Whilst researching social history for my stories I visit some fascinating places. Here are some of the places that have triggered plots, created characters or inspired a mood or a desire to return to the keyboard and write.

2. Saltburn Gill, North Yorkshire, England.

A ten mile, fine sandy bay sweeps between Huntcliffe and the mouth of the River Tees on the once remote northeast coast of England. The town of Saltburn nestles in the shadow of the headland and has a fascinating historical connection with smuggling in the region.

I borrowed the location for some of my nineteenth century titles. Saltburn became ’Ebton’ and the headland ‘Stangcliffe’. The location of the actual Ship Inn was used as the heart of the old fishing village. The Saltburn Gill, which runs through an ancient natural oak and ash woodland behind Cat Nab, has a rich undergrowth of Holly and Hazel and a myriad of flowers and wild birds that vary throughout the seasons making it a vibrant and beautiful place to visit at any time of the year.

It was a route used in times past by smugglers and my version of it appears in such stories as Phoebe’s Challenge and many other titles of my back list, many are yet to be converted to their eBook format.