November 2025
A round-up of some of the things I’ve been writing, reading and doing this month.
Writing
On Substack:
Published elsewhere:
R is for ridge is the latest in a series of posts for CPRE Bedfordshire. This one explores the Greensand Ridge which defines the character of a significant part of the county.
As I’m leaving my role at CPRE Bedfordshire next month, I’m coming to the end of my time working on this series. S is ready to post next week and I’m drafting T so that it can be posted in early January but after that I’ll only be leaving outlines for someone else to pick up. I thought I’d be more bothered about leaving this series unfinished than I actually am now it comes to it. It’s been fun to work on but, as with any role you leave, not everything can be tied up neatly and it turns out that I’m OK with that.
Reading
I really enjoyed Thrones, Dominations by Jill Paton Walsh and Dorothy L. Sayers. Sayers began writing this Lord Peter Wimsey novel but abandoned it. Jill Paton Walsh uses it to begin to answer the question of what the Wimsey Vane marriage might look like, and provides a satisfying mystery underneath. The period flavour with the Second World War imminent and the beginnings of the abdication crisis was also excellent. I’m looking forward to reading more of Jill Paton Walsh’s books in this series.
As the weather gets colder and darker, I’ve been rereading Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy and I’ve just started on the final volume, The Mirror & The Light. The books are as good as I remember and being immersed back into the world of Thomas Cromwell is a real treat that seems to suit the season.
Freelance diaries
My latest blog post looks at local history for non history projects, showing how I can help charities and community groups use local history to engage with new audiences.
I’ve also been experimenting with mini blog style posts on LinkedIn, one about a nice example of using local history in an arts project in Lowestoft, and other about the Earth Photo 2025 exhibition and environmental storytelling. LinkedIn seems to be where most queries are coming from, so it makes sense to concentrate some time there.
I’ve recently been approached about a couple of new comms projects for next year which is starting to look nicely varied – one of the things I really wanted to achieve by focusing on freelance work full time.
Substack in 2026
I’ve been thinking carefully about how I will use Substack next year to both freshen things up and make sure I have a rhythm that is sustainable. The plan is to:
Continue with these round-up posts at the end of each month.
Wrap up my series on revisiting favourite children’s books next month with a real favourite – Arthur Ransome’s Winter Holiday. (It’ll be seasonal and everything!)
Start a new history focused series – I’ll post an introduction to that next month.
Share the occasional bonus essay when inspired.
I've avoided reading the Jill Paton Walsh continuation novels so far. Your positive review has made me wonder if I'm being unduly cautious!
Thank you for another interesting post, Shelley. Like you, I thought Jill Paton Walsh did a good job on Thrones and Dominations; also like you, I really enjoyed the Wolf Hall trilogy. I listened to it on audiobook, but have since looked for 'proper' books in charity shops. I have Wolf Hall, so two to go. Since listening, I've also hoovered up just about everything else that Hilary Mantel wrote, including Mantel Pieces, a thought-provoking collection of book reviews. Keep fighting the good freelance fight, and best of luck for the future.