This extraordinary woman is at the heart of Marriages of the Magdalene. Yet she was not the inspiration behind my novel – at least not at first, although when she entered it felt inevitable and right. My story became a personal historical imagination combining mysticism and feminism. A story often emerges as an impulse after you have spent time with a subject, years sometimes. I had been trying to rediscover lost Christianity by scraping away centuries of overlaid dross, whil

Surfing reminds me of a dance, a pas de deux with the ocean. I think that’s why I reacted when I read that a super modern pool with pre-programmed waves is to be built for surfers. No need to face shark attacks, possible drowning and all that endless boring waiting. Wonderful? I don’t think so. This is commodification again, truly the dominant power of modern life – and something immeasurably significant would be lost. For twelve years I lived near a surf beach on Victoria’s