Joe, I'd never thought about the obvious fate/palms of hands connection, so thanks for the pointer.

And the good ol' Brontes, yes they lived in the parsonage at Haworth and went to freezing cold churches twice on Sundays to hear sermons of Hell fire and damnation.

I went on a school trip to Haworth when I was ten and still have the book I produced of my experiences. Here's my conclusion (btw, Crossgates is where I lived then):
"I enjoyed my stay in Haworth very much, and I thought the youth hostel was very nice. I prefer Haworth to Crossgates, with one exception, the high street which is too commercialised. I wonder what the Brontes would have thought of the way Haworth is today."

I read through this recently and was astonished as to how little my writing had changed in the intervening years - I still get confused over where to put the commas!

As for Wuthering Heights, you must finish it! That's an order!

Right, I'm off for a walk on the imaginary moors.

Adele.

Someone mentioned John Masefield and brought back one of my favourite childhood books - The Midnight Folk. I must've taken it out of the library every six months or so, but when I tried to buy it I couldn't find it. The first book I ever read on my own was called 'The Witch's Cat', I think - my sister got it from the library for me on her ticket, and I fell in love with reading. I loved all those pony books about girls called Jill who lived in idyllic, detached country cottages and owned two ponies but considered themselves poor. Even in my 1960s childhood they were rather post-war and dated. Everyone said 'Gosh!' and 'Golly!' a lot.

The book that made me want to write was probably Black Beauty, as the first thing I remember writing was an alternative ending in which Ginger didn't die, after all.

Another book about a child having a prolonged out-of-body experience is 'Jenny' by Paul Gallico. I read it in my late teens and have re-read it many times since. I defy anyone not to cry at the end of this one!

Julie