As an 18-year-old art student in New York, I began the process of learning to “see.” More than 30 years later, when I landed a contract as a designer with an architectural firm, I learned what it means to “look.” Up until I was hired to be part of the team developing a multi-million-dollar entertainment … Continue reading Experiencing York: A Writer’s Journey
Biography
The Legacy Continues
When I am working on a novel, I have no time for recreational reading. Since I write historical fiction, I burn up many hours poring through source materials: newspaper archives, biographies, letters, memoirs, military records, insurance policies, genealogy charts, maps, history books, etc. My mornings and afternoons are consumed doing research and crafting prose, and … Continue reading The Legacy Continues
Men and Myths
If you get your news online from the BBC or Sky News, you wouldn’t know that there was a massive demonstration in Central London on Saturday, February 1, 2025. Tens of thousands of people turned out in support of the independent journalist and anti-rape-gang crusader known as Tommy Robinson. Some estimates put the number as … Continue reading Men and Myths
The Approach of Winter
In late autumn, my garden requires a lot of care. Grape vines, roses, and pomegranates need drastic pruning, and the dense mat of fallen fig leaves cannot be ignored. Yet amidst all of these signs of degradation, there is a sparse crop of guavas and a bounty of lemons. The kumquats are still ripening on … Continue reading The Approach of Winter
The Shattered Mirror
Considering how many times Donald Trump has pointed to the representatives of the press and declared, “Fake news,” there is still a lot of handwringing in some quarters. In the pre-internet world of my childhood, I started reading newspapers regularly when I was about 12-years old. Walter Cronkite, the anchorman on the CBS Evening News, … Continue reading The Shattered Mirror
A Wimbledon Match
Today is opening day at Wimbledon. If my stepmom were still alive, I know I could find her sitting on the couch in front of the tv, savoring every moment. To her credit, she didn’t just like to watch tennis matches. She played tennis until she was well into her eighties. Another tennis aficionado was … Continue reading A Wimbledon Match
Seizing the Moment
If the news articles about Rishi Sunak becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom would only add a simple graphic, we would not need to read the entire story. At a glance, we would see which boxes are checked. Among other bits of trivia, most of the reports point out that he is … Continue reading Seizing the Moment
Lord Rockingham’s Passion
Liz Truss made history by resigning as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on October 19, 2022, after only 44 days in office. It was 240 years ago, on July 1, 1782, when the second term of Prime Minister Charles Watson-Wentworth, Marquess of Rockingham, ended after only 96 days. The flu epidemic of 1782 took the … Continue reading Lord Rockingham’s Passion
London, Again
It was exciting to be back in the amazing city of London. The last time I had been there was in the winter, mere days before the lockdowns went into effect. Never having been there in summer, I didn’t know if the large crowds I was seeing at my usual haunts were normal for this … Continue reading London, Again
Remembering the Fallen
For the past two years I have been researching and writing about a career soldier who died on foreign soil. Every day I marvel at his dedication to his King and country, and the sacrifices that he made through his service. And almost every day, I cry a little bit to think that he never … Continue reading Remembering the Fallen
Roxane Gilbert 