Blog
My writing desk, in six objects
People ask about my process. My process is mostly this desk. A legal pad. First drafts are by hand. Typing them up is the second draft. A mug that is always cold. I forget it within ten minutes, every time.
The sound of drowned bells
Almost every coast with a lost village has the same legend: on still nights you can hear the church bells ringing under the water.
How an account book from 1887 started a trilogy
In my archive job I opened hundreds of boxes a year. Most held exactly what the label said. One box, labelled Harbour dues, misc., held a lighthouse keeper's account book instead. What was in it Lamp oil. Wicks. Bread.