Authors Electric

Last month I wrote about my impending trip to the United States for my nephew’s wedding and I am happy to report it all went ahead and a magical time was had by all. After writing my last blog I had high hopes that my travels would greatly enhance my creativity. However, I must confess, at the outset so much was exactly as I expected. Was this because I’ve been to the States before, watched copious amounts of US TV dramas that little surprised me or that an already highly worked imagination had already conjured up these locations while reading? Many places we visited reminded me of novels I’ve read in the past few years. As we wandered through the Washington art gallery, I couldn’t help but be transported to the pages of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Airy, expansive rooms with high ceilings housing the most exquisite paintings. They drew you in from afar revealing the most breath-taking details as you moved closer. How do artists convey the sheen of a piece of silk, the glint o...

 I am a traveller. I enjoy visiting different countries. By far the most interesting place I’ve been is Iceland. I visited in February 2019. Arriving in the cold and dark I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found friendly people and lots to see and photograph. This is the Hallsgrimskirksja right in the centre of Reykjavik. A beautiful church behind the statue of Lief Erikkson.  Inside it is a beautiful place of worship with high ceilings and an organ. Light and airy a place of real reflection. The first sight of the church is awe inspiring it is a remarkable building. It is back lit at night and stands out as you arrive in the city. I am a lover of history and Reykjavik has history round every corner. People are friendly and will talk to you about everything  they know.    I felt inspired when I was there and wanted to write more. Icelandic folklore is rich with stories and fairy tales especially. In Icelandic fairy tales fairy folk are huge,  gigantic creature...

It's about the time of year when I start the often lengthy process of planning my holidays. When I was younger this would involve negotiations with others in the family and a fruitless quest to try and please everyone. Nowadays, it turns out that pleasing myself is even more difficult. Or at least, there are too many options and not enough time, and I can't make up my mind what to prioritise. I also now have to accept that the physical limitations mean I will not always enjoy the kind of things I would have wanted to do previously. Oddly enough, though, I still managed to have an excellent time at Alton Towers last year, and was able, more or less, to spend whole days on my feet without too many after-effects. It just shows that it isn't only time that flies when you're enjoying yourself! The options for this year fall neatly into categories, as follows: (a) Places I need to visit for research - including some places I didn't even know existed until I started m...

  Recently I have spent a lot of time travelling both nationally and internationally. In the last four weeks I have been to New Orleans, Skegness, London, Southampton and back to London, where I am currently staying. This has involved trains, planes, cars, buses, horse drawn carriages, rickshaw, monorail and even a vintage bus. It has certainly been an experience and I have enjoyed every minute of it.  So why am I giving you a rundown of my movements and travelling arrangements? What has this got to do with writing I hear you ask? At first glance, very little. However, deeper scrutiny and skilful interrogation will reveal the full story. Many of the places I have visited have involved writing and/or meeting readers. I have had several events in these places. I was on a panel at Bouchercon in New Orleans. This was a crime writing/reading convention and will be the subject of another blog. Suffice to say it was an experience which I would love to repeat. London took me...

‘Merry Crishmus.’ The text was from my guide, reminding me I’d agreed to be up early to go hiking today.             Pokhara was twinkling but I did not look back as Tika led me through the city and across a suspension bridge into the foothills of the Himalaya. I puffed up, with boots and walking pole, as two women in flip-flops came down with oranges for the market. Would I like to buy some? Of course.             Less than a mile later we met a friend of Tika’s who took us to his house. His tree was laden with oranges – we must eat some. But we could not linger long, as his aunt expected us for lunch. High in the mountains there is little choice and we ate traditional a Nepali meal of rice, spinach and lentil dhal. At least she has a biogas stove and no longer has to collect wood from the forest for cooking. And her tree was laden with oranges; she picked some ju...

What do you do when you’re not writing (or travelling)? How often am I asked that! It’s a strange life, being a travel writer. I’m officially retired, so I can’t claim it’s a ‘proper job’, even though it fills almost all my time – or it feels like that. I had a proper job once. I worked in Child Protection – putting on special clothes to go to work, picking up my case and my files and heading for an office with a desk and secretary. I was, I was assured, an expert. Sometimes I had to appear in Court and give evidence, help to prove a child had suffered ‘significant harm’ (that’s jargon. I won’t elaborate.). I tied my hair back and wore stern clothes. The only way to survive a job like that is to learn to turn it off. No phone calls after eight at night. At least one day off a week. If a child continued to run around in my head I knew I’d missed something, and so go back to the papers and notes till I’d worked out what it was. Then close the office door, sit ba...