The world is starting to open up again, and I had a wonderful time with some family a few weeks ago. Nothing complicated; good food, good wine, great conversation.

We eventually meandered onto the topic of art, and what made a great artist. How some of hte best artists were not recognised or respected during their lifetime. How they were often ahead of their field, capturing the zietgeist of the culture at the time.

A truly brilliant painting, we discussed, was something that was not only artistically clever, but also something that captured a mood, a moment, an atmosphere within the world at the time.

It becomes, in essence, evidence of that moment in history.

This is why I studied both History and English at university! I couldn’t imagine leaving one behind at school. I love how literature is like a piece of the world’s history in amber. I love how history can then be affected by history.

It was only a matter of time when I started writing my own stories – after all, I’d wanted to be an author ever since I was little!

Now I’m not saying that my books will go down in history. But if they can give you a slice, a taste of the world from the past, a place you can lose yourself in for a few hours…then my work is done.