The Sound of Elephants Falling
Last year I gave a talk to an academic association in leafy north Oxford. As an honorarium, the £35 they gave me was derisory, but then, apparently, they are 'poor'…
Painting the Spirit
Samhain was the start of the Celtic new year, so November was a good moment to begin a new novel. Although my subject is still Renaissance, it is a very…
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,…
Humanity in Bronze
Thanks to a beautifully written post on The Idle Woman, I took myself off to the Royal Academy yesterday to see the exhibition 'Bronze'. On the bus to the station,…