My historical novel To The Fair Land is available on Amazon and at all good bookshops. Also available as an e-book for Kindle and non-Kindle e-readers. Read more in Fiction.

 

I’m working on a project about suffragettes in Bristol, Bath and the West Country - Read more in Suffragettes.

 

And I write about books, theatre, art and whatever takes my literary fancy on my blog.

 

*NEW* To The Fair Land is now available at a special price for reading groups - with the author thrown in if you'd like me to come and talk to your group about the book! Details here.

 

Read my guest blog post on the Royalty Free Fiction Blog tracing the inspiration for To The Fair Land here.

 

Diary 2013

Historical Novel Society Bristol & South West - 16 May 2013, 5.45 to 7.15 pm

At Bristol Central Library, College Green, Bristol BS1 5TL, in the Meeting Room on the first floor (in the Reference Library). For directions to the library see the Bristol Libraries website. All readers and writers of historical fiction welcome - you don't have to be a member of the HNS to join. For information about the HNS see the Historical Novel Society website. For further information about the HNS Bristol and South West Chapter see the group website here.

A special "thank you" to the Bristol Library Service for their support.

Women's Outlook, Ujima Radio - the Bristol Suffragettes - 29 May 2013,12 to 12.30

I'll be talking about my new book, The Bristol Suffragettes, on the Women's Outlook radio show.

West of England and South Wales Women's History Network Annual Conference - 15 June 2013

I'll be giving a talk entitled 'The Bristol Pogrom': the students' attack on the WSPU's headquarters in October 1913. For details about the Conference and Booking see the regional WHN website.

Historical Novel Society Bristol & South West - 20 June 2013, 5.45 to 7.15 pm

Details as 21 March 2013. Visit the HNS Bristol and South West Chapter website here.

"Senseless outrages against property": suffragette militancy and women's right to vote - Saturday 13 July 2013, 2pm to 3.30 pm

Did suffragette militancy help or hinder the women's campaign for the right to vote? Was their arson and bombing campaign justified? And what relevance does the militants' example have for feminist activists today? I'll be discussing the effectiveness and ethics of the militant campaign with June Hannam, Professor Emeritus at the University of the West of England; Lois Bibbings, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Bristol; and Dawn Dyer of the Local Studies Team at Bristol Central Reference Library. The event is part of the Dreadnought South West series of events commemorating the 1913 Suffrage Pilgrimage - for more information about the project see their website. It will be held in The Studios, M Shed, Bristol - for further information see their website.

Free event, no booking required.

Historical Novel Society Bristol & South West - 18 July 2013 5.45 to 7.15 pm

Details as 21 March 2013. Visit the HNS Bristol and South West Chapter website here.

Diary 2012

Cheltenham Festival of Literature - Monday 8 October 2012

On Monday 8 October 2012 at 12pm I'll be reading from my historical novel, To The Fair Land, during the Cheltenham Literary Festival in the Waterstones Book Tent on Montpellier Gardens. The reading is part of the Locally Sourced event, when a number of local authors will be reading from their work. More on the Cheltenham Literary Festival here.

Bristol Festival of Literature - Writing Historical Fiction - 20 October 2012

On 20 October 2012 I'll be appearing with historical novelist Jenny Barden, Helen Hollick, UK HNS Indie Reviews Editor, and Helen Hart, author and publisher at Silverwood Books, at the Bristol Festival of Literature when we'll be talking about some of the issues around writing historical fiction. The venue is Hooper House Cafe, 113 Stokes Croft, Bristol, from 2pm to 3 pm, and the panel will be part of the Launch Pad day when audiences will be able to buy a £5 ticket and attend a number of events. For details and tickets see the Bristol Festival of Literature website.

The Vote and the Varsity: Suffragettes and the University of Bristol - 19 September 2012

On Wednesday 19 September I gave a talk about the student riot at the WSPU shop in Bristol to Athene Women Graduates' Group at the Friends Meeting House, Hampton Road, Redland, Bristol.

"The talk was detailed and logically organised, building to the climax of the burnings, riots, arrests etc and illustrated by interesting slides. We all learned a great deal." Read full review on the Athene website here.