Writing a book is something that has been on my to do list for my whole life so I’m pretty excited that my first book, Tracing Your Ancestors’ Lives: A Guide for the Family Historian will be published 30 April 2017 by Pen and Sword. The work is just over 60,000 words and took about a year to research and write.

Concentrating on the history of the UK, Social History for the Genealogist is not intended as a comprehensive study of social history but instead an exploration of the various aspects of the topic of particular interest to you, the family historian. This book is a guide to your journey beyond the names, dates and places in your pedigree charts back to the time and place where your ancestors lived. Use the research advice, resources and case studies in this book as you learn about your ancestors, their families and the society they lived in and record their stories for the generations to come.

Just enough research is how I begin to write.

The challenge of course, is knowing how much research is enough research. Then I write. I outline, then fill in the blanks between, drawing on the research to keep the reader interested. Then I let the words sit for a day or two or even a week until they’ve set and then I read out loud to the cat.

Of course, the cat seldom says anything, but will often meow in agreement if I suggest that a certain passage is awkward and needs a rewrite.

I definitely have a diverse set of hobbies.

I like technology, crafts, gardening, web design, family history and photography. And finally, I read.

To say that reading is a hobby is a little like saying that breathing is a hobby, but I’m sure that some would consider it one.