When I’m not mapping out a fresh crime scene for the Parchment Paper Mysteries, you’ll invariably find me in the kitchen, surrounded by dusting sheets of flour and the comforting warmth of the oven. For a culinary cozy mystery author, baking isn’t just a hobby; it is a vital part of the world-building process. And…
There is a common misconception that mystery authors spend their evenings exclusively with a magnifying glass and a stack of Golden Age detective novels. While I do love a classic whodunit, a significant portion of my life is spent reading far outside my own genre. If you were to peer at my current bedside table,…
Authors are frequently asked where they get their ideas. People often look for a singular moment of divine inspiration—a sudden bolt of lightning or a dream that provides a fully formed plot. For me, it isn’t quite like that. It’s far slower and subtler than that, and it’s infinitely more satisfying. Once I decide to…
After telling you about the inspiring places around it, it’s time to look at Hebden Bridge itself. While it doesn’t have historic literary stars like Haworth and Heptonstall, it has something perhaps more vibrant: a living, breathing community of writers, poets, and avid readers. A Sanctuary for Stories For decades, Hebden Bridge has been a…
While not literary in the sense of a classic novel, the story of the Cragg Vale Coiners is a legendary piece of local history that has inspired a wealth of modern literature, most notably Benjamin Myers’ brilliant and visceral novel, The Gallows Pole. For anyone interested in the darker corners of West Yorkshire’s past, this…
Just a short, dramatic drive over the tops from Hebden Bridge, where I live, lies Haworth, a village that has become synonymous with the most famous literary family in history. For a mystery writer, the Brontës represent the ultimate closed circle—three sisters and a brother, isolated in a parsonage, creating vast, tumultuous worlds from the…
I recently spent a wonderful afternoon at Belvoir Castle—pronounced “Beaver”, for my international readers! It is one of those classic English linguistic traps that we locals take great delight in. While the name translates from the French as “Beautiful View,” the earthy British pronunciation reminds us that our landscape is often far more rugged than…
To finish our tour of the inspirations behind the Parchment Paper Mysteries, we have to step out of the cobbled streets of Haworth and Hebden Bridge and climb upward. Above the towns lies the true heart of the North: The Moors. For my friends across the pond in the US, the moors are a landscape…
If Haworth (see last week’s post) is the brooding soul of my Parchment Paper Mysteries, then Hebden Bridge is undoubtedly its beating, creative heart. Just a few miles over the tops from the Brontë Parsonage, Hebden Bridge offers a completely different—yet equally captivating—inspiration for my writing. Known as the ‘coolest’ town in the North, it’s…
Nestled on the edge of the wild and beautiful Yorkshire moors, the village of Haworth isn’t just a place; it’s a living, breathing story. For anyone who loves literature, history, or simply the charm of a truly unique English village, Haworth is an absolute must-visit. And for me, as a writer of the Parchment Paper…