Hello, 

The spring equinox has arrived. But while night and day are in balance, the world feels increasingly out of kilter. 

Both the global and local events influence my creativity. The painting above began as the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag and morphed into a daffodil field familiar to the view from my window. 

Art

The Goat Gallery’s WE ❤️ HAYLE exhibition ends at the end of this month. Please visit and see the amazing artwork on show (including mine).

What's in a Name?

The language and etymology of names interest me. Although the languages have changed, most names refer to the landmarks or the people associated with them. Hayle, which sits by an estuary, comes from the Cornish word heyl, meaning estuary. Marazion is likely derived from Marghasbighan and means small market.

Perhaps, like me, you add personal names to places. It connects you, not only to the place but also to the community of people you share the name with. In my writing, I like to think about the origin of place names to give them both history and meaning. Like my characters, the places they visit deserve a backstory.

Do you make up place names for locations near you? How do you make up names for your stories? I’d love to know. 

What I’m Reading

What Moves the Dead - T Kingfisher 

Based on The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, narrator and retired soldier Alex Easton travels to the Ushers' ancestral home after hearing Roderick Usher’s sister, Madeline, is dying. The house lies in disrepair, and the land and nearby lake are covered by a foul fungus which could lie at the root of the ills happening to the Ushers’. 

It was a fun gothic horror read. I’ve had a long interest in photographing fungi, plus The Last of Us video games and TV series popularised the merger of fungus and zombies. 

The House on the Strand - Daphne du Maurier 

The protagonist, Dick Young, is offered his university friend’s Cornish house for the summer. In return, he’s asked to test a new drug, which takes him on a “trip” to the 14th Century. Regardless of the unknown side effects, Dick becomes addicted, travelling back in time, again and again, to watch these vibrant people act out their lives rather than face his own married life, family and responsibilities. 

Being interested in history, I’d be up for taking a drug which mentally took me back in time. Through the supernatural storyline, it plays on themes of obsession, addiction, escapism, indecisiveness and the comfort of ignorance. Although the ending cuts off a little suddenly, it offers enough for the reader to flesh out the protagonist's fate.

Satori in Paris - Jack Kerouac

Kerouac travels to Paris in search of his Breton ancestry. 

My previous Kerouac reads were all based on his travels in the Americas, but this felt closer to home because the Cornish language has a connection to Breton, which Kerouac talks about on his journey. I don’t know if he ever did make that trip to Cornwall, but it’s fun to picture it. Despite his flaws, he comes across in his novels as the type of person you could spend days talking to. 

Currently Reading: The Maiden of Florence - Katherine Mezzacappa

Next in the TBR pile: Saltblood - Francesca de Tores

Happy Creating!

Emma x