All three of these feature prominently in my Work In Progress – a dual timeline adult novel. For many of us, royalty are endlessly fascinating, with their lavish lifestyles, their centuries-old castles and palaces and the intrigues that swirl in their wake. Diamonds have dazzled men and women for as long as they have been mined and almost no one is immune to their siren call. And miniatures – whether dollhouses or trains or furniture or portraits – fascinate me. Imagine a Lilliputian world of secret doorways and passageways, hidden treasures, tea sets so small you need tweezers to pick up a cup – or miniature cars with working piston engines! Curious, now?