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The British Diaries

I Published a Book, Babes

I started this site in 2017 with the sole aim of sharing my writing. It feels incredibly special today to be able to share that my gothic fiction book, Highblood is now out into the world.

After spending 10 years fantasising about it and a further 5 years writing, the book is ready to be devoured.

Writing is the only thing that I have ever wanted to do with my life since I was a small child. I remember writing 50 pages of a story (with illustrations, of course) in Primary school called The Magic Mirror and the Goblin King (yes, I was obsessed with the Labyrinth). When the teacher pulled me aside and asked me about it, I decided to be weird and whimsical by saying, “oh yeah, it was a dream I had.”

Bollocks, Elizabeth, you were writing and doing rewrites of a book in Year 5 because even as a child, you were a fucking weirdo.

I say all of this with absolute fondness, you understand- so please don’t come at me.

And now, I am a weird and maybe less whimsical adult, still writing books and creating doors to escape out into whenever I please.

I have 5 novels currently on the go, 2 in a high fantasy series retelling of lady of the lake, a dark fantasy about a bookshop and its new owner, a witchy book, a medieval time travel novel a Saxon time travel book, a gothic fiction about a priest and a socialite, and Maddox Black 4.

It’s a good thing I’m a writer and not a mathematician, because that’s 8 books on the go.

Wow. 8 bloody books.

A month ago it was 9, but I suppose Highblood doesn’t count now it’s out?

For those of you who don’t know- Highblood is a Gothic Fiction about the deadliest assassin in London and the human housemate who is there to keep him from turning into a monster.

Over the past 5 years, I have been holed up in the dark, obsessing about this dark character living in London. I feel as though I may have sunk a bit too far into the mindset of Highblood- I cancelled hanging out with friends, fell behind with work and stayed up to see the sun rise too many times than I care to mention. It became my solace during Covid, a place to dive in and lose myself.

And for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about- here’s the blurb for you to sink your teeth into.

HOUSEMATE WANTED

Must not mind bloodstains or screaming at any hour. Low rent in exchange for full confidence.

The last thing Henry Solomon Crow wants is to live with a human. Yes, he’s bound by law to keep him in touch with his “humanity”, but shouldn’t the fact that he’s half human give him an advantage?

Ordered to hunt down a serial killer with a penchant for staging victims’ bodies as nursery rhymes, Henry is told that Evelyn Dynan is here to stay. Something he is all too willing to rectify.

But Evelyn Dynan is sure that if she can survive three-day tequila hangovers, then Henry Solomon Crow is a glass of water. Determined to make her recent move to London a success, Evelyn is far too busy partying, painting or preparing for another night of debauchery to take notice of how much blood Henry drags in.

Providing a false alibi to protect Henry, the two housemates are forced into a dance of pretence to keep the other safe. Riots are breaking out across London, Henry’s bosses are sure Evelyn is a threat, and an exposé brings Henry’s connection to Evelyn under unwanted attention.

Because the killer is after a fresh kill.

And Evelyn Dynan is the perfect addition.

A delicious gothic urban fantasy where the most dangerous man in London might also be the only one keeping you alive…

You can grab yourself a copy here:

It’s available on ebook and paperback at the moment and soon I’ll have special edition signed hardcovers available.

What now? Well, now is where it gets busy. It means continuing to write. It means setting up a mini book tour. And it means GOING on this book tour.

Half of me is excited and half of me is absolutely terrified. What do you mean I’ll be going to bookshops to sit behind a desk and wait for people to sit in empty chairs? What if no one shows up? What if I end up on my own, embarrassed and left weeping in the corner with a book in one hand and a bottle of Pinot Grigio in the other?

But, my friend told me last night- that’s basically the deal of the game. You have to get over that fear. Because if you want to make this work, then you will work. Even if that means risking embarrassment or humiliation.

I’ve got to just go for it.

And so, this is a start of something new. A new journey where this website is actually able to follow the real purpose behind its name.

I published a book, babes.

And I hope you like it.

All my love,

Elizabeth xxx

P.S- If you’d like to see more insider info, join my Patreon! I release videos, blogs and unseen book extracts of Maddox Black 4! Join here

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The British Diaries

Ep 115: Your boat looks a little tired, dear!

It’s time to move! Lizbef sets off finding a new location to moor and amidst the sunshine and beautiful scenery, photos from the past will lead her to question and doubt herself. Can she restore Malvern to her former glory? Or is she climbing a mountain with an impossible summit? Want to hear from the Waterways through post? Join “Letters from Lizbef” at https://www.patreon.com/LettersFromLizbef

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The British Diaries

Ep 114: Come to work with me as a Richard III Battlefield Guide!

NERD ALERT!

I was far too excited creating this video, so I hope you enjoy! Come to work with me as I show you my love for all things Medieval by day and finish off with a glass of wine by night on my 1920s narrowboat.

Thank you to Naked Wines for the lovely beverages! Feel free to use “EARLE” at checkout at nakedwines.co.uk/earlewrites for your discount!

All our love! Elizabeth and Leela x x x

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The British Diaries

Ep 113: Planning Living off the Land on a 1920s Narrowboat

Lizbef starts to learn a new skill! And has realised that she has NO IDEA what she’s doing! Luckily, that’s the joy of learning and having a green-thumbed mother to save the day. Add in cruising to a new location and Leela having the time of her life on holiday, the world feels right again.🌸

Liked “King of Tides”? Grab it here! Want to become a patron and get exclusive access to videos, blogs and unreleased book extracts? Hop on here to join! All our Love, Lizbef & Leela 🌸♥️🌸

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The British Diaries

Sunshine for Leela and a Spade for Lizbef.

What a relief this feels like.

It’s been three weeks since I left my “normal” job. Since then, I’ve put myself down for every shift at the museum that’s available and have been working until 2am most nights on the boat to throw myself back into the business.

It doesn’t feel like a hardship to work so late- not when your work is your passion.

Since I last spoke to you, I moved the boat to a new location. It’s a spot that Leela enjoys because there are huge fields behind the towpath she can whizz over, tail twirling around and around like a helicopter.

It’s been wonderful spending more time with her. When I was working in education over winter, I felt as though I was losing her in some way. I refuse to leave Leela alone for more than a couple of hours- if I’m really desperate, so she would stay with my folks mid week until I finished on a Friday to pick her up. And now, we’ve gone back to a lovely routine where I’m with her 24/7.

I don’t know what Leela thinks of this new arrangement- she’s probably mourning the loss of having a bed in each room, constant biscuits, cups of tea and steak at the weekends with her grandparents. Still, she’ll have her way this weekend, as she’s going with my parents on holiday to the seaside, so she can be spoilt to her heart’s content. Leela has had more holidays than me over the past 7 years. Meanwhile, I’m planning on spending my weekend with a rake in hand at my allotment.

It’s been quite exciting planning this allotment. I do admit however, that I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

“So, you can’t just buy a load of seeds and stick them in the ground?” I asked my mother.

She just smiled. “No, love.”

“Oh.”

“And then you’ve got to be careful which veggies you plant next to each other.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, some plants do better next to other plants and others don’t get on.”

“What do you mean?” I demanded, imagining some animated version of the Wars of the Roses with a tomato plant wrestling with a courgette.

“Just get your seeds, Elizabeth.”

Not to mention- there’s the hurdle of getting a greenhouse and a shed into action, which is slightly difficult considering my car is a tiny Peugeot (you know the ones- the one that you get your Nana so she can do her weekly shop at Tescos).

“I was thinking about getting some pallets and building it,” I told my dad as we sat with a pint before Sunday dinner. My brother in law, Ryan, sitting next to him looked dubious.

“That’s not going to be easy,” he told me. Which was a kind way of probably saying, “you are absolutely joking.”

“Why? Can’t I just get a load of pallets and whack them together? I’ve seen some really nice ones on Pinterest that people have done themselves.”

Ryan was silent- either musing other the brilliance of my idea, or coming to the conclusion that it was better to keep his mouth shut.

“Why don’t you just buy one?” my dad suggested. “You can get one online for £120.”

£120 is a lot of money right now for myself. Fresh out of my “grown up” job, I can’t take any income from a painting or a book sale for granted. £120 is a monthly food shop.

I’ve never been good at jigsaw puzzles. And I have never in my life put together any piece of Ikea furniture. I doubted my chances at succeeding with a delivered flat shed. Somehow a load of pallets, nails and a hammer felt like the cheapest and easiest solution.

But my indecision has wrapped me up in knots.

As you may as well know by now, my DIY skills are somewhat… lacking. I can pull things apart, load up bricks, dig ditches and get in hay bales. I am the human version of a pack mule- I’m a strong gal. But building something?

Sometimes I get a perfect idea in my head, and because of seeking out perfection, I get terrified of making a mistake. And then time goes by, where I plan, and read and then fear begins to grow. And before I know it, a month has passed and all I have is a pitchfork to my name.

However, thanks to the forward thinking of my mother, I already have a bunch of tomatoes slowly being grown into existence in her greenhouse, and I have been told that I will be growing beetroot.

“But I don’t like beetroot,” I said in confusion, as she held up a packet of seeds.

“We’ll get these down- they’re easy enough to grow.”

“But, mum, I don’t like beetroot. You know I don’t like beetroot.”

“No, but me and your sister do, so…”

And that was that. In fact, I felt a stab of pride at the thought that my allotment could be useful for my family. Living on the boat, single and without children, sometimes I can feel as though I don’t offer enough. My home isn’t used for entertaining them, there are no dinners held here and most of my family end up leaving the boat dirtier than when they had first stepped in an hour previous.

I suppose getting an allotment was to prove something to myself. That I could learn these things, that I could provide for my family in a way that would be useful and meaningful. Fine, there’s no space to have Sunday dinners on board, and I don’t have an oven, but growing food? Yeah, that’s something I can do.

I had planned to plant things I could easily cook without an oven (installing one is one the to-do list, they’re just expensive) such as spring onions, tomatoes, French beans, more onions, salads, courgettes and anything else I could slice and dice and slice in a frying pan. But growing potatoes, carrots, parsnips and (yes, mum) beetroot to contribute towards my family makes me feel good.

I feel as though there is a beautiful honesty in growing your own veggies, and I’m looking forward to diving into this Dig for Victory experiment and seeing if I can replicate the methods of the 40’s- and most importantly- get into the mindset of being self-sufficient.

It’s an exciting prospect.

So, life on the boat is quite nice and very wholesome at the moment. I’m reading gardening books, painting commissions so I can pay for boat repairs, walking Leela and answering every one of her whims. I’m basically the Temu version of Beatrix Potter.

Over the past eight years of boating, there has been many highs and terrible lows.

I’m enjoying a peaceful high right now, so I’m enjoying every moment.

Sending you all of our love, and we’re excited to share with you the next part in our journey.

Elizabeth and Leela

X X X

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The British Diaries

Ep 111: WE’RE BACK! Restoring a 1920s narrowboat

We’re back, baby! And with a new print! Pre Order now here. Each print is going to Maggie’s improvement and hull restoration. There’s a lot we need to do. Leela and I are so happy to get back to it and sharing our love of history and boating with you. Big Love, Elizabeth and Leela x

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The British Diaries

A Grand Return to the Waterways

Congratulations- you survived and made it to Spring! I cannot tell you the relief I am feeling with the sunshine on my face. Suddenly, everything feels a lot more positive. Painting feels easier, Leela is happier not being covered in mud after her walks, and I don’t have to put a fire on first thing in the morning.

Finally, it feels like I can enjoy boat life again.

And with that comes the ability to create real content. I have been busy filming and editing videos, the first to be released this Friday and I have been incredibly excited about its subject matter- World War Two on the canals.

With Maggie being built in 1928 and worked on by the people that would have been alive during the First World War, delving into the WW2 felt natural. Maggie was based in Birmingham during the bombings, where she suffered a wall collapse at Gas Street Basin. All of that, she survived.

As you may well know, I have been writing a book about the lost history of women of the waterways- one of my favourite segments is about the Idle Women of the canals. It felt quite poignant to me that my boat would also be “doing her bit”, still working as a haulage boat, (for Samual Barlow at that point) and it occurred to me, what would it be like to live and work on these canal boats during the war? And not just that- what would it be like for the people on land as they coped through rations and growing their own food?

Which led me to my next experiment.

Dig For Victory.

Initiated in 1939, the UK Government called the public to join “The Garden Front”, encouraging all to start growing their own food. It was a concern that with our ships being targeted by the enemy, that Hitler would attempt to starve us into surrender. Our ships were also needed to move our armed forces, weapons and supplies to fight in the war. With our pre-war stats of having 75% of our food imported, the Government knew that something would have to be done. We needed to be as self sufficient as possible.

Flowers were pulled up in every garden and replaced with potatoes, carrots, onions and anything else you could stick in the soil. Nothing was wasted or thrown away. Full dedication was required. Verges, public parks, and even Buckingham Palace’s gardens were revolutionised.

This was one of the reasons I decided to make the leap and get myself an allotment.

I have been boating for about eight years now. I have never had my own bricks or mortar- or my own garden, and I have no idea when I will get to that point in my life. The one thing I do yearn for is my own space where I can grow fruit and veg.

But surely you can plant some flower boxes on your roof, Elizabeth?

I don’t want a boat roof garden of a couple of boxes.

I want a proper garden where Leela can play whilst I rake and dig beneath the sun and eventually collapse into a chair where I can have a glass of cider with my mother. I mention my mother, because although she may not realise it- I need all of her green thumb knowledge. I want to have that experience for myself. I spent my childhood watching my Nan and mother take care of their gardens, fuss over their sheds and greenhouses. My sister and I would be on watering duties every sundown in Spring, help pull out the weeds, and then be put to work in the paddock by our Granddad.

Everything I associate with gardening is a happy memory of family.

The allotment where I am now, was started in 1919 to combat the Great Depression. Soldiers returning and unable to find work, needed to be able to bring in food another way. The green space thrived and served its community well.

During the Second World War, the allotment burst again with life, families and children working together to be able to put food on the table. We had to think outside of the box and make do with what we could grow on our own.

I like this idea of self sufficiency. And whereas I am not experienced in gardening, or planting of any sort, I want to delve into learning a new skill. I want to be able to bring food home and know that whatever happens or if money is short, I can go to the allotment and be fed through my own hard work. Sometimes I feel like I am drowning in technology and social media, the world so different from my childhood. I want to go back to a simpler time where I can work hard and return home to a cup of tea, some custard creams and watch Last of the Summer Wine with Leela.

I’ve started filming this plunge into history already, still showing what it’s like living on a boat, but giving a historical context into this new endeavour. I will also be looking into life on the canals during this turbulent time, how the Idle Women coped and what we can learn from them today.

On top of this, there will be slashes of Medieval History on the days that I’ll be working at the Battle of Bosworth Museum as a Battlefield Tour Guide (my costume is fabulous), and I’ll no doubt be sharing what paintings I am working on and selling.

In spirit of this history exploration, I am launching a letter-writing subscription. In a world where we are so inundated with emails, texts, social media messages, I feel as though we’ve lost something along the way. I’ve always loved handwriting letters, and I feel as though it is a dying art. I will be offering a subscription service to anyone who would like a bit more of the 1940s taste to be kept updated on what has been going on with our boat restoration project, and have a little something extra included inside- it could be a gift from the museum or something home made, but it will be something chosen with love from Leela and I, sent from the English Waterways.

Leela would like you to see our new Fine Art Print, which is now available on the shop- mostly because it is a painting of her on the boat. It is aptly named “Boat Dog” (Leela wanted something grand, but I wanted to stay straight to the point) and is available in sizes A4 and A5. Each one sold goes towards our home’s historical restoration of her hull and interior improvement plans. You can also grab the first art print of Malvern here.

I am so excited to share with you what is in stall this Spring. Medieval history, The Great War, the Second World War, Idle Women, Allotment growing, Dig for Victory, boat jobs, painting AND, of course- writing books. You can watch the episodes early and get access to private blogs and extracts from the fourth Maddox Black book I am still working on, by signing up to be a Patron here.

Sending you all of our love and thank you so much for being here with us.

It really means the world after all of this time,

Elizabeth and Leela x

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The British Diaries

Ep 102: The start of my 1928 narrowboat restoration journey!

Maggie (aka Malvern) has been on these canals since 1928! It comes as little surprise that now is the time to start preparing for her hull’s restoration and internal modernisation! How hard can it be, right? All our love, Lizbef and Leela x x x

MALVERN
Wildflowers Gold Leaf Bookmark
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The British Diaries

Saving Malvern- Can Elizabeth do it?

It’s been a while.

For those who don’t know, I left my temporary mooring back in November. It was a chance for a fresh start, and my stay there was only supposed to be short term to do some repairs on Maggie.

Little was I to know that just a month later, those little repairs would turn into my biggest project yet.

Yes, I’m talking about Maggie aka Malvern’s complete overhaul and restoration.

Why so drastic, Liz?

What was a previous intention of getting her hull blacked, swiftly turned into a discovery that she would need an entire hull overhaul. The past owner from 2019 revealed a survey from Maggie, a very comprehensive and thorough report that made suggests and gave a quote of what needed to be done to preserve her legacy for the future.

This 2019 quote gave a recommendation, which was estimated to cost between £10k-£15k.

I was glad when I was sitting down when I read the quote, but for some reason, I had been expecting far worse. I had been prepared for Malvern needing some work during my custodianship of her, and had been attempting to save on the side for an upcoming survey, some light welding work and blacking for the oncoming Summer.

And then the reading continued.

For the recommended “fix” to happen, it mean removing Maggie’s fitout, which is the interior.

This would mean that after the steelwork had been done, a complete refit of the interior would have to take place, which at a very tight budget would start at £15k and more than likely be much more at completion.

I can’t lie; the temptation to sell her and give up was high. I talked about it with my friends, my family and the empty shadows of the boat night after night until all I felt was a failure.

I tried calculating how many paintings I would have to create to raise the minimal £30k to get her work done. But I was already burnt out, exhausted and the toll of Winter had already begun to settle in my bones.

But with an existing commission list calling my attention, I tried to push my worries aside until I would have more time and energy to formulate a plan. I needed to work on what was presently in front of me. I needed to focus.

But time continued on and I had fallen into a dark hole of hopelessness. I barely dressed or left the boat, keeping myself to my desk and staring at a wall, willing for the energy to come to lift up a paintbrush.

I was doing sums on my calculator, trying to figure out how much money I would have to save each month just to get to the £30k target by the Summer, when I thought about the option of creating a Fine Art Print.

I had never painted Maggie before. Or even any of my previous boats.

A photograph of her sat in front of me, my favourite image of my first mooring spot in the May of 2022. It had felt like the most surreal and magical time first setting off on her. Of course, I was absolutely terrified at first, and so much went wrong, but as soon as I moored up, there was a sense of excitement for the future and where Maggie would take me with Leela.

I decided to paint that image there and then, pouring all of my heart and soul into that piece. I knew every single line of that boat as I drew my brush across the crisp white paper. Every nuance, shadow and sharp edge.

No one is going to love this boat as you love her, Elizabeth, I told myself. You have to try. You have to.

And so, I created a restoration effort to save Maggie.

To be a custodian of a historic boat means that you are given the privilege to ensure her history lives on. And I really truly do feel as though Maggie has a spirit of her own. She wants to be saved. She wants to be brought back to her former glory. And I am determined to ensure that her future on the canals is a long and happy one.

Maybe I’ve always been a sucker for the underdog. To overcome all odds. That’s how I feel now.

But I really am going to give this project the best go I possibly can.

Each month leading to June, I will be releasing a Fine Art print of Malvern and the Waterways through history. Each one of the 6 designs will have a limited edition run of 200 Fine Art signed prints, available in A4 and A5. In total, I will have need to sell 1100 prints to get to my target.

I don’t know if that’s even possible.

If I can sell 46 prints a week, every week to the month of June, I can preserve Malvern’s history and keep my home.

And I’m determined to work every single hour that I can to make that a reality. Maybe I’m a sadist, because although it is petrifying, I’m also excited for the challenge.

As well as doing these designs and prints, I’m creating other things for the shop as well, such as handpainted bookmarks and I’m still painting commissions.

If I pull this off, I think it will be one of the greatest achievements of my life.

I honestly don’t know if I’ll manage to sell 1100 Fine Art Prints. It may mean I’ll have to think outside of the box, visit craft fairs and try and get them stocked in small shops.

Of all the things I don’t know about this succeeding or not, I only know that I need to try my best.

And that is what I’ll do.

I need to finish this by saying thank you so much for your encouragement and love during this new restoration project. It’s that comfort that has kept me focused on what could go right rather than wrong and kept the dread at bay. I honestly didn’t see myself doing another refit. But here we are.

I’m going to be upfront with all of the costs, the survey and will do a video about the thorough 2019 inspection and my search for a yard to do the job in the Summer. I have a counter on my Instagram page where I update daily on how many prints have sold so far. I promise you, that I will always do my best by Malvern/Maggie.

Let’s do it for the plot, shall we?

If you would like to buy a Malvern Fine Art Print, click the link below!

MALVERN

MALVERN

Price range: £19.28 through £35.50

Malvern, aka “Maggie”, built in 1928 has survived The Great Depression, World War 2 and is now faced with her biggest challenge yet. a full restoration of her hull and interior to preserve her legacy and future. Not only that, Malvern is my home, and as her guardian, it is now up to me to…

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All of our love, Elizabeth, Leela and Maggie x x x

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The British Diaries

Book News from a Boat! Maddox Black Returns!

I think it’s only fair to tell you where I’m at with writing my new history book and of course, Maddox Black, the salty sailor and demon hunter, herself. If you’d like to join as a Patron to read the new extracts, please head to https://www.patreon.com/earlewrites To buy the new art piece, send me an email at earlewrites@gmail.com To buy a Maddox Black book, head to https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B087JGWDWH?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks