Laura’s thoughts on writing, culture, and the supernatural
Laura’s Favourite Book #2: Brighton Rock
Brighton Rock is intense to say the least. It may be a classic race against time thriller, but it’s also a strange, heady mix of poverty-sticken provincialism and the potential damnation of one’s eternal soul.
Write what you know: Identity and creativity
‘Write what you know’ is said for a reason, even if people often take it too literally. In Coldharbour, I have written what I know, even though I don’t regularly raise the Dead or have brought a house down around me with a click of my fingers.
Is witchcraft still a crime in the UK?
What does the current law in the UK actually say, if anything, about witchcraft? In a country where now only a tenth of people believe in the Devil, is witchcraft still illegal? Is it even recognised in today’s legislation?
Laura’s Favourite Book #1: Rebecca
Why is Rebecca one of my favourite books? Well, the big twist holds up every time I read it, the protagonist’s anxieties become mine, and the atmosphere at Manderley is a heady mix of claustrophobia and lushness.
The importance of iteration in writing
A writer will never get what they perceive as perfection first time. There’s a reason why a painting takes ages to paint, why actors rehearse repeatedly, why sculptors have to chip away and away until they realise their vision.
Forever Charmed: Nineties Witches
In the Nineties, it felt like witches were everywhere and witches were being seen; even more importantly, they were being seen as good and cool and normal, considering their exceptional powers.
Most Haunted: The South of England
Among the most intriguing things I learnt, as it was repeated many times over, was that there were more ghosts per square mile in England than in any other country in the world. But why should this be the case? – Roger Clarke, A Natural History of Ghosts