The Word Cloud

From the outset, a poem by Gillian Clarke, Climbing Cader Idris, has been in my mind while writing The Blackbird Effect. Today, she gave me her permission to quote from it at the head of the book. A tiny step, seeing as I haven’t yet sent the present draft of the book out to agents, but for me, this makes the book more real.

Gillian Clarke is a poet who writes in a way that has always drawn a response from me – even to the poems I find uncomfortable. I grew up in Cardiff, her place of birth, and my novel breathes South Wales air – in a way, I guess it’s the writing of an exile. It’s easier to love a place when you don’t have to live there!

I won’t quote the poem here – I would rather you discovered Gillian Clarke for yourself.  (see http://www.gillianclarke.co.uk/ )  And, in the fullness of time, maybe you’ll discover the two sisters in my novel who are not unlike the two climbers in the poem.

And, if by some remote chance you discover this blog, thank you, Gillian!