Jamie L. Harding

“She did not respond, only clung harder to my embrace, and I held her with all the afflictions of a man torn by love. What a miracle she was, what a truly exquisite paragon of beauty and virtue so incredibly combined. And all perhaps wrenched from my grasp because of a war I had no real interest in nor knowledge of. In that moment I did not care who won, if only it would end and I could be with her. I would accept the whole responsibility of defeat if I had to, if only it meant a life with her by my side.I just wanted her. Needed her. As simply and clearly as one needs food and oxygen and light, I needed her in my life.And above us, flittering tranquilly in the trees above, the finches and skylarks continued to sing peacefully into the fading sun.”

“The best thing about being a writer is that 'work' is always something you love, plus usually accompanied by tea, coffee and cakes of some sort.”

“If you're going to fall in love with anyone, fall in love with a writer. Allow yourself to become immortalised in words.”

“Writing is about taking everyday observations, things which people see almost every day of their lives, and yet bringing it to their attention for the very first time.”

“Writers are not just writers, they are creators of worlds, sculptors of the mind, they are architects of language.”