Welcome Hello, welcome, come on in. I blog about writing adult fiction, reading with children, and life by the sea – mostly running, wild swimming, and climbing mountains with children. Walking up Mount Vesuvius – volcano and wine April 18, 2019 Best Microfiction 2019 April 17, 2019 Children’s book review: Mole’s Sunrise by Jeanne Willis March 6, 2019 Each Peach Pear Plum and the comfort of mum-hugs February 11, 2019 Clearing out junk and listening to author interviews January 29, 2019 Where are the quiet, male heroes in children’s literature? January 25, 2019 Book review – The Only Child by Guojing January 17, 2019 Brown Willy: the hill of swallows January 13, 2019 Christmas holiday reading list December 30, 2018 Two great kids’ outdoor craft books: The Little Book of Whittling by Chris Lubkemann and Rock Art by Denise Scicluna December 30, 2018 House, Parlour, Pigsty, Petty – Merry Christmas December 22, 2018 Happy Solstice December 21, 2018 Moonpoop and friends: lost stories and childhood memories December 17, 2018 Running with 500 people – Remembrance Day 2018 November 11, 2018 On reading with your own child in school November 8, 2018 Running up waterfalls November 5, 2018 Only in English October 27, 2018 Failure and rejection October 16, 2018 A few hints and tips for taking small children up mountains October 14, 2018 Planning to read Romany and Raq with my children (wildlife and night walks) October 7, 2018 Reading with seven-year-olds (turn, turn, turn) September 25, 2018 A note to my children in defiance of all things illness-related September 15, 2018 Autumn… fall… the season of spiders September 4, 2018 I ran a race and I liked it September 2, 2018 It’s Not A Race August 27, 2018 Cader Idris and a lot of fog August 23, 2018 Taking the kids shopping in HAY ON WYE August 19, 2018 Fan y Big (it’s a hill!) August 18, 2018 Corn Du and Pen y Fan (easy walk for children) August 16, 2018 Swim for Logan 2018 August 6, 2018 Walking the Miners’ Path up Yr Wyddfa – Snowdon – with 3 children (and I fall in love with Glaslyn) August 4, 2018 Hurling jellyfish July 17, 2018 A tea party from The Magic Faraway Tree (and taking fiction back into real life) June 29, 2018 In the Kingdom of Overwhelm (writing about chronic illness) June 25, 2018 PLUM SKIN — in RIPENING, NFFD Anthology 2018 June 10, 2018 Race for Life June 7, 2018 THERE WILL BE NO LACE — Flashback Fiction May 14, 2018 THE WHALE – Necessary Fiction April 4, 2018 If I won the lottery, I’d build a reading garden March 20, 2018 What do children like to read? March 19, 2018 I read The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris March 18, 2018 Mother’s Day March 11, 2018 Reading Born To Run: The Hidden Tribe, The Ultra-Runners, and The Greatest Race The World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall February 14, 2018 2018 Reads to recommend February 6, 2018 Reading Paver’s Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series for children (and could we survive in the wild?) February 3, 2018 Christmas: season of joy or giant overwhelm? December 20, 2017 Back down from the mountain September 18, 2017 Llyn Idwal — a mountain lake swim and an ideal walk for a six-year-old August 24, 2017 Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon – Part 3: The Llanberis path and Hafod Eryri August 23, 2017 Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon – Part 2: the prep and clobber involved in taking children up hills (and my kit list) August 22, 2017 Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon – Part 1: do I take my children up? August 21, 2017 Adventuring again August 20, 2017 Swim for Logan charity swim for Cystic Fibrosis Trust August 6, 2017 Wearing the sea July 22, 2017 A story of ten women and the NHS July 13, 2017 Reading Roxane Gay and talking about fat July 6, 2017 The story of Mr B July 5, 2017 Short short short stories (adult and child writers) June 29, 2017 Watching a few episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale (TV adaptation) June 12, 2017 Holes by Louis Sachar May 7, 2017 My copy of The Bell Jar April 10, 2017 250-word challenge #storygym March 29, 2017 The school librarian March 6, 2017 Writing opportunities for children February 23, 2017 OCCASIONALLY — Bath Flash Fiction anthology, To Carry Her Home February 20, 2017 When you start a new project… and fall into a swamp (again) February 8, 2017 Looking back to the lost pieces January 12, 2017 On short stories in which nothing happens (writing with children) January 4, 2017 Hello, 2017 January 1, 2017 The last day of 2016 December 31, 2016 The battle of Christmas tree vs. 2016 December 22, 2016 The freelancer versus employee debate — Who wants to be Whale 52? December 21, 2016 Please can we keep Father Christmas under control? December 14, 2016 Quirky books: The Times Concise History of the World December 7, 2016 Best reference books for children aged 3 to 12 years? December 5, 2016 After the library project November 4, 2016 To the music November 2, 2016 Shortlisted — Bath Flash Fiction Award October 31, 2016 SMILE up at 101 Fiction – Hallowe’en issue October 30, 2016 Writing to music — what’s your inspiration? October 29, 2016 Hummingbirds October 23, 2016 Which are the most beautiful (or weird/furry/ugly) children’s books? October 20, 2016 2016 School library update October 11, 2016 On The Color Purple by Alice Walker October 4, 2016 Jump! October 3, 2016 After ten years of volunteering in school September 27, 2016 The landscapes that dwarf us September 22, 2016 Wild storytelling with Grendalilly and Two Shoes September 7, 2016 Guardian Witness September 6, 2016 Review: ELEANOR AND PARK by Rainbow Rowell September 4, 2016 BARE REALITY: 100 WOMEN, THEIR BREASTS, THEIR STORIES by Laura Dodsworth. August 29, 2016 EVERYTHING LOVE IS by Claire King (@ckingwriter) July 28, 2016 Summer updates and two summer reads July 21, 2016 The Chree June 14, 2016 Boys, boys, boys June 10, 2016 Sheep May 25, 2016 The Grammatical Kittens and other SPaGs May 10, 2016 Reading The Hobbit aloud to children March 8, 2016 THE STONE BABY — Blue Five Notebook February 29, 2016 And so I read SKELLIG February 24, 2016 WHEN JANEY SEES CATS — The Pygmy Giant February 22, 2016 Real-life narratives — staying safe February 17, 2016 Creative nonfiction: should we write about the people we know? February 13, 2016 After, again, and any road February 7, 2016 Children’s books — my 2016 reading list January 12, 2016 Going off-topic: how does it feel to not eat for two days? January 10, 2016 The rain bird November 25, 2015 It’s been twenty years since I wrote a love letter November 18, 2015 Words that should exist: Smugnome November 15, 2015 Bridport 2015 shortlist October 17, 2015 Empurple October 7, 2015 Morrab Library book sale and a copy of AMBIT September 27, 2015 Another 100 books — comment on the @TES top 100 books for primary children August 4, 2015 GO SET A WATCHMAN by Harper Lee — erm, is it supposed to look like that? July 17, 2015 Books for children — which titles would you buy? July 16, 2015 MR STINK at Penlee Theatre July 12, 2015 Little Fest stories and poetry at Penlee Theatre July 11, 2015 LONDON — in LANDMARKS, NFFD Anthology 2015 June 16, 2015 WIND SPINNER on the Fictionaut blog May 26, 2015 Shortlisted (Queensferry Press, Best Small Fictions 2015) April 8, 2015 Writing Short Stories (nice surprises and new starts) January 21, 2015 MAYBE A FOX — Ink Sweat and Tears January 13, 2015 So who is Father Christmas? December 15, 2014 Just this November 28, 2014 The perfect writing competition? October 25, 2014 Does anyone know where I can find the anchoress story, please? October 6, 2014 If I could change one thing about my writing career… September 22, 2014 The Rogue Theatre Summer Ball August 28, 2014 Stories that I tell my children #1 The Bookcase and the Boy August 11, 2014 Review: A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride August 6, 2014 Forty-four (Eighty-eight) July 27, 2014 Morrab Library July 19, 2014 June June 30, 2014 Metazen? June 25, 2014 Website design & how I started blogging @TheThemeFoundry June 24, 2014 VINEGAR in EATING MY WORDS — NFFD Anthology 2014 June 6, 2014 #bookadayuk — June 2014 June 5, 2014 The abandoned things May 20, 2014 My submissions diary May 12, 2014 Small social deaths: the literary gaffe (and a literary sofa, and a literary giant) May 9, 2014 So who puts mahoosive porkies on their writing CV? April 23, 2014 Love this: nickname March 21, 2014 Oak-aged March 15, 2014 Lost lands and old stories February 24, 2014 Plots, pants, etc January 20, 2014 New Year’s Resolutions, cake and curmudgeons January 18, 2014 THE SUGAR-FREE SCENT OF TODAY at Metazen December 17, 2013 LITTLE HANDS OF HAPPINESS — Mslexia December 8, 2013 I have moved! December 5, 2013 Northwrite — collaborative fiction November 1, 2013 Working for free October 14, 2013 Gravity spine poems August 18, 2013 An alternative writer’s retreat? Adventuring in the Scillies August 17, 2013 The World’s Fastest Flower by Charlotte Simmonds August 3, 2013 Forays: Madron Well July 28, 2013 A few competition links July 4, 2013 A COIN, TWO COINS — What The Dickens? ‘The Busker’ Anthology June 23, 2013 Heads up on flash fiction June 21, 2013 Flash Mob ’13: Lots of groovy flash (and… me) June 20, 2013 ROSE PETAL EYES in SCRAPS — NFFD Anthology 2013 June 15, 2013 ALL PROUD — Flash Mob 2013 June 10, 2013 NFFD 2013 June 4, 2013 A most excellent book dedication June 4, 2013 Being compar’d May 26, 2013 On Goodreads May 23, 2013 Flowery prose May 5, 2013 From the sublime… May 1, 2013 Thank YOU, World Book Day — for making us cry March 7, 2013 One man’s meat: Which writing competitions should you enter? February 15, 2013 What’s a typical debut novel advance? February 11, 2013 Reading: The Night Rainbow by Claire King February 4, 2013 Reading: Mother America by Nuala Ní Chonchúir December 27, 2012 The Next Big Thing December 17, 2012 Other people’s shorts December 6, 2012 Conversations with S. Teri O’Type by Christopher Allen September 14, 2012 Why I have not bought a Kindle July 12, 2012 The books we read (versus the books we expect to read) June 30, 2012 Are you about to peak — or are you past your writing prime? June 23, 2012 Housewife with a Half-Life — Author interview with A. B. Wells June 18, 2012 At 2am June 11, 2012 All About Flash — NZ May 31, 2012 Wet kennings May 22, 2012 FIRST PERSON and WRAPPED in JAWBREAKERS — NFFD anthology May 15, 2012 Groovy radio moment May 15, 2012 RIPENING and ALMOST in KISSING FRANKENSTEIN AND OTHER STORIES May 9, 2012 THE COWARD’S TALE and author interview with Vanessa Gebbie April 22, 2012 Highly commended in 2012 March 12, 2012 Why do we write (letters)? January 28, 2012 The Normblog Profile 401: Martha Williams December 23, 2011 Too young to write, too old to count November 22, 2011 Are you a hermit? October 7, 2011 Jonathan Pinnock, Proxima Books, and Tentacles — It’s Mrs Darcy versus the Aliens! September 25, 2011 Words for Breakfast (and why we love longlists and Tania Hershman) April 22, 2011 PAY ATTENTION: A RIVER OF STONES (two mindful nano pieces) February 16, 2011 JOSHUA’S HAND – Cazart Flash Fiction September 1, 2010 Welcome February 24, 2009
