Elizabeth Hopkinson's Hidden Grove

Back in January, I wrote about the Renaissance belief in spontaneous generation and "giving birth to hairy worms'.  The worms, incidentally, will be making a welcome return at Swanwick Writers' Summer School in August, in my workshop on "Prince Lindworm."  But you may also remember Mary Taft, who gave birth to 17 rabbits in 1726.  Recently, I read a wonderful article by Terri Windling on the symbolism of rabbits and hares [ read it here ] that brought me back to those rabbits once again. Terri mentioned a couple of things in this long and fascinating article that leapt straight out at me.  (Like a bounding hare, dare I say?)  On the first page of the blog, she says: In Egyptian myth, hares were also closely associated with the cycles of the moon, which was viewed as masculine when waxing and feminine when waning. Hares were likewise believed to be androgynous, shifting back and forth between the genders—not only in ancient Egypt but also in Europea...

In my current novel-in-progress, Cage of Nightingales (which is now in the editing stage - whoo!) Tammo  wants to be a bird charmer and to play his flute in the woods.  It's impossible to know what that would really be like without trying it for yourself.  The other week, I decided to record a simple flute tune I wrote as "Tammo's Song".  I was going to record it in the Early Music Shop, among the harpsichords and baroque recorders.  But after making a practice recording in the park under the trees, I decided that nothing was going to top that.  There's nothing quite the same as playing your flute in the open air, with the sound of birdsong and running water in your ears.  The music and the natural sounds around you somehow become connected. Anyway, after trying that, I got the bug for playing my flute outdoors.  Actually, I have two flutes - a modern orchestral one, and the one I used for "Tammo's Song", which is a bamboo flute from Camero...

I've just finished reading Shirley by Charlotte Bronte.  Actually, I've read it a couple of times before, but barely remembered it (apart from the curates and the Luddites).  The main reason I read it this time was to try and decide if there was any connection between the title character, Shirley Keeldar, and Anne Lister of Shibden Hall.  I thought it was possible.  West Yorkshire (the West Riding in Anne Lister and the Brontes' day) isn't that big, and the lifetimes of the two women overlapped.  As Anne Lister was a landowner, she would have been a well-known character to people living in the West Riding in the early 19th century.  Did Charlotte Bronte know her, and did she have any influence on the creation of Shirley?  The question interests me because Shibden Hall has been a favourite place for me since early childhood.  The Bronte sisters are also local characters (born in the village just across the fields from mine), and I feel I have a ...

Just recently, I read Flame of Sevenwaters by my all-time favourite author, Juliet Marillier .  Juliet is the writer I look up to most in my own work.  She has been very helpful with Silver Hands , giving it a great review on the Top Hat Books site .  When Silver Hands came out, I sent her a copy and she sent me a lovely card, promising to read it.  So it was strange to think that we might both be reading each other's works at the same time, especially as both were about a girl without the use of her hands. This wasn't deliberate.  Although I am a big fan of Juliet, and Silver Hands is in some ways inspired by her writing, I didn't know she was also going to be writing about a handless maiden.  It's interesting to make some comparisons. (Warning: possibly spoilers).  Juliet's Maeve hasn't lost her hands completely, but has had them burned in a fire as a child, so they are scarred and immobile.  She faces some of the same challenges as Marg...

Last time, I told you about my trip to Japan in 2011, and some of the sites which influenced Silver Hands.   Today, I will complete the tour and look at three more historic Japanese sites with Silver Hands connections. I'd like to start with Seison-kaku, a villa in Kenrokuen Garden, Kanazawa.  The garden itself is a splendid traditional garden, with tea-houses, pines, plum groves and cherry trees.  But the villa is particularly interesting because it was built for a woman: Shinryu-in, widow of Maeda Narinaga.  It is fascinating to look at the different rooms, which are named after the paintings on their skirting boards (tortoise room, butterfly room etc.), to stand in the grand reception room (pictured above) and imagine life as a Japanese noblewoman in days gone by. This is the future Taro pictures for Margaret. Last time, I spoke about Nijo Castle in Kyoto, which houses a magnificent set of mansion buildings.  For those of you familiar with Lian Hea...

Last time, I promised you a tour of historical sites in Japan that relate to my research when writing my historical fantasy novel, Silver Hands.  However, when I looked at my scapbook of my trip to Japan with Oku Japan (formerly Oxalis Holidays)  in 2011, I realised there's far too much to fit into one blog.  So I'm dividing it into two parts.  This is the first. The first place I'd like to mention is Kiyosumi Gardens in Tokyo.  It was one of the first places I visited in Japan and I instantly felt, "This is Taro's garden!"  There was even a man in a kimono sitting on the veranda to the tea house you can see in the picture.  The garden was originally part of the residence of Edo period business magnate , Kinokuniya Bunzaemon, and later (1716-1736) part of the Edo residence of the Lord of Sekiyado castle.  So extremely appropriate for Silver Hands.  I can definitely picture Margaret and Taro walking here. Another site is Matsumo...

My historical fantasy novel Silver Hands is now on sale!  To celebrate, I'll be doing a couple of blogs about researching the historical background to the story, starting with this one about research I carried out locally. Amazingly, you often don't have to go far to find a whole wealth of knowledge and inspiration when it comes to history, even with a story like Silver Hands , which ranges in geographical scope from the English coast to a Japanese castle town.  There are three museums local to my native Yorkshire that get a special mention from me in the "acknowledgements" section of the book for being particularly helpful.                                             The Bay Hotel, Robin Hood's Bay The first is the Captain Cook Memorial Museum at Whitby.  Whitby and its neighbour, Robin Hood's Bay, were extremely useful to me in researching the parts of ...