More Pirates

I have nearly finished writing the Portland Pirates now. The story is a little more complex as the relationships between the characters are intertwined, and Isabel my main character is heading towards that awkward age of 13. Church Ope features a lot in the story, as well as Chesil and Portland Bill. The atmosphere of Church Ope lends itself well to pirates, not to mention the intriguing graves at St Andrews. Vikings landed here in the 8th century. I've read that Portland itself was named for the Saxon pirate Porth. Pirates everywhere... if you look hard enough...

Season of mists

It feels like Autumn is creeping in today. The light on Portland is very bright and clear, but different from summer. School is looming for the kids. I still haven't got all the uniform... and can't find any pencils. Perhaps the seagulls have eaten them.
Enchantment of the Black Dog, the next book in the Chronicles, has gone to the typesetter and Domini is working on the illustrations for the cover. The roughs look fantastic, it will be great to see Church Ope cove on the cover. And the mermaid. And the Southwell fairy. Not to mention the Black Dog of Portland himself.
I've spent so much time over the last couple of years thinking about the black dog and who or what he may be. The research by Dr Simon Sherwood at CSAPP, University of Northampton, has been v enlightening. And thought provoking. But I'll write more about this another time.

There have been so many things happening this summer. I enjoyed the talks at Swanage and Weymouth libraries, and meeting children and grown ups who enjoy The Portland Sea Dragon. I loved meeting Margaret who grew up on Portland and is a fan of the book. I won't try to guess when she lived at the cottages at underhill! I wish we'd had more time to talk.