I’ve always loved a strong setting — and I see them as characters in their own right. My first book, Tower of Vengeance , is set in the Tower of London during the 13th century — a place I know intimately, having volunteered there for over thirteen years. Immersing myself in its atmosphere came naturally, though in my imagination I did have to knock down a few walls and build new ones! My aim was always for the Tower itself to dominate the story, to stand as a living, breathin

When I first began writing Ravenscourt , I knew I wanted the story to revolve around a young man standing at a crossroads between privilege and purpose. Alexander, Viscount Dundarran, begins life as the heir to a grand estate, surrounded by comfort, expectation, and the quiet certainty that his path has already been decided for him. He is bright but bored, polite but restless — a young man who senses there must be more to life than inherited land and family reputation. It isn

I absolutely love a good Gothic book such as Jane Eyre, The Silent Companions, Mrs England, The Yellow Wallpaper, and one of my all-time favourites Rebecca. All of these books have similar themes with the Gothic house very much at the centre. I can never resist a book with an atmospheric house on the cover! In 19 th  century fiction, the haunted or decaying house often reflects a woman’s mental state or social confinement. A locked room or attic symbolises repression, secrets

Two years ago, I returned to one of my favourite cities — Venice — to research Ravenscourt . I knew the book had to begin there; it’s a city seemingly frozen in time: sleek gondolas, glittering palazzi, those narrow secret canals, and the bustle and elegance of San Marco. My first stop was Palazzo Grimani di Santa Maria Formosa, once home to the Grimani family and their stunning collection of antiques. I’ll never forget stepping into the Tribune Room and seeing the sculpture

Deciding where my central family could live and work within the Tower was relatively easy as there has long been a history of drinking...

I had my setting – next I needed characters to populate the Tower and of course what all authors call a hook. I had this vague idea of...

I am a historian who loves research and nothing gives me greater pleasure than finding facts that I can use in my books. I can spend days...

The raven stopped pecking the eyeball in the severed head and listened to the voice carried on the wind’ So begins Chapter 2 of Tower of...

Writing fiction means creating a world for your characters to live in whether it’s modern-day New York, 1930s Berlin or a fantasy world...

I have never been good at writing at home – I am too easily distracted by the sudden desire to clean all the cupboards, hoover all the...