Over the past couple of days I have continued with my sequel to But First Maintain the Wall. I am still with Phoebe in Wissant. She has just been to church, but I don't have enough detail to make it authentic. Fortunately, I am writing these Wissant scenes secure in the knowledge that I have someone to help me with the finer details and I can chat to her about it next week.
Fast forwarding from 1762 to the 1950s, I have prepared my notes and worksheets for the first of my Summer Holidays workshops. I have joined a facebook group about Maddieson's Camp (Now Romney Sands in Greatstone). This group and my reference book have given me an insight into the entertainment on offer, and mean that my workshop can be specifically about Maddieson's rather than any British holiday camp. My own experience is limited to watching Hi-de-hi! I have been to Romney Sands recently and it's good to see that some of the old chalets (not from the 50s) are being renovated rather than replaced with caravans. 
On to modern times... I have been mentoring someone who had an idea for a book of short stories and have formatted his book for him. The proof copy arrived a couple of days ago, and I have been looking through it and tweaking the version on my computer.
As always, there are other things to do as well as author work. I've had two trips to Hawkinge via country lanes (due to the troubles with lorries stacked up on the M20). I passed a tiny church at Paddlesworth and a pub called The Cat and the Custard Pot - looks like somewhere interesting to explore sometime soon.

My day started back in 1762 and still in Wissant. The writing is progressing nicely with domestic scenes. Although there is nothing dramatic happening, I am setting the scene for the following chapters and  I am also considering a sequel. The close relationship between Phoebe and her cousin is being shown, and maybe Avril can visit Dymchurch in the next book in the series?
I have an idea for a third in this series. It is inspired by a real event that happened locally. So while I write this one, I am pondering on the next.
It is the end of the financial year and I have checked my accounts are up to date. I counted all my books. This time last year I had 280 in stock, and today I have over 700. I have two new titles and have bought a lot of new stock recently.
Later in the day I started making worksheets for the first session of my Summer Holidays workshops, and writing the lesson notes.  I am looking forward to making more progress with this tomorrow and hope to finish preparing the first session which will be held on 18th May. I have other workshops before then, but they are ready to go...
The photo is of Greatstone Beach. The first Summer Holiday session is about Maddiesons Camp, Greatstone. 

Today was a day of not doing much author work. I started off back in 1762 and am settling into a chapter where Phoebe is staying with her family in Wissant, but had to stop writing as I had other plans for the day. I managed to add some more small details though - like butter being stored on a shelf in the well to keep it cool! Then, after checking Facebook messages, I had to put work aside.
Had a lovely drive through Tenterden to Wateringbury to see a friend, and a walk in Tenterden on the way home. 
Once back home, it was time to do some admin work. I updated my lists that show who is coming to my series of summer workshops. They are filling up nicely. Later, I started reading the chapter in this book about the holiday camps, and started making notes for the first couple of workshops. It doesn't take much to inspire something fun and unique. I met Keith Swallow the author of this book last Saturday. I am keen to make more progress with the workshop planning.

Today in my eighteenth century life, Harry had a firm talking to about not drinking so much brandy. He needs to be more responsible! As this chapter ended, I moved to Wissant in France where Phoebe is visiting her father and his family. It seems a bit odd to move from one character to another and it will take a while to settle into it. I am about to reach 60,000 words - 3/4 of the way through the novel! I have a friend who is helping me with the French scenes and will translate anything I want writing in French. We have a lot of fun talking about what it might have been like. The children in the family are given cherries soaked in alcohol as part of the celebratory meal when Phoebe arrives!
With my next series of workshops starting in six weeks it is time to check if my regular attendees are able to come and to start advertising any free spaces. The theme is 1950s holiday camps on Romney Marsh and I am using a gorgeous photo of my Grandma, Aunt and Mum on a beach to promote the workshops. 
I also (this wasn't work) had a walk by the Military Canal between Warehorn and Appledore. It is still chilly but good to go exploring and I love this desolate area of the Marsh.

A fabulous day full of local history.
In the morning, I helped Harry get out of an awkward situation (In my 1762 novel) but not much time to write as there was a busy day ahead.
By 9:15 am I was setting up my books in Burmarsh Church as I had been invited to their cake and second-hand book sale. As well as my novels, I had made a board displaying some writing from my latest novel which includes a scene where Phoebe visits the church. There were some small details I needed to look at while I was there. It was a brilliant morning with several people coming to see me, and the Viennese Fingers were delicious!
In the afternoon I went to the Dymchurch Heritage Society's display of old maps and documents in the Methodist Church. I love maps so enjoyed this. There was a great map of the seawall, with cross sections too. Then I went to the Martello Tower which was open. The guides were excellent and the view from the top was great.
These three events were all within my local area and I met the same people in the three different places which was fun and friendly. 

I have decided to challenge myself to write a daily blog about my varied days as an author. It is April 3rd today, but I want to do something for every day this month.
Today (April 1st) I set up my card reader so I can now take card payments. This is something I have been thinking about for a while. I am glad I waited because the cost of the machines has reduced a lot (the only thing that has!)
I went to the Bucket and Spade café in Dymchurch where they sell my books. Someone had left a note for me, asking me to get in touch. That was a lovely surprise!
In my writing, I am still in Georgian times (1762). My character Harry has been having a rough time recently and he is drinking too much brandy in the Ship Inn. His ability to make the right choices is becoming impaired...
In the evening, I went to SWAN (South Willesborough and Newtown) WI group. I had tweaked my author talk to include more of the Ashford scenes which I have in my Dungeness series of novels. How fantastic to be in Newtown because this is where Alice and Albert go to view a house (Secrets of the Shingle). The WI group were welcoming as always and the new card reader worked!

"I'll take coins minted by the farrier or the grocer and those with the King's head on them. That's the currency of Dymchurch, not your pretty pennies."
These were the words which came to mind when I was presented with a surprise gift in the form of a Dymchurch Token dating from 1794. I knew at once, due to my research when writing a novel set in Georgian Dymchurch, that this was a coin issued in the village and used as small change, but now I wanted to learn more.
Having never seen a token before, I assumed it would be a simple type of coin with none of the detail we would expect to find in one minted by the crown. I was wrong. One side is embellished with the initials WP in the centre, a sheep, and around the edge the words Romney Marsh Halfpenny 1794. On the reverse, the Figure of Justice stands with the text For the Honor and Use of Trade. To my surprise, I discovered further detail on the rim: Payable at W.Parris Dimchurch x.x.x.
 I felt overwhelmed that having mentioned a token in my writing, I now had my own. In the novel, a newcomer had tried to pay for goods with a token from his own village and the shopkeeper was not impressed. I used the words "I'll take coins minted by the farrier or the grocer” but four years after writing this I can’t recall where I gleaned this snippit of local history from.
 I popped the words ‘William Parris Dymchurch Coins’ into my search bar on the laptop and was soon rewarded with photos of a coin which looked the same and some information on www.theromneymarsh.net . The first thing I learned was:
 “Tokens, made of copper and bearing the names of local tradespeople, were used in lieu of coinage. Known as 18th Century Provincial Tokens or Conder Tokens, they are a form of privately minted token coinage struck and used during the latter part of the 18th Century and the early part of the 19th Century in England, Anglesey and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
The driving force behind the need for token coinage was the shortage of small denomination coins for everyday transactions…”
But it was the words under the photos of ‘my’ coin which interested me the most. I learned that William Parris owned 4, The High Street, Dymchurch from 1784 to 1837. Another search on the computer gave the information that No.4 is a building which still stands and is currently The Smuggler’s Chest, (Wellworths when I first came to the village in the year 2000).
This led me to recall a wonderful booklet I have on the history of the shop (Wellworths and Beyond, The History of a Dymchurch Village Shop back to 1784, by Colin & Margaret Walker). I knew this was the place to find out about my coin.
Something that leapt out from the pages was that these coins were manufactured by Lutwyche, and I soon discovered (again thanks to the internet) that he was a coin maker based in Birmingham. If we go back to my words “I'll take coins minted by the farrier or the grocer” it is clear I made a mistake here, wrongly assuming that the coins were produced in Dymchurch by the craftsmen who lived and worked here.
I should have used the word ‘issued’ rather than ‘minted’.
Who were the Parris Family who, out of all the tradespeople in the village became the ones to issue these tokens?
My book on 4 High Street, shows the family working in the village as Blacksmiths from the 17th century, with the business being opposite the Ocean Inn. In 1753 William Parris was born and it is he who went on to be a farmer owning 19 ½ acres of land, as well as the Blacksmiths, and by 1784 he also owned the grocery shop.
I understand now why I wrote ‘minted by the farrier or the grocer’ although we now know that to be incorrect as the tokens were minted in Birmingham.
The family tree (compiled by Colin and Margaret Walker) shows an all-too-common theme of eight children born to William Parris and his wife Susannah Wood of Newchurch, with several not surviving past birth or infancy and also sharing the same names. It was their second son named William, born in 1791, who went on to run the Blacksmiths, and also own The Victoria (Ocean) Inn. William Jnr’s daughter Elizabeth married William Caister and the grocers remained in the same family, albeit under Elizabeth’s married surname of Caister.
The story of the village shop continues in my booklet with some wonderful photos, family trees and stories. For me, the tale of my token has almost ended as by 1802 the production of these coins had ceased.
I have another booklet with reference to William Parris though – ‘Remembered’ by the Dymchurch & District Heritage Group features the story of William Parris on page 42. I have a feeling that both books are going to lead to me exploring Dymchurch further and will perhaps inspire another novel?

My fourth novel marks a turning point with my writing. I realised that I could sell books, and it was time to work on a more professional product. In hindsight, I would have spent another year working on Secrets of the Shingle and produced a more polished book for the outset. But this is my author story, and I did not realise my books would go further than my laptop and bookshelf.
Did you know But First Maintain the Wall started as a children’s book written for my then 12-year-old son? It was a cautionary tale about the dangers of climbing on the rocks which are placed along the Dymchurch Wall between Martello 23 and the Redoubt. In this 2012 version, a 21st century boy falls between the rocks and ends up going back in time to 18th century Dymchurch. Having suffered from the fall, he was then clouted by an angry wall-worker. Hurt and confused, he is taken in by a kind couple and so his life in the 1750s begins.
In the 2018 version Harry suffers a similar fate, but rather than fall back in time, a head injury causes confusion and he too is thumped by a wall-worker. This rewritten and hugely extended version is set in 1758.  The story of 18th century Harry follows very much the same path as that of the 20th century boy in the first version. However, I introduced a second main character – Phoebe – who lives and works with her cruel aunt and uncle in the village store. The story tells of Harry and Phoebe’s struggles to become accepted in Dymchurch and to be treated with the respect they deserve.
A village tour produced by the Dymchurch Heritage Group gave insight into the properties standing in the village at that time and I was able to refer to many of them. Another fantastic resource was Jill Eddison’s book ‘Romney Marsh Survival on a Frontier. The book had some excellent descriptions about the upkeep of the Dymchurch Wall and a fantastic map.
What’s in a name? The problem with writing a book set in 18th century Dymchurch is that the true history of Dymchurch is often confused with fictional history penned by Russell Thorndike in his Dr Syn novels. I found this frustrating, and at times I included events which I believed were real, only to discover they were fictional. The words “Serve God, honour the King, but First Maintain the Wall” were created by Russell Thorndike, but local history books quote this as an ancient Dymchurch saying. Fortunately, I found out before the book went to print and could credit the author.
I used a graphic designer whose work I admired on the covers of another local author. The experience was difficult as I couldn’t seem to express the enormity of the Dymchurch Wall, which was first portrayed as a thin wall of breeze blocks. I was OK with the finished product, but on paper it was far darker than when I saw it on my computer. By 2019, I was eager to have local art on all my covers. In 2020, I commissioned Zoe from Greatstone Art to create a cover.
But First Maintain the Wall was published in the summer of 2018. This was the first book I ‘launched’ with book signings at Romney Marsh Visitor Centre and a craft shop at Lathe Barn, as well as a talk at Mary’s Tearoom.  I have ideas for a sequel, but the Dungeness Series took over my writing and now I also enjoy retreating to Saxon times. 

In my third blog about my writing journey, I tell the story behind 'What the Monk Didn’t See'. I had been fascinated by the events surrounding the 1287 storm for a long time. But how could I learn enough about Medieval New Romney to make a book feasible? The challenge seemed too great.
 In the summer of 2016, I was asked to write a fictional series for a local magazine. It was to be in four parts of 800 words. I am not keen on writing short stories but wondered if this could be my opportunity to put the great storm into fiction. So I set about putting my ideas into words. By the time the series had finished, I was sure there was more to tell – I started making each 800 word section into a 3000 word chapter.
My inspiration was the reports by a travelling monk (Matthew Paris) who wrote about the 1250 storm and the destruction of Old Winchelsea. His words describing a golden moon and a tide which flowed twice without ebbing, caught my imagination. I put my fictional monk in New Romney and as the storm breaks out, he goes to watch it from the top of the church tower. All he can think of is how he has the best vantage point and how beautiful his descriptive words will look. However, he cannot see what goes on behind closed doors and proceeds to make a terrible mistake when he tells the story of New Romney on the night of the storm.
While the monk moves into the background for a while, readers learn about the lives of fictional characters and the effect the storm has on them. It was in the 13th century that the fortunes of New Romney were lost forever when the river Rother changed course. Today we can still see the results of the storm, mainly around the church where the ground level is much higher outside. Also, at St Nicholas Church there is a tiny window to one side of the altar. This may have once been part of an anchorhold and I was excited to feature it in the novel. If you don’t know what an anchorhold is, you will have to read the book! Or use Google?
I mentioned my concerns about finding enough information to make the story of New Romney accurate. But luck was with me in the form of Sainsbury’s! Well, not Sainsbury’s but all the investigations which were done before the store was built and the fantastic publication on the findings:  ‘The Sea and the Marsh, The Medieval Cinque Port of New Romney’ by Gillian Draper and Frank Meddens.
'What the Monk Didn’t See' was again printed through Lulu in the summer of 2017. Although exciting to have three books I still had no expectation of selling many. I had tried a few craft fairs, but found them very quiet. There was still a joy to be found in having my three books on a shelf at home and that was enough, or so I thought!
In November 2017, two things happened. The first was a friend suggested that I change to a traditional printer as this would be cheaper per book. However, to bring the price down I needed to order 100 books. I decided to have 100 of 'What the Monk Didn’t See' printed. A week later I did a book signing at Jempsons and a few days after that, I went to the New Romney Historical Society to tell them about the book. Within a week of buying 100 books, I had sold half of them!
The other huge shift in my author fortunes was that I joined Facebook! It was here that I got to know the local people who would give me such support over the following years, enabling me to continue writing and producing novels. I was beginning to think that perhaps I could sell a few books!

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Last week I wrote about A Place Called Hope – the novel I wrote two decades ago, but not the first published. This time I am telling the story behind Secrets of the Shingle – my bestseller!
In 2015, I read Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. The tale of the heroine trapped in a hostile place appealed to me and I was inspired to put my own naïve character in a harsh landscape from which there would be no escape. The novel begins with Alice Tibbs, vicar’s daughter and teacher, on the train to Dungeness. No sooner has the poor young woman arrived, than she trips over a body. And so, begins the mystery of the woman on the shingle, as well as the story of Alice’s growing maturity while she learns to cope in the remote settlement.
Not long after starting this novel, I found myself running Marsh Ink – the writers’ group I had joined about three years before. “I must be a good example,” I thought to myself. So I diligently wrote every day. Unlike ‘Hope’ I began at the beginning and finished at the end – no skipping about.
The novel was unplanned. In fact, no more than: young teacher – trips over body – dead or alive? – trapped – can’t trust anyone. I started writing and came up with ideas as I progressed. It’s a method which a lot of authors use but must horrify those who plan everything!
As before, I had no intention of selling Secrets of the Shingle,  but did share it with a good friend from the writers’ group. She wanted to buy some copies and suggested I print a few. I asked some people with good English skills to read through the book, and in 2016 tentatively printed a few through Lulu (more about Lulu in my last blog). By chance I visited our local Kent Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre and saw the lovely displays of gifts.  I asked the manager if she would be interested in stocking the book – she said YES! I also approached a local magazine and asked if they were interested in writing an article. Then the RH&DR allowed some copies to go in their shops. I had printed 50 copies and never expected to sell more than that. In fact to sell 50 would be marvellous and beyond my wildest dreams.
Incredibly, the books sold and I got some great feedback! I ordered more… and then a few more. I also learned how to put the book on kindle. In 2017, Secrets of the Shingle had a good edit and I moved away from Lulu to a traditional printer. By 2018, I had three other novels but ‘Shingle’ was the favourite for most readers. Rather than continue with stand-alone stories, I wrote a sequel… then another, and in 2020 I wrote a prequel! These Dungeness novels have gained the most attention and with Secrets of the Shingle being the first in the series (until 2020) it became my bestseller.
In 2020, I decided that the whole series should have covers by local artist, Zoe Beardsley. I worried that ‘Shingle’ was shorter than the other books and decided to rewrite it, adding in extra scenes. As I did this, Michael Golding from Dungeness, read the new version. His remit was to check Dungeness details, but he turned out to be an amazing editor. The new version was available in the summer of 2020.
I’ve learned a huge amount since first publishing Secrets of the Shingle. The most important thing has been to learn different editing techniques and to use professional proof reading. It is important to keep learning, and with every novel I am coming up with new ways to improve the editing process. I would like to thank all my wonderful readers who have supported me through this journey with such enthusiasm for my writing.
The book covers shown here are the second cover (homemade and really difficult to work with the shades in the stones), the second cover by a graphic designer and the 2020 cover with local art. I don’t have an original Lulu book.
Next time I will tell you about my third novel (and one of my favourites) – What the Monk Didn’t See.