Passionate, Visionary writers discover recovery to sexual, political awakening instilling their creative flourishing

In Rural Hours, Harriet Baker reveals the perceptive, eloquent stories of three very different diverse women, each of whom moved to the countryside and was forever changed by it. We encounter them at quite moments – pausing to look at an insect on the windowsill; jotting down a recipe; or digging for potatoes, dirt beneath their nails. Slowly but surely, we start to see transformations unfold: Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Townsend Warner, and Rosamond Lehman emerge before us as the passionate, visionary writers we know them to be. Following long periods of creative uncertainty and prorate disappointment, each of Baker’s subjects … Continue reading Passionate, Visionary writers discover recovery to sexual, political awakening instilling their creative flourishing

Bad Behaviour on campus

A debut novel about Helen, a graduate student who follows her disgraced mentor to a university that gives safe harbour to scholars of ill repute, igniting a crisis of work and a test of her conscience and marriage. Helen is one of the brightest minds of her generation, a young physicist on a path to solve high-temperature superconductivity which could perhaps save the planet. When she discovers that her brilliant adviser is involved in a sex scandal, Helen is torn, should she give ump on her work with him? Or should she accompany him to a controversial university, founded by … Continue reading Bad Behaviour on campus

Formula for living your best life

Communication is superpower and the best communicators understand that whenever we speak, we’re actually participating in one of the three conversations practical, (What’s this really about) , emotional (How do we feel?), and social (Who are we?). If you don’t know what kind of conversation you’re having, you’re unlikely to connect. Supercommunicators know the importance of recognising  and then matching each kind of conversation, and how to hear the complex emotions, subtle negotiations, and deeply held belief that colour so much of what we say and how we listen. Our experiences, our values, our emotional lives and how we see … Continue reading Formula for living your best life

Anne Nightingale dies aged 83- BBC Radio One’s first female DJ

Annie Avril Nightingale – 1 April 1940 to 11 Jan 2024 This lady blazed a trail as first female Radio 1 DJ broadcasting pop music to the enthusing masses and also presenting Top of the Pops. She was known to fans as “The Queen of Breaks” – breakfast being her subject of specialist interest. She also broadcast on the famous “Old Grey Whistle Test” and was known as a new contender in the “Husband Substitute” for those used to only male presenters to get listeners up or jolly the listeners on during the day. She said ” I became the … Continue reading Anne Nightingale dies aged 83- BBC Radio One’s first female DJ

What the maid saw!

“Don’t go in the guest bedroom”. A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife … she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment. I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job- not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously gave me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with view across the … Continue reading What the maid saw!