Tuesday 26 August 2008

A writer's retreat


The weather has been so disappointing this summer that neither Kate Ellis and her husband Roger nor my family were confident that a long-awaited barbecue at Kate’s house would escape the ravages of the British climate – especially as we’d been invited over on the Bank Holiday weekend, which is almost traditionally damp and dismal. But as it happened, we were in luck, and the rain held off (more or less.)

Kate told the story of her weekend at the St Hilda’s Crime Fiction Conference, where she’d been among the speakers – the theme was crime past and present. I’ve been to St Hilda’s a few times in the past, and it’s a very enjoyable event. I’m really sorry I missed it, but as with reading books, there are only so many conventions that can be fitted into a year.

Kate has a new book out any time now, which is the first in a new series set in a fictionalised York. I’m looking forward to it. Certainly, if it’s anything like as good as her last Wesley Peterson, The Blood Pit, it will be terrific.

Kate’s a full-time writer these days and she works in what she describes as a garden shed, but is actually a delightful and well-equipped garden room. You can catch a glimpse of it in the photo. An excellent retreat.

4 comments:

Clare Dudman said...

Yup, sheds are THE place to write! (Came here on Maxine Clarke's recommendation).

Martin Edwards said...

Nice to hear from you, Clare. You may not recall, but our paths have crossed in the past - workshops in Alsager, a few years back.

Anonymous said...

I knew it! I should have followed my instincts and asked if I could come and photograph Kate's shed for my interview with her.

Martin Edwards said...

Yep, not only is it a good shed, but it's impressively neat and well-organised.