Have you ever seen a ghost? I don’t think I have, but I am haunted by one all the same, in my flat by the sea. December, with its long dark nights, seems the right time to share ghost stories, preferably around the fire with a glass of something warming! Read on for the full story.
And talking of stories, I have news of my annual Christmas story, a little look at what you might have found under the tree in the 1920s, a Christmas walk to share, plus the usual book recommendations and promotions.
A ghostly warning
My apartment by the seaside is on the second floor of a big house built in the 1840s, with lovely high ceilings, bay windows, cornices and mouldings. It was divided into flats sometime in the last century. But you can see how it fitted together as one big house. When we had some building work done in our kitchen, the workmen uncovered the top of a boxed-up narrow staircase leading down to the ground floor. They covered it up again, of course, and it’s now under the floorboards and kitchen tiles. It was probably the ‘back stairs’ used by household staff.
But shortly after that discovery, my writing group was challenged to write a ghost story. I used the hidden staircase in my story. I imagined walking into the kitchen to see a girl dressed in a black-and-white maid’s uniform, descending the stairs and disappearing into the floor. In the story, as she reached neck-height, she turned and gave me a malicious smile, as if she knew something terrible was going to happen.
The trouble is that ever since, whenever I pass the kitchen to go to the bathroom at night, I have to turn the lights on to make sure she’s not there. That’s the problem with having a writer’s imagination – I can scare myself half to death with imaginary ghosts. I do realise this is a ridiculous state of affairs. So, here’s a tip: if you are going to write a ghost story, don’t set it in your own house!
Marjorie Swallow’s Christmas
The invitations have been sent out, Mrs Smithson is cooking honey-roasted ham and mince pies in the kitchen, the All Stars Jazz Orchestra are tuning up and Marjorie is decorating the Christmas tree with a little help (or hindrance) from the new housemaid. Mrs Jameson’s detective agency in Bedford Square is all set for a wonderful Christmas Eve party. If you’ve read the Marjorie Swallow books, you’ll recognise plenty of the guests–and here’s nice Mr Rubin the diamond merchant, with a pile of expensive-looking presents. Let’s hope nothing happens to them…
I’m putting the finishing touches to Marjorie Swallow’s Christmas, a short story which I’ll be sending you on Christmas Eve to read with a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie, when all the present-wrapping and tree-decorating is done. Look out for it on Christmas Eve morning.
A 1920s Christmas Gift Guide
While preparing the story, I enjoyed researching the sort of presents you might have found under the tree in the 1920s. The British Newspaper Archive, one of my favourite sources of information, had a handy blog about the top 10 presents. So, are you ready?
1: A handkerchief. ‘There are no more acceptable gifts…than handkerchiefs,’ according to The Sphere, in December 1920. Walpole’s Irish Linens agree.
2: A pencil. ‘Everybody loves good pencils, and has a use for them,’ says The Sphere. I may be one of the few people in 2025 who would love a box of Blackwing pencils in my stocking – they are my preferred pencil for first drafting and note-taking.
3: Cigarettes. ‘There are few things that can give greater pleasure,’ says The Tatler. Not to mention lung cancer.
After that the list perks up a bit – I’d be very happy with a ‘set of gin cocktails’ or a cocktail shaker, not to mention ‘a black velveteen frock’ to wear to a dance.
However, my Christmas list is usually a list of books I want to read and haven’t got around to buying yet. Those days between Christmas and New Year, when everything shuts down and no-one knows quite what to do with themselves, are the perfect time to get cosy with a cup of tea, a tin of biscuits and a good book. So in that spirit, here’s a reminder of the Gift Guide I’ve worked on with other authors of historical fiction. Download the Christmas Gift Guide 2025 – there’s sure to be something that fits your taste.
Join me for a walk through the darker side of Canterbury’s history this Christmas! I’ll be leading a small group around Canterbury’s historic city centre on Saturday 27 December, telling stories about murdered archbishops (yes, there’s more than one!), treacherous playwrights, missing bodies and more. Do you dare to join me?
I’m home from Japan, after a wonderful trip. But one evening early on our trip, I just wanted to sleep. My jet-lagged brain had struggled to cope with Tokyo’s chaotically-busy wholesale fish market in the morning and to navigate the underpasses, overpasses and complex transport system of this futuristic city. We were running late to meet our ‘nightlife guide’ and all I wanted was my bed.
Sometimes it’s not the biggest things that stay with you. Our trip included taking a cable car over volcanic vents in the mountains, visiting some spectacularly beautiful gardens and temples in Kyoto, and relaxing in hot spring onsen baths in a traditional Japanese ryokan inn. I won’t forget those experiences. But that moment of connection over a film that celebrates the beauty in the everyday will stay with me too.
A curated list of novels across multiple genres — from historical fiction to fantasy and mystery
Perfect ideas for Christmas presents (or a little treat for yourself!)
Free novels to download
I love vintage cars, and I couldn’t resist going along when I heard that the first Bloomsbury Classic Car Show was happening in Bedford Square, Bloomsbury – which in my fictional world is headquarters for Mrs Jameson and her detective agency.
For people who can’t get to Kent to buy their books from me directly, there’s now an alternative to Amazon: 
The next Verity Bright novel is out, and it sounds like a cracker. Lady Eleanor Swift is called to Buckingham Palace to solve a right royal mystery! Murder At The Royal Palace is out now.
Have you ever wondered how I research the my historical mysteries? Wonder no more, because I publish a blog on Substack all about my research. It’s called