My main hobbies are, collecting antiques. Especially from the Victorian period, my house is reflected in some of my books, especially the pottery I describe. I also have a great love of music, of all kinds, but I’ve a true love of early Blues music.
Diane Allen
I’ve never attended university, I just never got the chance. In my family you were expected to go into work as soon as you left school. I did go on to study and take A level’s later in life.
I love people watching and listening into conversations, it is where I get a lot of my ideas from. People can come out with some brilliant things without knowing it.
I get so frustrated when I experience writers block. These days make me feel hopeless and then I’ve to shake myself up and look at why I feel that way.
I would love to live back in my native Dentdale. However, my family are settled in this part of Yorkshire, where I currently live and I would hate not to be within easy travelling distance of both my daughter and son and their children.
Number one on my bucket list is to visit Petra in Jordan.
I’ve been used to living out in the countryside on remote farms, so the solitary life of an author suites me.
I read more non-fiction than fiction. I enjoy reading history and especially local history. It is so fascinating to read how people used to live and be thankful for what we have today.
Windfell Manor is based on a large house not far from where I live. My great aunt was once the cook there.
I have a great love of nature and nothing delights me more than to write about the countryside in Yorkshire within my books. I’m passing my knowledge and sayings that my mother taught me on to my grandchildren. Although I have a feeling that they will be ten times wiser than me, once grown up.
