I signed up for my first ever cover design with Reedsy. com. Here's hoping my investment will result in a beautiful cover for my novel...

Winter is definitely here in Leicester. Enjoy!

Just finished reading Wounds by Fergal Keane. In it Keane tells the story of his grandmother, Hannah Purtill. A Kerrywoman, she was born...

(After ‘Piggotts’ by Martin Figura Aged seven, walking down the road to school. Late home when hiding from the Caretaker. Swimming at the...

The first real sunshine on yellow narcissus at the bottom of the garden.

Dark shapes walk their dogs through misty, frozen meadows it's 2 degrees C. Thirteen hundred deaths from Covid winter lockdown in...

Michael is a long-time Liverpool FC fan. Here he is with two of his grandsons; James and Cillian. Out for a walk on a breezy day in...

Gerry Marsden, the singer of this great song, died yesterday. RIP. Follow the link below to listen to this beautiful song....

This is a super book about writing novels. It's all about really in-depth planning and I have found it absolutely eye-opening. For...

This book won the Pulizer Prize for History in 2008. I'm writing the second novel where my protagonist Annie Power, has arrived in New...

I love looking at the poetry in songs. This one for example: Bob Dylan & The Band "Forever Young" - A Tribute To Bob Dylan...

I'm reading this book about how knowledge was transmitted from the time of the Ancient Greeks, through the Middle East, into Spain with...

Just finished reading Strumpet City by James Plunkett. I'm in awe of the lyrical writing and the attention to detail about life in...

I'm doing some research on the founding of Melbourne, Australia in 1835. My protagonist Jane, arrived there from Dublin, in 1846, so I...

Just watched a fascinating video about the 1,490 Irish Famine emigrants from Strokestown estate in county Roscommon. This resulted in...

The best part of the year. Russety apples ready to pick. Salad crop warm out of the ground and greenhouse. A friend's pink and green...

I read about Haibun in the latest copy of Mslexia (page 56). 'A short prose piece followed by a related haiku.' So here's one about a...

The Great Famine 1845-1849, resulted in the deaths of one million people and a further one million people emigrated from Ireland. This...

Famous Irish Nationalist, feminist and poet who plays a part in my novel, 'Daughters of the Famine Road.'