In many ways, it is more than a little bit cheeky to call this a Christmas story, when what I am really doing is extracting out two chapters of my unpublished novel, both of which happen to be set during Christmas. What is interesting for me as a writer, is that both of these chaptersContinue reading “A Christmas Story – Part 2”
Tag Archives: Nineteenth Century
A Christmas Story (in two parts)
Part One – but first some background… In the days before Christmas, I thought I would have a bit of festive fun, and return to my unpublished first novel that still sits in the metaphorical drawer that every author knows all too well – the file full of writing which is destined to languish inContinue reading “A Christmas Story (in two parts)”
Writing Dickens – Week 3
I don’t know how Dickens did it. Right now, I am on week 3 of writing in instalments, exactly as Dickens did, 170 years ago. So far, I have written chapters 1 to 6, publishing them in the same increments as Dickens did: 1 April 1854 1–3 Book I 8 April 1854 4–5 15 AprilContinue reading “Writing Dickens – Week 3”
A Quick Review of The Little Match Girl Strikes Back
LITTLE MATCH GIRL STRIKES BACK by Emma Carroll My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is an empowering re-telling of a Hans Christian Anderson story of an impoverished match-seller struggling to make a living selling matches on the freezing streets. Subverting the tragedy of Anderson’s tale, this transposes the story onto the streets of London,Continue reading “A Quick Review of The Little Match Girl Strikes Back”
Dickens in the Pits: My Paper from the Dickens Symposium 2022
What follows is the text I prepared for the presentation of my paper. I know I digressed from the text at times, but I think I stuck to what I had planned to say – for the most part: Those of you who know me are probably aware that the main area of interest forContinue reading “Dickens in the Pits: My Paper from the Dickens Symposium 2022”
Thoughts on The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold My rating: 5 of 5 stars As always, it is best to point out that what follows will not be an academic review. Although the late nineteenth century is an area of academic interest for me, it is notContinue reading “Thoughts on The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper”
Mrs Dalrymple: A Story of Bigamy and Betrayal
I think it is time to share another story of divorce, one that brought a wry smile to my face. This time, it is the story of a lady who was not prepared to sit in silence as her husband tried to turn his back on her and take everything from her. She had spirit,Continue reading “Mrs Dalrymple: A Story of Bigamy and Betrayal”
Saying Goodbye to the Nunnery
For the past two years, I have been living in a former convent. Built during the late nineteenth century (always a winner for me), the building was converted into a number of residential homes a few years ago. The house that I bought is in the former Cloisters. I love the very sound of thatContinue reading “Saying Goodbye to the Nunnery”
How I Came to The Story of Divorce
If I was going to pinpoint the reason for why I was inspired to write The Story of Divorce, I guess, to some extent, I am going to have to blame Dickens. But before we get to the inimitable novelist and the reason why he was responsible for my obsession with the stories underlying theContinue reading “How I Came to The Story of Divorce”
A Bit of Dickens Fanfic
If you have been reading along with #HardTimes2020 at https://hardtimesreadalong.wordpress.com/ you will note that I am getting a bit over-invested in Dickens’s portrayal of Stephen Blackpool, his martyr. And having a bit of time to spare I thought I might try seeing him from another point of view: his wife’s. Here is my Dickens fanfic,Continue reading “A Bit of Dickens Fanfic”
Deborah Siddoway 