Welcome to my first chat with a New Zealand author of 2019. Today, I have something a little different on the blog. Andrew Macdonald is a non-fiction author, with a love of travel and military history. He has a background in journalism and was a correspondent at Reuters in London. He has published or contributed …
When it comes to research, a picture is worth a thousand words. I search Pinterest for inspiration and ideas on how everyday life would look for my characters. This week, I have been researching 18th century chatelaines and etuis. Read on to find out why French mistresses of the household would have made a clinking …
Peasant food in 18th century France was nothing like our romantic notions today. People ate according to what was available in the region and according to season. There was more variety in the cities as merchants and traders brought different products. The diet of normal people in France consisted of mainly soups, stews, bread and …
What was food really like in 18th century France? Read More »
I’m not one for rulebooks. I’ll listen to advice, cherrypick the best and apply it, but I don’t think there are hard and fast ‘rules’ of writing. For every book that follows them, there is classic literature that breaks them and gets away with it. That said, every writer can do with a few tips. …
Menu of Kings Take some pig ears and cut them by halves; next, cut them into very fine fillets, put them on a plate; cut some onions into slices and next, cut them in fillets like the ears; take a dish and put a bit of butter into it and put in your onions and pass …
It is the last day of the autumn school holidays here. During the holidays, there is very little time for writing between visits to the skate park, farm outings and my second job as Negotiator for the Two Small Countries that live in this house. In fact, I think the net total word count in …
I am currently writing a novel set in the early 1700’s in France. I am researching Marseille, Provencal culture and the events of the time to gain a thorough understanding of the life and ideas of the people I am writing about. Researching 18th century France has been a learning curve as it was an …
In the name of research, I read Stephen King’s “On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft” this week. No, I should properly say I devoured it. It is written in the style of a friend spinning a few yarns over a couple of beers. Having never read any books on how to write fiction …