I am currently on “furlough” – an interesting American English word originally applied to leave given to soldiers on full pay. The English equivalent might be “gardening leave”, although that seems to have negative connotations; technically it means you can’t work so all there is to do is sit at home or work in the garden – usually applied to senior staff who perhaps are past their most productive. My own garden has certainly received a huge amount...

I hope you are all keeping well and not finding social distancing too challenging. As everyone keeps saying, writers are used to working on their own at home – but we are always in contact with others by social media and never more so than now. Although I’m not getting out as much as usual, I am very lucky to be able to walk with my husband and dog in the empty fields and lanes of Swaledale, while fully appreciating that many are living in urban areas where exercise options are...

It may be because I had a career in academia, and even now spend half my week as a director of an innovation company, that my writing includes a significant amount of research. In fact it is the most interesting part, in my view. Previously my books have involved archaeological topics that have required me to consult not only books but also experts in their fields. For example, I had a valuable discussion with one such expert on chariot burials who assured me I wouldn’t discover one in...

It was a real pleasure to finally meet Sandy while she is in Swaledale concentrating on her studies. Sandy had messaged me to say that she has bought every one of my books from the post office in Reeth and it was number 16 on her Bucket List to have them signed by the author. Over coffee at the Dales Bike Centre (a favourite venue of hers and mine) we chatted about her desire to move to Swaledale, something that had been on my own list of things to achieve. It gives me a real buzz to meet...

Suddenly Swaledale has a wintry feel and the dark evenings are perfect for writing without distractions. For me there is an annual cycle of plotting, writing, and editing because I try to finish a novel for publication in the middle of the year. It starts at the end of the summer holidays when my visiting family return home – then I begin to plan the themes that form the skeleton of my new novel. It takes several months of research – as well as hours of just thinking! Once the...