Describe your desk
Messy! It’s certainly more disorderly than I feel it should be anyway. I’m a naturally untidy person so any free surface soon attracts clutter when not in use. This then requires moving before writing begins. The clutter then embarks upon an itinerant journey of migrating from one free surface to another until my desk becomes free again. When I return to writing the process begins again. The only object that remains constant is the tea-stained coaster. I drink a lot of tea and coffee while writing!
What's the story behind your latest book?
I write a loosely travel-based blog and I’m a big fan of Cornwall, the southwest tip of England. After deciding to spend a week travelling around the region it seemed natural to write a series of posts about the trip. It then occurred to me that it might serve as an interesting basis for a short book. I began researching the region’s history with a view to provide background and context to the activities I engaged in. The more research I did, the more I learnt. And the more engrossed I became. Cornwall’s story is a unique one within the UK. It’s also exceptional in the way so much of Britain’s story can be told by simply looking at how the various events affected Cornwall. My book moves from pre-history, through the various invasions, the Industrial Revolution and up to the modern age. It all affected Cornwall in one way or another. In addition, many people don’t realise how or why the Cornish have their own language. And many people don’t understand why it is that some Cornish call for independence. There are very good reasons for these things. But, outside of Cornwall at least, these stories have been largely forgotten. So it was great to be able to explore these, and many other, fascinating tales.
Read more of this interview.
