Blog

  • Hello agents, my genre is archaeologist.

    This week I’ve cracked open the champagne because – drumroll – I’ve signed with a publisher for my first academic book. ‘Military Households of Roman Auxiliary Commanders in Western Europe and North Africa: Latin inscriptions, Vindolanda letters and praetorium archaeology.’ Read more

  • Death came early for Christmas

    Death came early for Christmas. My father-in-law, in hospital, had assessed his chances and agreed with the professionals: no resuscitation, please. Midwinter’s eve he spoke on the telephone to his son, my husband. He promised another visit, tomorrow; an hour Read more

  • Behind the labels at the museum

    I’m working on some new fiction (which it’s far too early to say much about) and part of my research was a visit to the History of Science Museum at Oxford to see their magical and alchemical objects. This marble Read more

  • Buttered eggs and spells to face the rising dark

    There is no glittering frost outside today and the lengthening nights shut me in earlier and earlier. To make it through such dark hours I want comfort and enchantment, and for this I turn to the books I read over Read more

  • Predecessor of the more famous Aching? Rosemary Sutcliff’s Tudor witch Tiffany.

    All my book projects are waiting for other people to do various things before I get on with them so I’m back to working on my new fiction project and thinking about character names. This one’s a historical fantasy set Read more

  • Uncareer advice and the thinginess of things

    So, this is it. It’s almost a year since my PhD was awarded and I’m branching out into my own uncareer – a hodgepodge of things that earn money and don’t, with the main nexus being creative writing, and archaeology.* Read more