The Witch’s Daughter
I have long been fascinated by the idea of Witchcraft, and wanted to write a book based on the notion – What if there are Witches living among us, here and now, using real magic? This in turn set me thinking about Witches in times before our own, and how opinions have altered down the centuries. In Bess’s time (the sixteen hundreds) cunning women, or those using hedge craft to heal, were often accused of malecficia, that is, the use of magic to attempt to bring about bad events or harm to others. From our twenty-first century perspective this seems like fear and superstition causing panic and injustice, and we accept that most of these women were harmless, and indeed in many cases effective healers. But then – What if some of those women were true Witches? This gave me my start point for Elizabeth’s origins.
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The Midnight witch
When writing The Midnight Witch I found myself in quite a dark and unsettling place, and I think the finished book reflects this. It is my dearest wish that readers will feel some of the same mystery and other-worldliness when they follow Lilith’s story.
For me, part of the attraction of exploring the world of an ancient and powerful coven was to set it against the glamour and wealth of the upper classes in early 20th century Britain. Not only did this set the darkness is stark relief to the glitter and frivolity of the aristocratic lifestyle of the time, but I felt it was symbolic of the way human nature can be so multifaceted.
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The Winter Witch
Writing ‘The Winter Witch’ gave me a wonderful opportunity to explore a small slice of the history of Wales. Although born in Dorset, in the south west of England, my family moved here when I was five, and I very much regard Wales as my home. I grew up on a small hill farm, where my brother and I enjoyed the freedom of the mountain, far-reaching views, wild weather, and plentiful wildlife, all of which made for an idyllic childhood. Many of the ideas I had for Morgana’s early life came from my memories of seasons spent in this magical landscape. I set her background in the Cwmdu valley, which is where I lived until I left school.
When she moves to Tregaron she finds a countryside that is subtly different, yet both places have in common a wildness that is still powerful today. I wanted The Winter Witch to tell the story of how much the landscape shapes the people who inhabit it.
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The Silver witch
The Silver Witch is arguably a story with three main characters: Tilda, Seren, and the lake itself.
Llangors Lake is just over the hill from where I live, and it is a place that has fascinated me since I was a child. I used to ride my pony from our farmhouse up and across the top of the mountain. After half an hour or so of trotting and cantering through the heather and bracken I would come to the plateau that forms the summit of this hill, from where you can see down into the valley on the other side. And there, nestling in the lush lowland meadows, with the majestic Beacons rising up behind it, sits the lake, shaped like an enormous tadpole, fringed by wetlands at one end, pastures and small woodlands at the other. From so high up the water often looked like glass, with the sun bouncing off it and reflections sharp and bright. Some days it would be shrouded in mist, and trapped by the vapour the sounds of the water birds would reverberate around the valley. If there was snow, the lake would show up as a dark, almost sinister hole in the midst of the gleaming whiteness surrounding it.
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The return of the witch
Continuing the Found Things series has allowed me to spend more time in the charming county of Wiltshire, and I am very happy about that. Those of you who have read book one, The Little Shop of Found Things, will already be familiar with the small market town of Marlborough, which sits among the rolling downs, surrounded by an expansive landscape brimming with ancient sites and glorious old houses. In book two we see Xanthe and her mother, Flora, settling into the rhythm of their new life in the antiques shop that is now their home. Another joy of writing this series is that it more or less obliges me tospend time hunting down treasures in antiques shops, emporiums, and markets! I try to resist buying too many wonderful things, but sometimes a particular find will be too good to leave behind. I may not hear objects sing to me, but I swear some of them pipe up with a little “take me home!” now and again.
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Little shop of found things
When thinking about the first book in a new series I suppose it is only natural for a writer to be taken up with the idea of place quite a bit. My stories are always firmly rooted in real places, the landscape of the tale being very important to me. So much so that I often think of the setting as a character in itself. For a long time I had harboured a wish to explore more of the county of Wiltshire in England. It is perhaps one of the lesser known regions of the country to outsiders, that is until you start to list what can be found there: Stonehenge, Longleat, Salisbury Plain, Old Sarum, Avebury Stones, Salisbury Cathedral, and of course the fabulous chalk horses carved into the hillsides. I found the combination of such a rich history and such expansive, glorious countryside irresistible.
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Secrets of the chocolate house
When thinking about the first book in a new series I suppose it is only natural for a writer to be taken up with the idea of place quite a bit. My stories are always firmly rooted in real places, the landscape of the tale being very important to me. So much so that I often think of the setting as a character in itself. For a long time I had harboured a wish to explore more of the county of Wiltshire in England. It is perhaps one of the lesser known regions of the country to outsiders, that is until you start to list what can be found there: Stonehenge, Longleat, Salisbury Plain, Old Sarum, Avebury Stones, Salisbury Cathedral, and of course the fabulous chalk horses carved into the hillsides. I found the combination of such a rich history and such expansive, glorious countryside irresistible.
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The Garden of promises and lies
Continuing the Found Things series has allowed me to spend more time in the charming county of Wiltshire, and I am very happy about that. Those of you who have read book one, The Little Shop of Found Things, will already be familiar with the small market town of Marlborough, which sits among the rolling downs, surrounded by an expansive landscape brimming with ancient sites and glorious old houses. In book two we see Xanthe and her mother, Flora, settling into the rhythm of their new life in the antiques shop that is now their home. Another joy of writing this series is that it more or less obliges me tospend time hunting down treasures in antiques shops, emporiums, and markets! I try to resist buying too many wonderful things, but sometimes a particular find will be too good to leave behind. I may not hear objects sing to me, but I swear some of them pipe up with a little “take me home!” now and again.
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City of time and magic
City of Time and Magic sees Xanthe face her greatest challenges yet. She must choose from three treasures that sing to her; a beautiful writing slope, a mourning brooch of heartbreaking detail, and a gorgeous gem-set hat pin. All call her, but the wrong one could take her on a mission other than that which she must address first, and the stakes could not be higher. While her earlier mission to Regency England had been a success, the journey home resulted in Liam being taken from her, spirited away to another time and place. Xanthe must follow the treasure that will take her to him if he is not to be lost forever.
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