History with heart: I take inspiration from the past like the Saxon and Roman echoes of Britain because history is more than dates and kings. It’s the lives of ordinary people, their struggles, their resilience. 

Discover my own fantasy fiction, crafted for readers who appreciate strong female protagonists and stories with grit, poetry with soul, and history with heart. Explore the worlds I've built and the characters I've brought to life.

Hello, and welcome to Half Sick of Shadows.

I’m a writer with a lifelong love of history, mythology, language, and fantasy. Living in a small Saxon-rich village in North Lincolnshire, I was inspired when an archaeological dig uncovered roundhouses and a burial mound on our village green. That moment lit the spark that became my writing stories where the past is never far away, where legends whisper through the present. 

My work blends gritty fantasy with lyrical, poetic touches, rooted in the struggles of characters who fight not only for survival, but for identity, freedom and belonging. At its heart is Seraphina, a young woman whose journey mirrors the timeless challenges faced by women across eras finding strength in adversity, confronting betrayal, and carving out her place in a fractured world.

This blog is where I weave it all together: stories, poems, musings, and the shadows of history that continue to shape the present.

So whether you’re here for fantasy, poetry, or simply to wander through a world where myth meets memory, I’m glad you’ve found your way here.

The Saxon Echoes in Child of Conquest

When I began writing Child of Conquest: Daughter of Ashes, I found myself looking back to the land around me — the fields, the river, and the Saxon traces still hidden beneath the soil of my own village. An archaeological dig here uncovered a burial mound and round houses, and I couldn’t help but imagine the lives once lived there. That sense of forgotten voices gave shape to my world.

I didn’t want to write strict history , this is fantasy , but I wanted the names and places to carry the echo of that world. Something that felt like it might once have been spoken in a Saxon hall, reshaped into a realm that belonged to Seraphina’s story.

Seraphina’s hamlet, Raeburn, is rooted in the Saxon habit of naming places after natural features. Burn meant stream, so Raeburn becomes “the stream by the roe deer.” For me, it’s more than just a village, it represents innocence, the life Seraphina must leave behind. Her childhood friend, Aldwyn, carries a name from Old English meaning “old friend.” It felt right for the boy who grew up at her side, now torn between loyalty, love, and jealousy. Birjer, the fierce Northman, draws on Norse roots meaning “protector.” Yet he is no gentle guardian; he protects his pride, his honour, and, in his own way, Seraphina. I wanted him to feel as strong and unyielding as the northern winds.

The Ealdraed, the ruling council, take their name from the Saxon word ealdor , elder, ruler. It carries the weight of tradition, but in my story their wisdom is as cold and heavy as stone. Arden, the White City, has its name borrowed from ardu, meaning “high place.” It stands proud and luminous, yet cold and watchful, demanding loyalty while offering little warmth. To me, Arden became almost a character in itself  beautifu but cold, 

By reshaping these old echoes into new forms, I wanted to give Seraphina’s world the feel of something both ancient and alive. A place where myth, memory, and struggle are woven together much like the real voices of the Saxons who once walked this land.

For Lovers of Fantasy

New on Wattpad: Child of Conquest – Daughter of Ashes

I’m so excited to share that my book, Child of Conquest: Daughter of Ashes, is now available to read on Wattpad.

This story grew out of my fascination with history and myth. While it’s firmly set in the realm of fantasy, its roots lie in the upheaval of 5th century Britain, when the Romans had left and the land was caught between old ways and new.

At the heart of the tale is Seraphina, a young woman whose quiet life in the hamlet of Raeburn is shattered. Thrown into a world of war, betrayal, and ambition, she must survive not only by her wits but by facing the shadows of her father’s mysterious past. Alongside her stand two very different men, Adwyn her her childhood friend, torn between love and jealousy and the Birjer the fierce Northman, driven and unyielding, a man who bends the world rather than yields to it.

Child of Conquest is a story of resilience, identity, and finding your place in a fractured world. Though born of history, it speaks to struggles that many of us. If you love fantasy with grit, buried secrets, political betrayal, a dash of romance, and a heroine who won’t be broken, I’d love for you to give it a read and let me know what you think.

 

The Women of Saxon Britain

Life in 5th century Britain was far from easy, especially for women. Yet women were not always powerless. From healers and wise-women to landholders and warriors remembered in myth, their roles shaped communities in ways often forgotten by history. In Child of Conquest, Seraphina’s struggle for survival and identity is rooted in this legacy  a reflection of both the burdens and resilience women carried.

Saxon Echoes

Saxon Struggles: The Inspiration Behind Child of Conquest

Step back in time and experience the grit and resilience of Saxon Britain through my historical fantasy.

The 5th century was a time of upheaval. The Romans had withdrawn from Britain, leaving fractured lands caught between old gods and new faiths, shifting powers, and the struggles of ordinary people trying to survive in the shadow of war and uncertainty. Villages rose and fell, alliances shifted like the tides, and resilience became the lifeblood of survival.

This fascinating period gave me the spark for Child of Conquest: Daughter of Ashes. Though the tale is woven with fantasy, much of its heart lies in the echoes of a forgotten past. Places like Arden and Raeburn carry whispers of the Saxon settlements once scattered across Lincolnshire and beyond. The tensions, betrayals, and hopes of the characters reflect the very real challenges of a people left to define their own destiny when empire crumbled.

Through Seraphina’s journey, I wanted to explore how ordinary lives are shaped by extraordinary times — and how courage, identity, and belonging can rise from the ashes of loss.

If you’ve ever wondered what it might feel like to stand in that world of uncertainty, where the line between myth and history blurs, I invite you to join me there.

👉 Read the story here: Child of Conquest: Daughter of Ashes on Wattpad