Relics of World War 2

Relics of World War 2

I wrote recently about the invasion that never happened and how it left its marks on Cuckmere Haven. Today I’m going to share with you a couple of small clues about WW2 from the roads around my home here in Meads, Eastbourne. ​During the War there were several...
Smugglers of Sussex

Smugglers of Sussex

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Cuckmere Valley during WW2 and its strategic role in the defence of the realm. Today I’m going to look at another of its claims to fame – as the beating heart of an enormous smuggling operation. Smuggling was big business in...
The Invasion that Never Happened

The Invasion that Never Happened

My teenage years were spent in Eastbourne, growing up in the shadow of the Downs, swimming from the beach and hanging out in the various hostelries of the town. Now that I’ve returned to live here  I’m rediscovering the charms of the town and its...
Rag and Bone Collectors of New York

Rag and Bone Collectors of New York

My work in progress has just taken itself off to New York City. This is a classic case of being swept along in the wake of one’s characters. I get very little say  in the matter. As a result I’ve been researching life in the tenements of NYC in the late...
An Independent Woman and a Forced Marriage

An Independent Woman and a Forced Marriage

The main character in my novel, A Greater World,  is effectively won in a game of poker, after her desperate father uses her as a stake. Poor Elizabeth Morton has to go through what amounts to a forced marriage when all her options run out. Someone asked how I’d...

Survivors’ Sacrifices Must be Remembered Too

My first job after university was in the civil service, where I managed the financial affairs of mental patients under the Court of Protection. As a newbie, my caseload was entirely made up of war pensioners – most of them survivors of World War 1. These were...