The journal
Notes on craft, reading and life at the writing desk, posted roughly twice a month.
On writing in the hour before dawn
Why my best pages arrive at 5 a.m., and the small rituals that get me to the desk.
The fountain pen I wrote Merrow with
Four novels, one second-hand pen and a lot of blue-black ink on my fingers.
Ten books that taught me about weather
Storms, fogs and long hot summers — the novels I reread when a chapter needs sky.
Building the island: maps, tides and lies
How I drew Merrow before I wrote a word, and why the tide tables had to be right.
A letter to my first readers
Twelve years since The Cartographer’s Widow. Thank you, and what happens next.
What I’m reading this autumn
A short, very personal stack for long evenings and early dark.
The shed at the bottom of the garden
A tour of the eight square metres where the second drafts get typed.
In praise of small libraries
The library van that came on the ferry, and why I still owe it everything.
How a series ends
Saying goodbye to Ada and Nell after four books and nine years.
A letter, once a month.
Early chapters, cover reveals, tour dates and the occasional recipe from Merrow. Around 9,400 readers already open it with their morning tea.
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