lorna cook

Welcome to my website. I live by the sea with my husband, two small daughters and a dog called Socks.

When I'm not Instagramming pictures of the seaside, I write dual-timeline books that weave secrets of the past with the present. My first book The Forgotten Village, (The Forgotten Wife in Canada) will be published in Spring 2019 with international editions to follow. Click the 'books' tab above to read more about it. 

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Page proofs have arrived! It’s time to hunker down and catch all the typos I missed the first fifteen times I’ve read my own book.
Frosty and quiet. Beautifully lit and utterly magical. We were treated to a sneak preview of Enchanted Audley End earlier in the week and then saw Christ’s College choir sing carols straight after. Now I’m feeling festive.
Gates that have been removed and a drive that goes nowhere. Sunken gardens and babbling streams. I’ve just been treated to a fabulous night at a spa. The mix of new build spa nestled amongst listed heritage gardens where J M Barrie and Winston Churchill once wandered is wonderful. An wintertime feast for the eyes. #amwriting #amediting #writersofinstagram #authorsofinstagram
It’s only November but if Fortnum & Mason says it’s Christmas then it’s Christmas. Time to put hampers on trees. 🎄 Has anyone started doing anything festive yet? Or still too early? x
Abandoned Underground 🚇 This weekend I was lucky enough to join an ace English Heritage tour of the abandoned Aldwych/Strand underground station. Closed in the early 90’s, peeling back the layers exposes the original Edwardian features. There’s also paint that glows in the dark to guide you out and the beautiful original ticket office. The station is now used for training and filming and any film or tv show with a tube scene was probably filmed there. A fascinating piece of hidden England. What have you been up to this weekend?
CAN YOU SEE WHAT I SEE? In the spirit of Halloween...A while ago I was cruising through some photos on the internet before I made it down to Tyneham to commence research. I have no idea who took this photo but when I saw it online, I stopped and did a double take. Look at the thicket. I see two faces. One by the tree trunk. One to the left. Do you? A trick of the light, maybe. Happy Halloween everyone #ghosts #halloween
RESEARCH: I wanted to share these three excellent tomes with you. They had such an impact on my debut novel The Forgotten Village, due out in April. In it the village of Tyneham, and it’s Manor House are requisitioned in entirety and never returned. I’m about to dive into research books for my second novel and after two years of flicking through these old faithfuls, am now putting them back on the bookshelf. #authorsofinstagram #bookstagram #amreading #amwriting
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. Those greens, oranges and yellows. #authorsofinstagram #autumn
This is my weekend reading. A country house full of secrets and lies with a dash of World War Two. Am half way through and loving it. What are you reading?
A wonderful day biking 🚲 with family and friends and then stopping on the seafront for a roast dinner. Best start to autumn weekends. 🍂 What did you get up to today?
What’s everyone reading at the moment? I’m so lucky to have received an advanced copy of this. I adore @gill.paul1 This is my second of her Russian novels and I’m lazing in bed with a giant mug of coffee ☕️ and a great book. Hope your Sunday is as relaxing as mine. (It won’t last...I hear the children. CBeebies must have switched itself off. 😩)
‘Another wet and windy day in Greendale.’ ☀️ 🌊 🚤 🏖
Antiques hunting in a 1925 railway carriage. As you do. Hope everyone else had a wonderful Sunday. #antique #authorsofinstagram
Stones the colour of honey, plenty of gables and heaps of history. Also, my home last week in Wiltshire. A perfect hotel for frazzled parents and energetic children. Ah bliss.
Scotney Castle’s beautiful moat; perfectly still. The National Trust estate has two houses here. The previous owners built the new castle up the hill and kept this old one anyway. Because, why not? Two castles are better than one. Everybody knows that. #nationaltrust #walledgarden
I love stumbling across abandoned buildings. The mind runs wild with plot ideas. This once-lovely house sits just inside the grounds of a fabulous animal sanctuary, nestled within the treeline. It’s fenced off, the windows have gone and the chimneys have collapsed. But check out that lovely porch. 🏡
I’m going in. First edits back from my lovely editor at Avon. I’ll either be head down getting on with it or on social media ALL day, procrastinating wildly. Wish me luck! 💻 📚
In the gardens Robert Dudley planted for Elizabeth I. And in the background, his house-destroyed through neglect.
A rusted gate holding such manicured treasures behind. An author’s dream day out.🌳🌹
 
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