I love the internet. I’m writing a book set during the reign of Henry VIII, before the dissolution of the monsateries, and I found a pres-dissolution map of London online, so all the churches and monasteries are included.

 I love this map, even though it isn’t possible to print it off and paste the pieces together. They’ve done something to the scale, so it doens’t all match up, but I don’t care. I can happily wander the streets and get an idea of where everything is. I sat with the index and looked through every listing to find the street my hero really lived on, which was great, and I fell even deeper in love with my story because of this great map.

The cartographer drew little boats and ships in the Thames, little trees in the gardens, little horse-drawn carts and people on the roads. There is an strong element of art to the map which is why people (including me) hang old maps on their walls. They are beautiful and useful (if you’re a historical writer) – functional art.

How do you find your way around the inner landscape of your work?