So now I'm a writer. I work full time as a historical novelist, and can't imagine ever wanting to do anything else.

Which is probably just as well. I'm working on two different series at the moment, the Chevalier Series set in 17th century France, and the Harry Ryder Series, following the adventures of a Victorian soldier, and between them they keep me pretty busy. I'm also a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Historical Writers Association, the Society of Authors, and the Crimean War Research Society, and I blog for The History Girls blogspot.

It's a good life, and I know I'm very lucky to have made it this far. Thank you for visiting my website, and I'll be posting regular updates on my progress below.

January 2012

 I'm currently working on the second book in the Ryder series, following on from 'Into the Valley of Death' which comes out on May 10th.

  This one goes further into the Siege of Sevastopol, and I'm just about to return to the Crimea for a further research trip. Sevastopol is the most fascinating place, bulging with military history from both the Crimean and the Second World War, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere different to visit.

This is me trying to look writerly at the Grafskaya Landing Stage in Sevastopol. This is one of the places Tolstoy describes in his 'Sevastopol Sketches' - and of course Ryder sees it for himself in Into the Valley of Death...

Meanwhile, in the hope it whets your appetite, here is a Wordle image of a chunk of text from Into the Valley of Death. I'm afraid it's pretty obvious exactly which bit I've used....