Podcast interviews
Social media is not my cup of tea, but I do enjoy talking with real people and sharing stories that way. Thank you so much to The Travel Writing Podcast at Intrepid Times for having me on their show, in which we talked about my entire writing career, not just Chile.
It was also an honour to be interviewed for the final podcast of 2025 with Richard McColl at Colombia Calling, entitled Exploring the Heart of Chile with Natascha Scott-Stokes, in which we not only spoke about Chile, but also about “the complexities of identity and belonging as an immigrant, as well as the challenges and joys of raising a family in a foreign land.”
My live interview with the Intrepid Times Podcast was nominated for an Inspire Global Media Award in 2026. The awards “recognise excellence across the global travel media landscape, celebrating individuals and organisations bringing to life stories of sustainable, positive impact tourism”
Logo designed by Justin Clark
Living Life Adventurously
Article first published in The Sidcotian; photo credit: Louisa Gillett
The trouble with making your dreams come true is what to do with the rest of your life. I wonder if I would have done things differently if I had known this at 15, but I suspect not. In any event, I remember my worst fear was always the thought of waking up aged 35 (the oldest I could image at that point!), and being full of regret for the things I wished I had done.
Unlike my peers, I never had doubts about what I wanted to do. I knew from very early on that I was going to go down the Amazon and everything I did was within that context. My MA in Latin American History and Archaeology was preparation for my expedition; so was language school in Barcelona, and attending the annual Expedition Planning Events at the Royal Geographical Society in London. Two marriage proposals were turned down during and after university, not least because I could hardly expect someone to wait for me while I followed my real passion.
Most publishers refused to bet any money on me, convinced I would not live to tell my tale, but I did, and Random House in the UK published An Amazon and a Donkey in 1991. It was a wonderful culmination to my life’s dream. But already, on reaching the Brazilian city of Belém at the mouth of the Amazon River, I had been confronted with the powerful realization that making your dream come true is a hollow victory if you have no one to share it with. Soon the future yawned ahead like a black hole and I felt bereft of purpose and very lonely.
Of course I discovered that a passion for adventure is not something that is quenched with one journey. Sooner or later, inspiration for another project comes along and I have tried hard to make each one happen. Some got turned into books (The Amber Trail andChickenbus Journey). My greatest joy, however, came from finding someone to join me, who managed to survive 20 years in my company before fading away into another life. I am left with two sons and a huge well of gratitude.
And still I am not ready to admit that I am finished with passion or adventure! My sons laugh incredulously at me when I tell them I intend to buy a motorcycle for my very own South American road trip. They see a small woman with silver hair who has to stand on tip toe to kiss their cheeks. But I know that all I need is someone to teach me how to ride a Yamaha 250 and I’m off. The protective gear has been in my cupboard ever since we emigrated to Chile in 2006. Little do they realize the only reason I had sons was to help raise the sails in the South Pacific, but I’m beginning to see I may need a grown man for that one…
I love them both!
Article first published in The Biographer’s Craft
Memoir was recently referred to as the evil twin of biography (TBC, April 2017), which perhaps explains why the spot dedicated to ‘First-Person Narrative’ at our May conference in Boston remained embarrassingly empty. Indeed, the table seemed so big and so bare compared to the busy hub of discussions going on elsewhere, the five who did gather there hardly dared to sit down. To keep within the family metaphor, I am personally much more disturbed by the twins’ step-sister Biofiction. What bizarre progeny is that?
When I stop to think about it, perhaps it was a bit odd to propose this particular topic for discussion at a gathering of people committed to objective research in telling people’s lives. Yet, as writers, we can surely all agree there is a place for experimentation with first-person narrative, even within the serious presentation of a life: an epilogue that describes a particularly thrilling discovery, for example. And what about Ruth Scurr’s celebrated presentation of John Aubrey’s life, written as if it were his voice?
In any event, it has been said that in their choice of subjects for research, biographers are always telling a story of their own – whether they realize it or not. And what is wrong with that, if it helps to fine tune the author’s empathy and intuition? I detect a distinct hint of jealousy for the freedom of memoir; a bit of sour grapes for the slack regard for proper references and sources; and even envy for memoir’s enduring popularity. But surely there is no need to be so prickly. It ought to be possible to acknowledge the differences and unique nature of each member of the life-writing family and plenty of highly regarded writers have experimented not only with memoir, but also with autobiography (is it triplets then?).
But therein lies the nub: the specific differences have not been clarified to everyone’s satisfaction. Identities have been confused and honors inappropriately granted, so an insistence on clarity is not only correct, it is fundamental to good relations. In the meantime, though, it would be nice not to feel like I’ve let the side down in daring to write a memoir.
I rejoice in my love for serious biography, both as a reader and as a writer. I hope our relationship lasts a lifetime. But I make no apologies for having partied with beguiling memoir. It was a one-off thing, to be sure, but I’ve never had more fun nor learned as much – it was the making of me.
Wild Heart: Growing up Forty Years Late is looking for an agent.