I grew up in the 1950's in Essex, in England, not too very far from London where my father worked. We lived in a Victorian gamekeeper's cottage on a huge estate with a derelict mansion and a boating lake.
Nearby was Heron Hall, which had been built by Sir Walter Tyrell the man who shot William Rufus (William the Conqueror's son) in 1100AD. My friend Caroline lived there. And lo and behold: it had a moat --well, two sides of a moat. As we all know, evil things live under water...
I always loved stories and longed to have adventures. My two books for children are all about this lost and magical world. Sir Walter Tyrell (or anyway some Tyrell or other) slew a monstrous beast quite nearby. What fun it would have been to be there! I always imagine the Beast to look something like the Jabberwocky.
In Jane and the Essex Serpent our intrepid heroine meets a doomed king, sees justice done, saves her friend from a horrible fate, not to mention getting a dog of her own.
Jane in Winter is all about the excitement of the approach of Christmas and how Jane makes a miniature garden through which enters a very sad world under the lake. There she meets the evil but tragic Queen Ida who is holding May Parsifal captive....
Excellent holiday gifts for children aged 7-12 and anyone who grew up in the 1950's or wishes they did. The books are both available as paperbacks or downloads here. (You can read the first ten pages free online if you click the title of the book and then go to preview.)
