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#HistFicThursdays - National Mammal Week

 It's true that the title of this blog does not look like anything to do with historical fiction, but the equilibrium between wildlife and humanity was not always so precarious as it is now. Finding the balance which existed at the time you're writing can be a very useful tool to setting a believable background for your writing. So here are a few mammal considerations... Wild mammals were everywhere - they still are, in fact! Whether you're writing about the middle of a city or the middle of nowhere, it should be a given that these animals will influence life. As well as the obvious and frequently maligned rats and mice, other mammals have cohabited our cities with us. Foxes have always had a partially urban existence, and the building of cities on waterways also often lead to otters and (depending on how far inland they were) seals being resident. Mankind knew how to find wild mammals  - there is a continuous development in the scientific study of our wild mammals and this...
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#AuthorOfTheWeek - Communicating Through Writing

Here's another blog from Susan Crow, our Author of the Week. This time, Susan is addressing the significance of using her writing as a form of communication.

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Writing is a marvellous way of communicating ideas and opinions, experiences and memories. I enjoy sharing the positivity in my life in such a way as to rekindle old, happy memories in the reader. I also want to communicate my concerns for causes and to reassure the reader that there is something we small people can do to improve all life on this planet. I'm uncomfortable standing in front of a large group of people and telling them this. I dislike telephones. I gave up on Facebook when someone pretended to be me. The very thought of it! That there might be two of me. The world may be old and ailing but it still isn't ready for two of me. 


So, since I love words and using them to express myself in writing, it follows that I communicate that way. I have a very real need to offer some of my life experiences to the reader as I know there are people who will find them recognisable and encouraging. 


I appreciate poetic language in others' writings. I like to dabble with poetic language myself. But sometimes it doesn't work. Sometimes it inhibits communication. In "Child of the Earth" I have mixed and matched and, if you read it, you will understand why. I wish to communicate, to the reader, my part in the natural world with all its richness and depth. I also need to get over the stark truth about where we need to go from here. That requires economy of language and carefully worded optimism. Hopefully, I have communicated my world of nature AND my concerns for the future of our planet.

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Available as both an ebook and a paperback.

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