Writing workshops Last autumn I led my first ever writing workshop in Downend library as part of South Gloucestershire Discover Festival. Since then I’ve been involved in other writing events, most recently joining forces with another local writer Pauline Masurel. Mazzy and I enjoyed working together so much that we’re teaming up again for this year’s Discover Festival … Continue reading Events round-up
Research can take us to some odd places but a perfect English village on a perfect summer’s day was not a bad result at Lacock Abbey where I was parked up and fuelled by a stiff Americano before the gates had even opened for Sunday’s demonstrations of early photography. Of course I’d visited Lacock before, including once since … Continue reading Only connect: sun and chemistry at Lacock
‘The first time I saw Jenny Caddas she was taking a swarm of bees.’ It’s a great feeling when you fall in love with a book on the first page, or even the first line, and that’s what happened to me with The Physic Garden by Catherine Czerkawska. The voice is that of William Lang, … Continue reading The Physic Garden: too good to dissect
I’m not quite sure what I expected from last night’s Historical Fiction Masterclass run by Writers and Artists, but with around fifty people crowded in a room in Bedford Square on a very rainy night in London town, it was more about the chemistry of the two presenters – Celia Brayfield and Sarah Dunant – … Continue reading Research is freedom. I agree with Sarah Dunant.
Since my visit to Dimbola I’ve been thinking it’s time I got a bit more hands-on with the whole notion of early photography, or any kind of pre-digital developing and printing. I mean I once knew a novelist whose research involved learning to fly, a bit of dark room photography can’t be so hard! Luckily … Continue reading Cameras – in Lacock, Bristol and Kabul
