Where Stories Lie Buried, my eleventh book, is one I never thought I’d write. But then I never dreamed I’d write any of my other books either. I only wanted to tell a family history story. I wrote this memoir of a genealogist turned author to answer all the questions I’m often asked – about…
I’ve published ten novels now, but every time I am never quite prepared for the post-writing busyness. My next book, Where Stories Lie Buried, launches on 25 September, and the closer it gets, the more I’m doing things that have nothing to do with writing at all. Nobody warns you about this part. You imagine…
I have never been to Bristol. Yet I have wandered its streets, found its lost pubs, traced its floating harbour, and followed a Victorian woman through sixty years of her life there. That’s what genealogy research does to you. I’d stepped sideways in the hope of finding a link for my third and fourth great-grandparents…
She gave birth to eight children, had two husbands, was a witness at a murder trial, and held a victualler’s licence in her own name. This is the real Sarah — and she lived on the Welsh Back in Victorian Bristol. Sarah’s Destiny opens in 1851. At that time, Bristol was already a progressive and…
Continuing the theme of my previous blogs on historical research for my current novel, I discovered that 1852 was a quite a significant year. Did you know that Arthur Wellesley (né Wesley) was twice Prime Minister of England and was given a state funeral at the insistence of Queen Victoria? Do you know who he…
Do you use social media? How often and for what purpose? I’d love to know. I’m a Facebook user but after I was hacked, I’ve lost confidence. I’m being encouraged to join Instagram but I’m questioning what difference it makes if I use it or not. How do you – the readers – get to…
In my previous blogs I’ve mostly talked about the women. They are the stalwarts of the time: staunch, loyal and committed. But let’s talk about some of the occupations their menfolk undertook to feed the household. Do you know what a cordwainer was? It’s similar to a snobscat. Or a cooper, or bodger? No…? Here’s…
A parcel arrived from overseas. Inside was a collection of family photos dating back to the 1880s. None were dated. Few were named. I immediately found my magnifying glass and plenty of sunshine and inspected them in detail. Some were of people I recognised, and could follow their age progression, others remain a mystery. The…
I had a conversation recently with someone who said they didn’t know who their grandparents were and asked why I bothered doing all the research. My immediate response was, for their stories. Finding out about our ancestors and learning where they lived, the times they lived in and the work they did also tells us…
Earlier blogs talked about the historical characters of Sarah and Martha and the tragedy of them losing so many children, and the difficulties women faced when they lost their husbands. But then women – and children – were considered, if not expendable, then of less importance as it was not unexpected when they died. Life…
