Why The Artist’s War is dedicated to the grandfather I never met
Sadly, I never met either of my grandfathers – they both died in the 1930s when my parents were still children. My paternal grandfather, William Joseph Flynn served in the First World War on the Western Front, joining up in September 1914 as one of the Pals, and was...
Indulging My Love of Stained Glass – at Chartres Cathedral
Last month I spent a wonderful week in the Loire Valley on a writing retreat with six of my writer friends. We rented a huge gite – complete with two swimming pools! In the midst of vineyards. As well as lots of writing and writerly talk (plus a few hilarious writerly...
A False Start
When I was in Sri Lanka recently, I started writing what would have been my seventeenth novel. At that stage, I hadn’t even had my structural edits back on number sixteen, which I’d only submitted to my publisher the day before I left. (Happily, my editor loves it!)...
A Change is as Good as a Rest – Writing and Research Trip to Sri Lanka
People sometimes ask me why I love writing retreats. Surely you can write just as easily in your own home, or in a library or coffee shop? Isn’t it an unnecessary indulgence to travel somewhere else just to interact with your imagination and put some words on a page? ...
Guest blog: The Bookseller’s Wife by Jane Davis
In this special guest blog my good friend and fellow writer Jane Davis introduces her latest novel, The Bookseller's Wife. Over to you, Jane...Moorfields and Chiswell Street, 1780 Although most Londoners live within walking distance of open countryside, Moorfields is...
My visit to Colour Revolution at the Ashmolean, Oxford
When I think of the Victorians I get visions of Dickensian smoke-clogged cities, widows’ weeds, funeral coaches with black-plumed horses, lots of gloomy tartan and blackened grates. The fabulous Colour Revolution exhibition aims to explode through all that with a...
A Day out in Ditchling
I can’t believe I’ve never been to Ditchling before. Less than twenty miles from me, it used to be home to artist Frank Brangwyn, and notorious sculptor Eric Gill, as well as several brilliant weavers.The pretty Downland village hosts the Museum of Art & Craft –...
Penang – How a Location Spoke to me
I’d had a writing drought for three months. Not what I’d expected when I set off to sail around the world in one hundred and thirty days. With all that time and having finished my previous book I was certain I would have the next one finished by the time I landed back...
“My” Chateau in France
Next March I will be heading to France to the Loire Valley with several of my writing friends for a week-long writers’ retreat. We’re looking forward to many writerly chats, boosting our word counts and getting in a bit of sight-seeing too. One of my fellow writers...
Visiting Gallipoli
I’ve visited Istanbul several times - once in the mid 90s on holiday and several times on business with the odd weekend tagged on. I even began writing a thriller set there (sadly uncompleted). But I’d never approached Istanbul by sea from the Dardanelles. When I was...
It’s not all about the word count: inside a writing retreat
Photo by Jean GillI’ve been doing writing retreats for ten years. Not the sort with tutors but ones where you can hunker down and do some serious writing away from the distractions and interruptions of home. My first ever retreat was in Devon, to a place I returned...
Another story about stained glass
Final edits are completed on my latest book - number 15 is set for publication this June! I need to stop beating about the bush and tell you what it’s called! You may remember it had a working title The Glass Painter – but I’ve got a better one, thanks to some...
