Sunday by the Sea

A Sunday afternoon at the English seaside often used to involve music: a bandstand, a few musicians playing their socks off, the audience dozing in deckchairs. And at the end of last month, it was a bit like that on Torquay seafront.

A Broad Abroad: My Indian Ocean Bath

In the more than 20 years I worked internationally, I visited some under-developed countries and on some occasions, conditions were quite difficult. But that wasn't always the case. There was one trip in particular that will always remain a happy memory for me...

Elizabeth Chats With...Morgen Bailey

You know those days when you just can't think what to write about? Well on a day like that, the website run by this month's guest is one of my go-to places. Her writing triggers have got me out of a rut on many an occasion. I'm delighted to be chatting to Morgen Bailey (and yes, that is how you spell her name!)

Hello Morgen; thanks for popping by. Usual question to start with: what is your earliest memory — and how old were you at the time?

Interview Round-Up

I was going to talk today about spending Sunday afternoon in a musical marquee in Torquay (we certainly know how to live down here in the South West). 

A Broad Abroad: Snapshots from Kazakhstan

On the flight from Almaty, I fall asleep above a river winding across green terrain at the foot of snow-capped mountains. I awake to a brown expanse, striped alternatively light and dark. It looks like some parts are cultivated and others not. The patches are huge - much bigger than any fields in Europe. I am told they are mountains. There must be a translation problem—there are no such regular mountain formations anywhere on earth.

A Day at the Races

One of the other hats I wear, apart from writer of elegant fictional prose (!) is that of editor of Chudleigh Phoenix Community Magazine. In that guise I applied for a press pass to the count for the district and town elections earlier this month. Somewhat to my amazement, my application was accepted. In fact they also offered me one for the Parliamentary count the previous evening, but as we live in a constituency with a very safe Conservative seat, there weren't going to be any surprises there, so I declined.

Elizabeth Chats With...Berni Stevens

Many people have commented on the beautiful cover on my novel Gorgito's Ice Rink and, as I had no hand in designing it, I'm happy to agree with them. My interviewee this month is the woman responsible for that cover - and for many other great designs on our bookshelves at the moment; she is also an author in her own right. I'm delighted to be chatting with Berni Stevens.