BackStory: Five Questions with Rosanna Hildyard Author of Whispers, behind closed doors What inspired you to write ‘Whispers, Behind Closed Doors’? I’ve always been interested in Anne Boleyn. She seems to have been as glamourous to the English courtiers of…
Whispers, behind closed doors
Whispers, behind closed doors by Rosanna Hildyard Many years ago, back in our green days, we played at the new game of tennis, dressed up for May masques and dared call King Harry’s wife ‘the Spanish woman’ almost openly behind…
BackStory: Five Questions with Kiira Rhosair
BackStory: Five Questions with Kiira Rhosair Author of From Darjeeling, with Love What inspired you to write ‘From Darjeeling, with Love’? I was researching varieties of tea for my novel and came across some academic pieces about the history of…
From Darjeeling, with Love
From Darjeeling, with Love by Kiira Rhosair April 1948, Happy Valley Estate, north Darjeeling. Koyli teeters forward into the bush. It’s the thirst. So intense, that her tongue has dried into the roof and she’s afraid her throat will crack…
BackStory: Five Questions with Santino Prinzi
BackStory: Five Questions with Santino Prinzi Author of The Landmines Up Near Sapper Hill Sing What inspired you to write ‘The Landmines Up Near Sapper Hill Sing’? I don’t usually write historical fiction, but I have recently read a few…
The Landmines Up Near Sapper Hill Sing
The Landmines Up Near Sapper Hill Sing by Santino Prinzi The day before we’d finished our stint de-mining the Falklands, Yousef lost his legs. He knew the dangers, we all did, and it weren’t as if he were taking risks.…
BackStory: Five Questions with MaryPat Campbell
BackStory: Five Questions with MaryPat Campbell Author of Love in the Margins How much research did you do while writing and editing this piece? Did you discover anything that surprised you? I follow a medieval manuscript site which gives me…
Love in the Margins
Love in the Margins by MaryPat Campbell This wintry day I set to work. My skill with inking the great capitals and minor letters improves each season. Two decades ago, my father brought me to this monastery. Our long journey…
BackStory: Five Questions with Peter Burns
BackStory: Five Questions with Peter Burns Author of The Fur-puller What inspired you to write ‘The Fur-puller’? This flash piece started off as an activity on my MA in Creative Writing with The Open University. We were to write an…
The Fur-puller
The Fur-puller by Peter Burns Rose and her boy been standing in line for two hours now, and young Billy hasn’t managed ten minutes without coughing. Not that anyone in that line would notice, their own lives being a world…