As it's National Poetry Day, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on Byron. The celebrity cult of Lord Byron began while he was still alive, boomed when he died, and still continues today. He remains an object of fascination, scandal, and appeal. I've been interested in him since I first read about him in a "Famous People" encyclopaedia. It was a children's book, so it did not explore the more infamous aspects of his life. But it was enough to inspire me to delve further into research on the man and the myth - including the puzzle of the mirror . Ultimately, Byron went on to become a major inspiration for my first published book Day's Dying Glory , right down to its title. His early poems (generally my favourite ones) feature heavily in the book, and I enjoyed weaving in lines and references which Byron-fans would spot where others might not even notice them. Poets and poetry have inspired hundreds of writers. It is fascinating that language can be so power...
Happy New Year, Readers!
New Year (only last week) seems like an eternity ago. The reason being that we have been snowed in for almost every single one of those days. For me, this has been amazing. I love winter (it's my favourite season) and we managed to build snowmen, go sledging, and have all kinds of wintry fun and games.
Because of this, it seems like ages since I drew up a few ideas for new year resolutions. I'm not very good at sticking to my resolutions, but I'm hopeful that I might manage more than a week with this year's! They are not all to do with writing (I'm determined to get better posture, too), and they are more long-term aims and goals than anything I will slog away at all year round, but here are one or two of them...
Firstly, I want to finish writing the first draft of The Nobility of Caledon, which is Book 5 in the Caledon series. Book 3, The Strength of Caledon, will be launched in August this year, so I really need to get a move on with completing the books or the deadlines will be catching me up!
I also really want to clear my backlog of half-finished manuscripts. I currently have ten books (eight of them historical) in various states of completions which I want to try and finish before I start any new ones. At less than one a month, it just might be possible.
I'm also hoping to share some short fiction with journals or anthologies - dependent, of course, on whether or not they want them. I have an idea that I might find one or two a month to whom I can submit my writing. Depending on the uptake, however, this might not happen beyond January!
And I want to read more. At the moment, I'm reading (and enjoying) Britain's Folklore Year. So much inspiration for new tales and adventures! Last year, one of my mum's resolutions was to read every night before going to sleep, so I'm giving that a go for 2026. I also intend to review all the books I read, and I am excited to take part in the #CrowvusReadingChallenge - reading a whole range of books I might otherwise not have picked to read.
But first, I'm going to keep enjoying the snow for as long as it lasts. It is truly magical, and I hope you all get some chance to savour some seasonal weather too.
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