Truth is no stranger to fiction
This is an article I wrote for History Today published 11/11/2004. It is now locked behind a pay wall (fair enough) but the copyright is mine, so here it is.…
Growing pains
Seeds come in various sizes, from the dust of foxgloves and grit of brassicas to the desiccated sponges of beetroot. All are shells containing new life. Some need to be frozen…
Genii Loci II – Spirit of Place
Our land is sacred, as the Native Americans taught us and the ancient Britons believed. Once it was peppered with holy places: hills, caves, groves, pits and shafts, but the…
Obedience to the Muse 2
The first thing I noticed was the sheer joy of sitting in an armchair to write rather than at a desk. Yes, you could do that with a laptop, but…
Obedience to the Muse 1
'You're a writer?' they ask. 'So how many words do you write a day?' Well, I have no idea, because most days, nine out of ten days, I am re-writing,…