Creating Amiere

My world all revolves around castles. You really were no-one in my time unless you had a really big castle, preferably built out of stone! The idea for the Amiere stories came directly from the writer's days spent running around many castles both as a child and as an adult with children. Today, castles are fun places to explore and there is nothing more exciting than battlements, moats and dungeons! Here are some real-life castles that you can visit, all of which inspired the Amiere locations.
Hedingham Castle

Stansted Mountfitchet
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Hedingham Castle

Hedingham Castle
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Hedingham Castle

Pleshey Castle
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Saxons & Normans

My noble family and I are Norman and came over to live in England following the Norman Invasion by William The Conqueror in 1066. Many other people who live around the Castle, like my friend Brecc, are Saxon.​ Learn more about Saxons and Normans by clicking on the banner of Saxon King Harold Godwinson or the flag of William The Conqueror's Normandy.

Drawing the past

Ink, parchment and quill pens? We don't think so! Amiere illustrator, Tony Wicks, blends traditional artwork with modern computer technology to bring to life Amiere's world and the characters who live in it. Watch the time-lapse video below to see Tony creating the cover artwork for the second book in the series, Amiere and the Witch...

Embroidery

Embroidery was very important in my time. It was a lady's pastime, the only real option for decorating your castle and a way of recording and telling history. An important part of my own tale is told in the most famous piece of embroidery of all time - The Bayeux Tapestry, which tells the story of the Norman Invasion. The Amiere logo is based on the look of the wording in this ancient work of art. Click the Tapestry section below to find out more about it's story and history...