Research

Inspiration

I’ve always been passionately interested in Ancient History. One of the very first stories I ever wrote was in my Year 7 History Class. It was a time-slip story of a modern girl (me) who wakes up in Neanderthal times and I wrote it on pretty yellow paper. I think I got an ‘A’ for it.

Many years later, I was reading adult novels such as William Golding’s ‘The Inheritors’ and Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series, and I thought I’d like to write a story I could share with my own children.

I was sure about three things:

It would be a Quest story, with an unlikely hero
It would have mammoths and wolves and Neanderthal’s in it, and
It would be set in the Paleolithic age, approximately 30 000 years ago, in Northern European, close to the ice shelf that covered Finland and Scandinavia in the last stages of the Ice Age.

I spent a year as an Exchange Student in Rovaniemi, Lapland in Northern Finland, and it is my experiences with the forests and snow and the long winter that I used to create Tarin’s world.

Some photos of my recent research trip. The photos are taken in Winter in Saariselka, Finland, a small village in Northern Finland.

History

The history I’ve used to create Tarin’s world is as authentic as possible, always remembering that Tarin of the Mammoths is a work of fiction.

Approximately 30 000 years ago, people lived in earth lodges made of mammoth bones and animals hides in places such as Mezhirich in Ukraine and Kostenki in Russia.

Neanderthal tools have been found as far north as Byzovaya in Northern Russia. And 30 000 years ago, mammoths, bison and aurochs roamed the steppes and cave lions and cave bears were larger than their modern day equivalents.

I hope you enjoy following Tarin on his journey, in this world of so long ago.

These photos were taken at the Natural History Museum in Helsinki.

Research Team

I have a trusted team of research assistants who help me when I'm writing my books. Check them out below...

My intrepid researchers, Sarj, Chris, Alex and Georgie, who journeyed with me to Finnish Lapland and helped me replicate Tarin's journey.

They have been headbutted by reindeers and slobbered over by huskies, our wolf substitutes. They have trekked far into the wilderness and eaten salmon soup prepared over an open fire. They have blundered through snow drifts two metres deep and have tobogganed down one of the world's largest toboggan runs. They have braved snow storms and stood in the middle of frozen lakes for hours in minus 36 degree temperatures, searching the sky for the Northern Lights.

And they have experienced Kaamos, Polar Night, that special time of year in Lapland when the sun doesn't rise above the horizon, and the world is bathed in blue twilight.

Thanks, Team. You are wonderful!

Now… about our next trip…

Editorial Team

I couldn't do what I do without the help of my trusty editorial team. As you can see, they're very special!

Elle:
Elle is a rough and tumble girl who loves digging and ripping out plants. She sits next to me while I'm writing and growls at me when I move.
Dislikes: Grooming salons.

Kibo:
Warrior Queen.
She worships the sun.
Dislikes: Everything else, especially Misty.

Misty:
The youngest and naughtiest. She thinks she's a dog and likes wrestling with Elle.
Dislikes: Kibo, who she says is a big stupid head.

Heera:
Hindi for 'Diamond.' He's my black panther. His special skills are head bops and cuddles. He reminds me when it's dinner time by sitting on my computer keyboard.

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