I hesitate to tell you this – because I admired Diana Wynne Jones’ writing a great deal and I realize the blog theme is in her honour – but honesty compels me to share that I don’t believe in jinxes, curses or superstition. I know. What’s the point of being a writer if you can’t pretend there are more things in heaven and earth? Surely I should just revisit my parents’ advice and consider a career in something sensible.

I don’t doubt for one minute that Diana Wynne Jones did have no end of mishaps whilst traveling. But no matter how hard I try I can’t stop my treacherous little brain whispering, ‘well she probably traveled a lot didn’t she? More than the average person anyway which would mean her chances of encountering misfortune were therefore significantly higher than the norm.’

It’s a very unimaginative way of looking at things. But in my defence a lack of respect for superstition was one of the things I really loved about the smugglers who partly inspired the backstory in both Mistress of the Storm and Heart of Stone.

I grew up on the Isle of Wight, which has a long and proud history of smuggling (we’ve even got a theme park dedicated to the subject …yes, again I know but actually it’s pretty cool). Anyway, there is a road on the Island, near the center, known locally as Betty Haunt Lane. And the popular story about that track, even today, is that Betty was a smuggler’s daughter who fell in love with a customs man.

Later, apparently, she betrayed both her father and her smuggler friends by reporting them to the authorities. Read the rest of this entry »

Describe the place where you write/draw

I’m incredibly spoiled because I have a room above our garage that I use as an office and I tend to go there to when I’m at home. The view is lovely, and makes me have to pinch myself, but in the winter it is ridiculously cold.

What is your most treasured possession?

I think probably at the moment it is the felt bear puppet that my son Joe made. It is without doubt the best felt bear puppet in the history of that honourable craft (no maternal bias there whatsoever).

What times of the day do you work?

If I’ve got a ‘writing day’ I work 9 to 5, or 8 to 6 if I’ve set myself a hard task. Then in the evenings I try and do admin.

What distracts you?

Oh god, everything these days. I was really good at concentrating until about two years ago and now I’ve finally succumbed to the 21^st century disease of distraction. Currently I’m trying the Pomodoro technique, which is basically where you set a timer to 30 minutes and keep working until it beeps. One of my friends has this thing that switches his internet off. If you’ve got any other suggestions please do bung them my way.

What is your favourite smell? Read the rest of this entry »

Being a bit of a daydreamer is a great quality to have if you’re an author: first time it’s ever come in handy in my life. Generally speaking though, it’s not something you look for in a sailor.

I always have to start any blog posts about the sea and sailing with a caveat explaining that I’m not actually a particularly good dinghy sailor: it’s just something I love.

Oh how embarrassing then to have an entire series of eminent authors (and me) writing posts dedicated to sailing. I’m starting to feel like I’m on one of those radio confession slots now. But, dear reader, I have to admit that I am such an inadequate sailor that it nearly done for me, and another unfortunate.

I’ve blocked most of the details from my mind but suffice to say it was a summer in the 1980’s; I was trying to learn how to be a slightly-less-average sailor courtesy of a UKSA week-long course, and was dutifully tacking across Cowes harbour in a Wayfarer with some poor boy from London.

It had not been an auspicious pairing this young man and I. He was shy, I was awkward, the weather was freezing: we didn’t get off to a brilliant start. And after we’d spent 30 minutes in the mouth of Wootton creek – in the water and the pouring rain – trying (and failing) to right our capsized boat, relations were on the downhill slope.

But what do you know, come the last day the weather turned, we were a bit more confident and things started to feel much better. ‘How lovely,’ I thought to myself as I sat at the helm. It was Dinghy Week and there were lots of other boats on the water, the sun was shining. ‘Isn’t this pretty?’ I expect I was thinking to myself, possibly whilst playing a 1980s tune in my head by way of a soundtrack.

Lovely green water, clear blue sky, I wonder if I’ll get a tan today…

Until suddenly my crewmate’s hand grabbed mine angrily and tacked our Wayfarer violently. Read the rest of this entry »

Ahoy there, and a Happy New Year to ye!

Over the next 2 months, the storyblog is going to be awash(ho ho) with nautical tales - of sea, sand, salty air, and sailing!   Last week, we published A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton and Heart of Stone by Melanie Welsh, and next month we’ll be releasing The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan.  Although very different, all three titles share some common ground: a journey over water, a harbour town with magical history and Selkie legend.  That’s right, all three stories take place in, on and besides the sea!   So, the DFB Storybloggers – authors and ilustrators all – will be sharing their thoughts, memories and ideas based on the seaside – these might be photos, jokes, artwork, prose…  We’ll have to wait and see.   Watch out for the first post from Linda Newbery this Thursday!

If you’ve read any of the blurb about Mistress of the Storm, or its follow-up, Heart of Stone, (out in January book fans) then you’ll know the mysterious town of Wellow is a fictional version of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. I actually grew up in Cowes which is on the north side of the Island but I always loved Ventnor which is very remote and all the more magical for it.

To my often-voiced disappointment I don’t live on the Island any more. And what with small children, work, life etc. I realised that I hadn’t spent any proper time walking around the places I was describing for too long.

So earlier this year I decided to fit in some time on my own between school visits to remind myself what my lovely homeland looks like. It was wonderful I’m ashamed to report (it all felt horribly indulgent). After I’d visited Somerton and Solent Middle Schools in Cowes I drove straight to Ventnor to take in the view. You can just about make out the real Spyglass Inn in the distance here:

Read the rest of this entry »