All pages that are unrelated to events
“It’s five years since my eldest child left home, but now it’s that time of year again, the shops filled with students buying value sets of crockery and stationery, harassed parents doing the Ikea run. I’m reminded of one of the most unexpected sides to our so-called emptying nest. When my youngest child, seven years … Read more
“Greenwich is special. It is in London, yet parts can feel like a village in the country. It is steeped in history, yet has some of the most contemporary tourist attractions in London in the 02 and the cable cars that cross the river. Henry VIII exercised his dogs on the Isle of Dogs side of … Read more
How should controversial issues be presented in fiction ? Our event at the Book and Kitchen in All Saints Road Notting Hill on November 22nd was one of those warm, feel-good affairs, in Muna Khogali’s home-from-home bookshop/café with its softly lit lamps, its bright cushions and squashy armchairs that make you forget … Read more
September Blog – The Writer’s Notebook. Even though my school days, and those of two of my children, are long gone, Autumn brings with it the same sense of new beginnings I felt as a child; the holidays may be over, the summer at its end, but no matter, for there will be fresh … Read more
The Darkening Hour was launched with a splash at Heffers in Cambridge on 29th August. We had a good night, with a troupe of teenage boys serving canapés made by another loyal group of friends. Kate Rhodes (author of Crossbones Yard) was also launching her second novel A Killing of Angels and it was lovely … Read more
In 2012 the Migrant Domestic Worker Visa was changed to one which ties workers to their employers- but this bid to reduce migration to the UK has untold consequences for the invisible women who do our domestic work behind closed doors. When I arrive at the House of Commons for a panel discussion on the … Read more