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Lake Como and the Silk Industry: A Legacy of Craftsmanship
I'd very much like to welcome Charlotte Betts as my guest author today. Her latest book, The Italian Garden, is set on the shores of beautiful Lake Como. Nestled in the...
From Out of Tibet
I'm delighted to welcome to my blog for the first time, author Lee Kaiser. Lee has written a really interesting account of her travels some years ago in Tibet, which inspired her...
The Edwardian Home
I'm delighted to welcome again to my website, Charlotte Betts, award-winning author of a number of romantic historical novels. In the past, Charlotte has given us a fascinating...
Bathrooms and bogs – Victorian and Edwardian bathrooms
I'm thrilled to welcome multi-award-winning author Charlotte Betts to my blog today. Charlotte, the author of a number of romantic historical novels, draws inspiration...
My highlights of autumn, 2019
While there's always a sense of excitement at the start of a new year, at the same time, there's a tendency towards nostalgia for the year that's just passed. I decided that in...
TRUMP TOWER! Blame this blog on a writer’s curiosity.
A writer without any curiosity is like a lock without a key. Our curiosity about the world around us, about the people we encounter, both those we know and those we don’t, about...
From the murder capital of Britain – a moving goodbye to Colin Dexter!
On Thursday, 26th April, the City of Oxford, plus a host of the many friends he'd made over the years, said a moving goodbye to Colin Dexter, O.B.E, creator of the memorable...
Fragments of the RNA Summer Party 2017
Twice a year - once in the summer and once in the winter - RNA members and friends gather together in the Royal Overseas League in Park Place, off St. James Street, in order to...
Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn’t I?
Everyone else is doing it, I thought, so why shouldn't I? By 'everyone', I mean the TV and newspapers. They're now full of highlights from 2016, and as I've enjoyed...
Happy Birthday, Anita Burgh!
Tuesday, 7th June, was the first Tuesday in June. The monthly RNA Oxford Chapter lunch is always held on the first Tuesday of the month at The Victoria Arms, Old Marston. But not...
The RNA Summer Party. What else!
Repetition is the enemy of authors; nevertheless, I intend to repeat myself by saying what I've said after every RNA party - the RNA knows how to throw a fabulous party! The...
Afternoon tea? Don’t mind if I do.
I don't know why, but the words SCONES & CREAM have a way of leaping out at me, wherever they appear. Funny that. A recent leaping-out was on the invitation extended by the...
Oh, Indian Summers! What went wrong?
Indian Summers, trailed as lasting for five series, has just been axed while series two is still under way - there'll be no series three. The initial audience of five million has...
A tip about tips – literally!
To clarify the heading, the 'tips' in question are my fingertips, and the 'tip' is something that might save you money. To show you my tips, here I am, holding a tiny Julius...
I never knew that!
I never knew that there were events that were FREE to attendees EVERY SINGLE DAY of the week of the Oxford Literary Festival, which takes place annually at the beginning of...
Write a series – a don’t, or maybe a do
Conversation was lively at the monthly RNA Oxford lunch last week, as it always is, but I found one topic particularly interesting. This may have something to do with the fact...
Kick him out, Helen!!
It's no secret that I'm an Archers' addict - I frequently comment on twitter about the storylines, and I'm noisily grateful to the The Archers' producers for many hours of...
And cake, too!
Two of the things that authors enjoy most are meeting readers and talking about their books, and last Thursday afternoon, three of us had the chance to do both of those things as...
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