Looking back on a decade of change

Looking back on a decade of change

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to all my readers The last decade has been a momentous one for me in so many ways – a period of dramatic change. I began 2010 living in London, working as a management consultant, working hard to recover from the impact of the...
The Sea, The Sea!

The Sea, The Sea!

It only recently occurred to me that I have at least one scene involving a voyage by sea in every single one of the nine books I’ve written. As I write this post I am getting ready for my own major sea voyage – a round-the-world cruise for four months. This has to be...
Being Uprooted

Being Uprooted

It was only after I’d finished the first draft of my second novel that I realised it had something in common with the first. Then after sketching out a rough outline of novel number 3, I’ve realised that  I’m exploring a similar theme there too.  ...

Survivors’ Sacrifices Must be Remembered Too

My first job after university was in the civil service, where I managed the financial affairs of mental patients under the Court of Protection. As a newbie, my caseload was entirely made up of war pensioners – most of them survivors of World War 1. These were...