D is for....

1) Dundee. Everything I said yesterday about research also applies to Dundee. One of my characters' past lives is there, so when I had to be in Scotland for some hypnosis training, I took a day trip to Dundee, to make sure I wouldn't get things horribly wrong. I spent a fascinating couple of hours in their wonderful public library, reading the street directories for the relevant year; I was looking for Christian names that would be correct, or at least believable, and discovered that had you gone out in the street in Dundee in the late 1800s and shouted 'William!' more than half the men could have answered. I found it an emotional experience walking the streets my 'Lewis' and 'Dorothy' would have walked, to the extent that I forgot that I had made them up, and texted my husband "I'm sitting looking out over the water, feeling sorry for my people". I hope my readers will find it equally moving.
2) Dad. My Dad died at 62, over 20 years ago now, and when he was ill he told me that one of the reasons he was sad to leave the world was that he had not yet "written a novel, or designed a cathedral." He was trained as an architect, and I am not, which is why I wrote the novel, partly for him, and partly so that on my deathbed I could not be similarly sad.
3) Drosera: for those childhood coughs that start "the minute the child's head touches the pillow" at night, while during the day things have not been too bad.

C is for....

1) Crete. When I decided to start my story in the ancient past, Crete seemed the obvious choice because not only had I been there twice, I loved it! So I wrote the story, then needed to do more research - what a great excuse for another holiday. So down we went to Budget Travel (where are you now?!!) and booked a week in Gouvés. We had a great time, going to Tylissos, Malia (which I called Malatos in the story as Malia is very pie-and-chips now, even though the palace ruins are wonderful) and up on the Lassithi plain we went into the Diktaean Cave, which the Minoan Cretans considered a sanctuary. I wrote a whole chapter about Alessia's visit there, and loved my spirit guides poking fun at the priestess. But it ended up on the cutting room floor, as does a lot of carefully done research. Maybe, when the book is a run away best-seller (they say we should be positive!) I will publish the chapter on this blog for my millions of fans....
2) Calendar Girls. One of my other interests is amateur drama, and I occasionally get small parts in plays. From 16th -20th of this month I will be in a (fully-dressed) cameo role in Calendar Girls in the Mermaid Theatre in Bray, Co.Wicklow. It looks like being a great fun night out. Tickets from the theatre at 01-2724030
3)Chamomilla. This is the number one remedy for teething pain, and is said to have converted more men to homoeopathy than any other substance!

Researching in the Médoc

Writing a book with historical pieces gives a good excuse for making trips to research for accuracy. This photo shows me in a graveyard in the Médoc region of Western France, reading the names on gravestones. I was looking at surnames, to find a common one to give my heroine, Lucy, in her life as Eloise during the French Revolution. There were quite a number of Seurins, so she became Eloise Seurin. David was called Daniel in that life, and I made up the name of deVrac for him, which is a joke - en vrac meaning wholesale, and a common way to see wine advertised: "Vins en vrac".

I found out much more about the Médoc and its history than I was able to put in the book, which is about Lucy and David, not France. But the overall 'feel' should be genuine.