My interests divide between a fascination with the historical background to our everyday lives – the way we run our homes and bring up our children, and the food we eat - and with literary geography: the settings that inspired writers I love. As a result my live is a wonderful balance between domesticity and venturing out and about. I’ve written nine books on these subjects. The best known are Dream Babies: Childcare Advice from John Locke to Gina Ford and Arthur Ransome and Captain Flint’s Trunk (which resulted in my becoming Executor of the Arthur Ransome Literary Estate). I have also written a biography, Malory: The Life and Times of King Arthur’s Chronicler. Writing this led to a deep fascination with the fifteenth century, and I'm about to start researching for a new book set then. I've just finished the book of the British Library's summer exhibition Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands, which opens in May 2-12, part of the Cultural Olympiad in honour the the London Games. Ihave also just completed a completely new book about Arthur Ransome for Frances Lincoln: The World of Arthur Ransome, which will be published in the autumn of 2012.

My books brought me a parallel career: that of being a journalist,  and broadcaster, using their subject matter as a springboard to writing diary and opinion columns in such newspapers as the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Times, and documentaries for radio. I also review books for various publications, and audiobooks weekly for the Times Books on Saturday. I have had three audiobook anthologies published by Naxos, The Christmas Collection, The Pleasures of the Garden, and Poetry for the Winter Season.