I’ve decided to publish my Newsletters / Blog every two months from April/May, carving out more time for writing. In March I was on the move, first to Scotland and then to York. I went with friends to Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway in southern Scotland...

On a visit to York to see old friends and city haunts, I popped into the City Library, and to my surprise, saw my novel, Renegade, on prominent display! The librarian came over and asked to take a photo for their website, so here I am, with News from Nowhere, my debut...

I take part in a zoom with half a dozen old school friends, a habit that started during lockdown. This month we covered everything from clean air zones, the trials of poor internet, the challenge of playing violin in a Bartok piece, and the joys of being in a choir....

A highlight this month has been seeing my daughter, Naomi Sheldon, in Agatha Christie’s marvellous whodunnit, Witness for the Prosecution. She plays the role of Romaine Vole, immortalised by Marlene Dietrich in the 1957 movie. I went with my husband to the matinée on...

This month I’ve been sorting my books which have accumulated and are now overflowing after two years living in London. Long gone is the principle of one book in, one book out. I have a habit of buying online when I hear or read about a book that piques my interest,...

Returning home after almost four weeks away was a chance to re-set. I had just over a week to write my presentation for the York Library meeting and revisit the places I’d been to in Chennai, India. What I’d gained was a sense of the city today, its colour, energy and...

Last month I promised news from Chennai where I went in search of the early life of Eliza Raine. I met my wonderful guide, Seetharam, whose driver, Nandeeshwara, expertly drove us through zigzagging traffic and a blizzard of honking horns. His name, Nandhi, is after...

The summer has been filled with local pleasures. I’m loving the vibrancy of Whitechapel and meeting my neighbours. I had tea with a young woman in our block and noticed a striking photo of a distinguished looking old man in her hallway. This was of Max Levitas (1915 –...

This month has been filled with catching up with old friends and family in the North. I travelled to Greysouthern (pronounced Greysoon), in Cumbria for a friend’s big birthday celebration in the village hall where I reconnected with friends from Liverpool. I then took...

After the launch in May of my second novel, Renegade, I met with Wendy Kent of York Libraries, and donated a set of 10 books available for book groups in York. How will this promote sales, you may ask? I see it as a form of lateral networking, where someone mentions a...