Birmingham Wherever I had a job in the NHS – in London or the West Midlands – there was almost always an old workhouse, often… Read more “Haunted by Workhouses”
‘Heart of Cruelty’ released on 21st October 2020
‘O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’ I did a happy dance when David at Poolbeg Press sent me the cover for my debut novel. So here it is:… Read more “‘Heart of Cruelty’ released on 21st October 2020”
Pitch Critique
With the completed re-draft of my historical novel ‘The Heart of Cruelty’ at around 75K words, a bookseller friend encouraged me to enter for the 2020 Wexford… Read more “Pitch Critique”
Birmingham: The Great Working City
The heroine of my Victorian novel set in Birmingham has been out job-hunting recently. I have been her guide, with the help of an 1839 map, an… Read more “Birmingham: The Great Working City”
TCWG November Short Story: ‘A Month at Bath’ #amwriting
‘Secrets’ is the theme (set by ME!) for the Telegraph Creative Writing Group November Short Story Competition. My story, ‘A Month at Bath’, is a Regency pastiche… Read more “TCWG November Short Story: ‘A Month at Bath’ #amwriting”