I was first introduced to ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ in 1962, and have been a devout admirer of J R R Tolkien ever since. In those pre-Silmarillion days I, like many others, “wanted more”, and so began tentative efforts to write some myself. My first attempts were, naturally enough, set in Middle-earth, but as time went by and more of Tolkien’s work was published, I realised two things: first, that no writer could do justice to Middle-earth itself except its creator; and second, that each has something unique to say, and must create their own world in order best to say it. Hence Earda was born, based geographically on north-west Europe ten thousand years ago, and stemming emotionally from my lifelong love of British myth and British landscape. My writing is still very much inspired by Tolkien, and my goals, in attempting to evoke atmosphere and stimulate the emotional response of the reader, are similar. I am not jumping on the current bandwagon here; this story has taken over ten years to research and write.

Other information: my name is Christine Davidson. I’m older than I’d like to be, short (about Holt’s height) and proud of it. I have a husband, two children and two grandchildren; I have been an active member of the Tolkien Society since 1981. Over the years my hobbies have included singing (folk and opera), dance, theatre, costume-making and historical re-enactment. Writing is no longer a hobby— it’s a way of life.