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![Lancashire Lass](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_d5ff393a3f894a24bd02b0f422538c5c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_d5ff393a3f894a24bd02b0f422538c5c~mv2.webp)
Lancashire Lass
I was born in a fairly large industrial town in Lancashire. In the seventies, the government reorganized boundaries and decreed that my...
![My Garden](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_5a0ae2790b364b6ba866f9bb6725da51~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_95,enc_auto/f9371a_5a0ae2790b364b6ba866f9bb6725da51~mv2.webp)
My Garden
I have a love-hate relationship with gardening. My husband and I bought our current home 23 years ago because it had a large yard with...
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![The Garden City](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_025bb06c7e9746c29b46f8f740fc79de~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_025bb06c7e9746c29b46f8f740fc79de~mv2.webp)
The Garden City
I live in a city located in the only sub-tropical area of Canada. As a result, the flora of Victoria is unlike that found in other parts...
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![The Importance of Family](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_cfc19fcfc62146ac83bc7e2845aefb94~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_cfc19fcfc62146ac83bc7e2845aefb94~mv2.webp)
The Importance of Family
Most of my series tell the stories of several generations of one family. The 12 books of The Montbryce Legacy, for example, trace the...
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![Puzzling!](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_7578672486074b7f98df4c40c03a134d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_7578672486074b7f98df4c40c03a134d~mv2.webp)
Puzzling!
I used to be a keen genealogist—addicted might be a good term to use! That all started a few years ago when I was teaching a small group...
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![Naming Fictional Characters](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a22dc_ded7a509497c4018b4ff7beef78a2f4e~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/8a22dc_ded7a509497c4018b4ff7beef78a2f4e~mv2.webp)
Naming Fictional Characters
Medieval censuses sometimes provide excellent names for characters. Others get their names because of the circumstances of their birth....
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![Character Development](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8a22dc_bf427f19fe534b548ee4c1699b0a90ee~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/8a22dc_bf427f19fe534b548ee4c1699b0a90ee~mv2.webp)
Character Development
I'm often asked how I develop the characters in my stories. The quick answer is I don't! I'm what's known as a pantser. In other words, I...
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![Home Is Where the Heart Is](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_917c341974f544e1a327e2bf1614f457~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_917c341974f544e1a327e2bf1614f457~mv2.webp)
Home Is Where the Heart Is
I was born in the UK but emigrated to Canada years ago. For a long time, I lived near Lake Superior in Northern Ontario, a couple hundred...
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![How Long is Too Long?](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_e192347d0afa4763b78c48d8f1bfa411~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_e192347d0afa4763b78c48d8f1bfa411~mv2.webp)
How Long is Too Long?
I have to make a confession right off the bat. When I am surfing Amazon for a book to read, I steer clear of books of more than 100000...
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![Book Covers](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_2abdb690116b477d88bf8dd7455fe277~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_2abdb690116b477d88bf8dd7455fe277~mv2.webp)
Book Covers
An enticing book cover can make a world of difference to a book's appeal. When I first began publishing, I designed my own covers. That...
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![Aging (Not So) Gracefully](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_21fa4e9a3748461ab74570c1659df297~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_21fa4e9a3748461ab74570c1659df297~mv2.webp)
Aging (Not So) Gracefully
When I was in my twenties, I couldn't imagine ever being 50 years old! Now I'm way past that landmark, I wonder where the years went! I'm...
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![A Typical Writing Day](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_683994cea51d447ab40b342df3482d49~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_312,h_161,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_683994cea51d447ab40b342df3482d49~mv2.webp)
A Typical Writing Day
I'm often asked to describe my typical writing day. This used to be easy. At the beginning of my publishing career, I thought nothing of...
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![Things You Might Not Know About Me](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f9371a_4b50838ffbc5464e869d416a9219033d~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_338,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90,enc_auto/f9371a_4b50838ffbc5464e869d416a9219033d~mv2.webp)
Things You Might Not Know About Me
For a change of pace, I thought I'd share with you some things about me you may not know. I was born in the north of England, in the...
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