What is your story, Bethany?

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I did my PhD in the UK on Medieval Manuscripts and Literary Archives, and this fuelled my desire to actually get a work of fiction down on paper. My Masters was in Medieval and Tudor Studies and I felt very lucky to spend every Friday morning ensconced in the Cathedral Archives in Canterbury (England) studying medieval manuscripts and learning more about the people who wrote and read them. I also used to curate for the National Trust in England and so have been fortunate to work in, visit, explore and research a plethora of beautiful historical landscapes, many of which have stayed with me in my mind, which fuel creative endeavours.

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I moved from the UK to Australia in 2017 and settled in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges just outside Melbourne. I work for a local government agency and am actively involved in archival sector development, regularly giving papers and working collaboratively with sector colleagues to advance our profession.

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Where do your ideas for stories come from, Bethany?

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I guess I have always been a writer and a reader. I became a historian in my 20s, and trained to be an archivist in my 30s. I’m now in my 40s, and am writing my first novel – Scandulum – and this will be the first of a trilogy. I undertake a number of creative writing courses and also read widely, both in fiction, but also in non-fiction, with a particular interest in all things medieval!

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