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Central to the final climax of These Fragile Things is the Great Storm of 1987, an event I felt I could bear personal witness to. At the time, it was claimed to have been the most destructive storm since 1703, although this has since been proven otherwise. The Great Storm of 1703 stuck so firmly…
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“The fortunate people in the world – the only really fortunate people in the world, in my mind – are those whose work is also their pleasure. The class is not a large one, not nearly so large as it is often represented to be; and authors are perhaps the most important elements in its…
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After being interviewed by the wonderful Jen Campbell for her blog, the greatest number of comments I received was about my musical tastes. Music is one of the few things that instantly transports you to a time and place in your life so, although I find I difficult to work with any background noise, it is…
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I must admit that ‘I Stopped Time’ was not my original title for the story of how Sir James Hastings discovered the mother he never knew through her body of work. However, reading accounts of pioneering photographers, it soon became apparent that it was the phrase that best described most photographers’ feelings about what it…
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While you were still sleeping off the excesses of Christmas day, I stopped by for a chat with Morgen Bailey, who blogs daily about writing, reading and the very best of new fiction. You can read the interview here. 

Does it sound wrong to say that you have a favourite gravestone? I don’t think so. This one is particularly seasonal and comes from Alfriston, Sussex.  

‘These Fragile Things’ tackles the subjects of near-death experience and religious fervour. These are big issues. They are, and I am hardly qualified to tackle the questions fully. Orange prize-winner Francesca Kay said that she sees no reason why inexperienced novelists should avoid the big issues, but I wanted to bring the premise down to…
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Where did you find your inspiration for ‘I Stopped Time’? Reading a biography of Lee Miller, one of my heroines. I knew her photography but, as it turned out, very little of her life. She was an extraordinary, extraordinary person. One of the most sought-after fashion models of her day, who became a muse to…
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Paul, the partner of an author recently blogged, “When my wife gets into a new book idea she’s profoundly excited, burns the midnight oil and comes jumping out every hour or so with glee… but don’t you dare say anything to dampen, or respond with anything but full enthusiasm, lest you turn their positive energy…
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This week I met the very lovely Rebecca Patterson at the Random House Christmas Party. Rebecca’s children’s book, My Big Shouting Day, has just won the Roald Dhal Funny Prize 2012. Huge congratulations, Rebecca! Among the many things we spoke about was the intrinsic part that creating the illustrations for the book played in developing the characters, something…
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