There ought to be a word for it
and now there is, because I have just invented one (with the help of my husband, whose German is much better than mine). It’s Leerbuchregalangst, the fear of being without anything to read (rendered literally: fear of the empty book shelf). One of the most difficult times in my life was in my twenties when […]
Martin Edwards Crimewriter
Something that I didn’t expect when I started writing crime fiction was that other crime writers would be such good fun and so convivial. I’ve made some excellent friends and Martin Edwards is one of them. He knows a huge amount about Golden Age crime fiction – an interest we share – as well as […]
How Pleasant to Meet Miss Pym
Every week book shops are closing, so I feared the worst last week in Tunbridge Wells when I saw that the windows of Hall’s book shop were painted white and the bookshelves outside were gone. I was delighted though when I got a bit closer and saw a notice that announced that the shop was […]
My top five Agatha Christie’s
I’ll begin by saying right away that I am not suggesting that these are the five best Agatha Christie’s. I wouldn’t dare. I am not even saying that they were my favourites last week or would be next week. But right now I am choosing these as my desert island five (though even now at […]
It’s a crime . . .
We have lived in Sheffield for twenty years and until yesterday I have managed to avoid going to Meadowhall, Sheffield’s vast out of town shopping centre, except one occasion when I had to take our elder daughter to get some shoes not available elsewhere. Yesterday it was a similar story and I went with our […]
Summer Reading
The school holidays have started. I don’t expect to do much writing, but I plan to do plenty of reading. First on the list is my book group’s big read, Middlemarch, and I am so much looking forward to it. It’s a long time since I have reread it from cover to cover, and I’ll […]
Murder is Academic
My first novel is now available as an ebook at a much reduced price, so this would be good time to read it if you haven’t already. The whole series is now available quite cheaply. I’ve been asked more than once if I’ll write another Cassandra novel – in fact, I had a query today […]
Women of the World
I’ve done it again. I knew I’d enjoy Helen McCarthy’s new book, Women of the World: The Rise of the Female Diplomat, so I asked the London Library to acquire it. In due course they did and posted it to me. It’s a particular pleasure to be the first reader of a brand-new pristine copy […]
There Will be Cake
The invitation to the launch of Invisible said ‘There will be cake’ and there was. Delicious cake and lots of it, made by my kind friends, Jo and Sarah. Here I am, wielding a large knife. It was a beautiful summer’s evening. There was plenty of wine – supplied by my hospitable husband. My […]
A Sleepy Summer Sunday
Last week-end in Birmingham I had free time on the Saturday afternoon and I walked into Bourneville and visited Selly Manor, a Tudor manor house. There was hardly anyone else in the house and I had the charming garden completely to myself. I remembered another expedition over thirty years ago in my Birmingham days. On […]