Oh, how I miss Brer Rabbit...

I was about six or seven when I first discovered the meaning of loss. It wasn't anyone close to me, or even a favourite pet.  It was, quite simply, a book. We were having a collection of toys at school for 'underprivileged children'  and the teacher  urged us to donate something another child would treasure. 'It's easy to give what you don't want,' she reasoned,  'but if you part with something you care about,  the gift will be extra special.'

So home I went to find  my most prized possession: a Brer Rabbit annual.  I can see  it now - the shiny turquoise cover beckoning from the bedside table - each magical story waiting to be read over and over again...

Now, I know it was only a book, but it's one I will never forget. Looking back, I think I pined for it, though I had no idea at the time what the word meant. Over the years I visited the library every week, hundreds of stories passing through my eager hands, but I never saw  that Brer Rabbit annual again.

My  teacher  may have meant well, but it seems she didn't see life through the eyes of a child. And yet, when it comes to Brer Rabbit, I still do.

Start Write Now...

Winston Churchill once said that every conversation is an interview. If you follow that logic then everyone who puts pen to paper is a writer; the 18-month old who scribbles her 'signature' on a birthday card, the six year-old who records  'What I did at the weekend,' in his school book, or the teenager who re-invents history in the hope of gaining an A star GCSE.

'Oh, I can't write,' is a phrase I've heard frequently over the years from friends and colleagues who, unlike me, have a brilliant head for figures, make light work of their tax returns and think nothing of giving a  lecture in astrophysics while planning their next dinner party.  They can write, of course. What they mean is they'd rather not; they're too busy doing everything else.

Who am I to complain? After all, writing has been my sole income for half of my working life. For others it is merely an add-on.Take film actress, comedienne and television presenter Maureen Lipman. She is also a writer, the latter sometimes added to her credentials as a mere afterthought.

Writing a book (and Maureen's done that, too) is an act of love, akin to bringing a child into the world. It makes you laugh  and cry - full  of joy one minute and dogged by despair the next - but you never stop believing in what you have created.

That, in short, is why I decided to become a novelist. And I wish good luck in 2012 to every would-be author who  feels the same.

Twelfth Night

Thanks to everyone - from the United States to  Russia, Canada to  China - and most of all from the wonderful island of Guernsey, who have visited my blog in the past year. To writers and readers everywhere,  here's to a happy, peaceful and productive new year.

Do they know it's Christmas time?

Outside my window, swaying in the breeze this morning is a daffodil bulb reaching out  to the  winter sun. Next to it the crocuses are peeping through the ground, just as certain that spring is on its way. Do they know it's Christmas time at all?

'Jesus wants a little wee...'

Trying to get into the mood for writing my Christmas cards this afternoon I put away my laptop and pondered  on  the season of 'good will' and what, ultimately it's all about. Just then a text arrived on my phone with a photo of my two-year-old grandaughter, Mille Grace, in her nursery school nativity play. My heart melted. Christmas is about little children - their dreams, their beliefs, their future. The adult world is a frightening place where our little ones will one day  belong.  So let them sing 'Jesus little ones are we', or as my own young daughter once said ' Jesus wants a little wee. ' Let them dress up, dance and sing while they still believe in Santa.  The New Year - and their futures - will all too soon be here.

Kindle - Dream or Disaster?

Seen a new novel you like the sound of?  Want  to read it now? Wait no longer - with Kindle you can.

That's the sort of copy I turned out regularly in the eighties when I worked for a small advertising agency. All of it was glib and no-one, I suspect, believed a word of it. So for some time now I  have remained unmoved by all the publicity generated by the Amazon Kindle.  Worse still, I  have treated the  e-book phenomenon with scorn, believing nothing could take the place of the trusty old book: the smell of new paper as you scan the pages, the lure of the cover as you hold it in your hands, the sight of your book shelves bulging with literary talent from every corner of the world... (sorry I'm back in advertising  land again)  How could this compare with the lowly Kindle?

But then, blog reader, (with apologies to Jane Eyre) I  bought one. (Or more accurately was given one as a present by my daughter.)

And now, I simply take a different view. I can read the latest books wherever I go and edit my own work at the same time. I can browse through great literature as if  I were in a library,  without  even moving from my chair.  And best of all, I can buy a book at the touch of a button.

I remember the first time I had a feature published in a mainstream magazine; I rushed into the newsagent and bought four copies, one of which I have to this day. It was real, tangible, something I could keep to hand on to the next generation.  These days my house is full of vintage books which reveal so much through their  smell,  feel, and texture. They are full of photographs -a mysterious sepia print or a delicate tapestry-passed down to us from another age.  How dull life would be without them.

So I still don't believe that e-books will ever entirely replace the real thing , but  I hope for now that the two can sit side by side in a rapidly changing world. 

Occupying Love

Stop Press!  I've just finished the final draft of my new book 'Occupying Love' and I've dedicated it to my favourite Guernseyman - Harry Brown.  Read on to find out what it's all about...

When Lydia Le Page is trapped in the Channel Islands  at the start of the German Occupation, she transforms from a feisty young student with a promising career ahead of her, to an enemy collaborator burdened with a terrible secret.

It is Guernsey in 1940 and the island people have been robbed of their children and hounded out of their own homes.

Crushed by the death of her father after an argument with a German officer, Lydia vows to seek her revenge.  She discovers an ally in Martin Martell,  the enigmatic  rector of Torteval Church, who persuades her to join the Resistance. Inexplicably drawn to each other, though loathe to admit it, neither is aware of the other’s past.

Does he know she’ll be asked to seduce the Kommandant? And will they be able to put their feelings aside, or will he put a stop to it before it’s too late? As Martin is arrested, a terrifying secret  has yet to be revealed, one that could threaten the lives of  these two extraordinary people torn between desire and duty.

What a 'privy' lege....

My photographs  of the exquisite vintage costume museum in Alstonefield, Derbyshire, produced plenty of interest this week, but I should add that  some of the displays do have a lighter side. My favourite scene (above) has to be of the man reading his newspaper while sitting on the outside 'privy.'

My compliments to owner Notty Hornblower for showing us the 'other' side of life. If you want to know more or would like to donate clothes or memorabilia to the museum please contact:

http://www.hopehousemuseum.co.uk/

If I could turn back time...

One of the pleasures of writing historical fiction is getting  into character. Growing up in the sixties I longed to go back to the days of majestic staircases and sumptuous ballgowns, though the reality may have been quite different. 'Be careful what you wish for,' my mother used  to say, 'Or you might end up as a scullery maid.'

I spent a wonderful day yesterday at Hope House Costume Museum and Restoration Workshop in Alstonefield, near Ashbourne, Derbyshire, run by longstanding family friend Notty Hornblower.This beautiful museum is the realisation of a lifelong dream for Notty who has gathered together a unique collection of outfits and

accessories dating from 1790 to the 1970's. My favourite display  is 'Brides  Revisited' showing exquisite vintage wedding dresses, hand-stitched veils and  bejewelled satin shoes dating back to the turn of the century, some with the original photographs of their owners wearing them on their special day.

Notty has appeared on BBC's Antiques Roadshow, ITV's Heart of the Country and various other TV channels, as well as being regularly featured in several lifestyle magazines. Most importantly, her love for all things vintage has benefited  many different charities.

If you want to know more visit http://www.hopehousemuseum.co.uk/