My holiday book this year was the fascinating novel “The Maids Of Biddenden” by G D Harper. It is really an ”imagined biography” – a novel based on the legendary story of Mary and Eliza Chaulkhurst, the 12th century conjoined twins who hailed from Biddenden, Kent. A really heart warming and inspirational story of two women, with two distinctly different personalities and two different careers but sharing the one body. Although it is an imagined biography, the storyline isn’t far fetched and I was drawn into the world of the twins from the start. I loved the fact that although they were one body they were definitely two distinct people in their own right. I could easily imagine how frightened people were when they first encountered the twins, and how innocent the twins were, thinking that everybody starts life conjoined. This novel piqued my interest in finding out more about the twins, I cried at the cruelty, I laughed at the antics and petty quarrels between the girls and my heart melted when they encountered people who treated them with kindness. This book is the first in a new historical fiction trilogy highlighting little known stories from Kent and Sussex, by author GD Harper ( although , he has written 3 brilliant psychological thrillers – Love’s Long Road, A Friend In Deed and Silent Money). I couldn’t wait to chat to Glyn to find out more about the Maids of Biddenden … Hi Glyn! Please introduce yourself 😊

Hello! I went to Glasgow University in 1975 and lived in the city’s West End, the time and place for the setting of the majority of my first two novels, Love’s Long Road and Silent Money.

I also worked in Russia and Ukraine for ten years, which gave me ideas for the plot and setting that I used in my third novel, “A Friend in Deed”. Although somewhat overtaken by recent events, I think it still remains an entertaining read.

I now live in East Sussex, not far from Biddenden in Kent, which is the setting for my latest novel, The Maids of Biddenden, the imagined biography of Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, conjoined twins born in 1100 into a wealthy family from the small Kent village of Biddenden. When they died they left their money to charity, which almost 900 years later still gives donations to the elderly of the village every Easter Monday, making it one of oldest continuous charity doles in England. Visitors to the village when the dole is handed out can buy Biddenden cakes, shaped in the image of the Maids. They are rock-hard and inedible, but store well and are kept as souvenirs.

I became a full-time author in 2016. My writing was placed third in the Lightship Prize for first-time authors and has won a 2016 Wishing Shelf Award Red Ribbon, longlisted for the 2017 UK Novel Writing Competition, the Wishing Shelf 2018 awards, the 2020 Page Turner Writer Award, the 2021 Flash 500 Award, the 2021 Impress Prize and the 2021 Exeter Novel Prize. The Maids of Biddenden was number one in Medieval History on amazon.com in the month it was launched.

Who or what inspired you to research and write about The Maids of Biddenden? 

When you arrive in Biddenden, you are greeted by a village sign of the two women side-by-side and the same image is seen throughout the village. It is an astonishing story, and one that I always tell when I’m showing visitors around this beautiful part of Kent. But when I am asked specific questions about them, I realise how little factual information is known about Eliza and Mary. For a novelist, this is actually good news as I realised I had a largely blank canvas to describe a possible life for them. 

That was the inspiration for me writing, The Maids of Biddenden. I used the real-life historical events and characters of the time to give a factual backcloth to the story and carefully researched what was known about rural life in Kent at that time and the places where the book is set; Malling, Maidstone, Tenterden, Ashford, Canterbury and, of course, Biddenden itself. 

I really enjoyed reading your book, “The Maids of Biddenden”.  Although the novel is based on legendary story of the 12th century conjoined twins Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst and is essentially an imagined biography, I loved the portrayal of the twins and could imagine the reactions from people that met them. I loved that the twins had distinctly different personalities and I did giggle a bit when Eliza had a love interest! My heart melted when they were given a looking glass and I was so upset when Mary became ill.  They were definitely my favourite characters in the novel but I also had a soft spot for Sister Agnes, Gerbert and Gaston. Which characters were challenging to write about? 

I think Gudrun, the Maids’ stepmother was the most challenging. The twins spend their early years hidden away and being cared for by nuns, so she doesn’t meet them until they are six years old and is horrified both by the sight of them and the fact that she believes the family will be shunned if they return with them to Biddenden and so plots to stop that from happening. But over the course of the book she begins to accept and then admire them, and by the end she holds them in even higher esteem than the villagers do themselves. It was important to me to make this significant character as credible and believable as I think it has a message about how attitudes to disability are changing in today’s society as well. 

 Did you have any favourite characters?

Eliza and Mary are of course my favourites, but I enjoyed the challenge of bringing some of the minor characters to life – the outspoken alewife, Ada; the warring nobles William de Ashford and Robert de Crevecoeur, Deorwin the wise and compassionate village reeve, etc

Having already written 3 very popular psychological thrillers – Love’s Long Road; A Friend In Deed  &  Silent Money – “ The Maids Of Biddenden” is obviously a different genre (although written just as well!)  Were there any aspects of writing “The Maids Of Biddenden “ that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise, compared with writing psychological thrillers?

I was worried about how to give my author voice a historical feel without resorting to pastiche. And you can’t write in the actual language of the time as it would be incomprehensible, but you also need to make sure you don’t sound overly contemporary and avoid anachronisms. Hopefully, I’ve got the balance right, and if anything, I always veered more towards making the story easy to read rather than overly flowery and obtuse.

Growing up, have you always wanted to be an author or did you have other career aspirations? 

I had a first career in marketing, but I always wanted to be a writer. I didn’t start writing until I was in my fifties, as I think it took me until then to feel I had enough of an informed view of life to write words people would want to read.

 “The Maids Of Biddenden” is the first book of a planned trilogy of historical fiction highlighting little known stories from Kent and Sussex. Can you tell us a bit about the other books?  

It is the first part of a trilogy bringing to life obscure historical events and characters from Kent and Sussex. The outline of the second book is already defined and I’m currently working on a first draft.

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

Not as much as I’d like to be. I like reading authors who are easy to read, but have a great quality of prose that is both lyrical and evocative. I’m reading Jessie Burton’s The Miniaturist at the moment, Delia Owen’s Where the Crawdad’s Sing before that. I also love the imagery in Ian McEwan’s books. 

And being a bit of a technophobe, I always read paperbacks.

 Is “The Maids Of Biddenden” available to purchase worldwide?

Yes it is, in both paperback and e-book. I was number 16 in overall sales on Amazon in Australia at the beginning of September, number two in historical fiction behind the new Maggie O’Farrell novel. Having said I’m a technophobe, I’m amazed at how easy it is these days to market and sell books all over the world.

 If you could visit any place in the world to give you inspiration for your next book, where would you go and why? 

I’m working with facsimiles and transcriptions of 16^th-century documents at the moment, the sourcematerial for my next novel. I’d love to visit the British Library and the Bodleian Library and see the actual documents for myself and see what additional insights they reveal.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

When you get to a certain age, you have to up your game when it comes to clothes if you want to look smart, you can’t get away with cheap stuff anymore. Tailored suit with t shirt and leather sneakers if I’m going out, something non-slobby if I’m nipping down to the shops.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

I like to buy my clothes in the independent shops in Brighton’s Lanes and go down and do a blitz shopthere once a year. Ted Baker and Paul Smith are the chains I like and so I pop into their shops in Covent Garden when I’m in London. I never buy clothes online.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

A new Arc’teryx waterproof jacket for wearing in the Scottish mountains. My current one is coming to the end of its useful life.

Boots or Shoes? 

I’ll say boots, as I love climbing and trekking. But if you mean for casualwear, I’ll have to choose shoes. I like boots, but they don’t like me. Always giving me blisters.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc 

Website:​​www.gdharper.com

Instagram: ​​@gdharperauthor

Thank you Glyn for agreeing to be interviewed; and thank you to Ben Cameron of Cameron Publicity & Marketing (and Glyn) for sending me a copy of ”The Maids Of Biddenden” for reviewing. My thoughts about the book are 100% mine! 😊

Linda x

All photographs have been published with the kind permission of G D Harper and copyright information on certain photos has been added.

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During holiday season what can be better than finding a good book to read? One book I took on holiday with me to review, was ”Her Private War” by David Laws…

My Review

Based around the time of World War One, this novel tells the story of Charlotte Dovedale , a woman whose ambition was to be a pilot and fly for her country. But England at that time was on the verge of war, the suffragette movement was gaining momentum and Charlotte had to put up with prejudices and setbacks – from her own mother, her brother, the powers that be…. she had Scott though, who taught her to fly, had faith in her ability and, although Charlotte hated to admit it, he was rather handsome. Determined to fly, she takes on a photographer role in a frontline air base close to the French/Belgian border. Close enough to get to the planes and show her ability but will she get a chance?????????? You’ll just have to read the book to find out! I enjoyed the story, the era it was based in, the story twists were unbelievably subtle and you can tell a lot of research went into presenting a novel that truly reflected the mood of that time.

The Interview

So, it is with great joy to welcome onto the blog this week the author, David Laws.

Hello! I’m a journalist turned thriller writer with five published novels, launching in 2018 with Munich The Man Who Said No! (Chamberlain controversy), went on to Exit Day (Brexitconspiracy) 2019 and then in 2020 The Fuhrer’s Orphans (rescuing children from the Nazis). The latest is Her Private War (exploits of a woman pilot in the First World War)

Who or what inspired you to research and write “Her Private War”?

Inspiration for my main character in Her Private War, Charlotte Dovedale, arose from a visit to the only remaining operational First World War aerodrome in this country – at a tiny Essex village called Stow Maries. They had female workers on site (in a hut separated from the rest!) and women are well represented on information displays. Stow is a wonderful resource for how things worked back then with lots of inspirational personal stories. Add in their own aircraft and hangars and other early aircraft that drop in on flying days.

I really enjoyed reading your book, “Her Private Book”.  I haven’t read many books based during World War I Britain and nowadays it is easy to forget the struggles women had to be thought about seriously, especially when it came to jobs and their roles in wartime.  I loved the character of Charlotte Dovedale! She was my absolute favourite! What character was the hardest to write? Who was the easiest?  Did you base the mannerisms of the characters on people that you have come across in your research? 

I enjoyed researching the character of Charlotte, her trials and tribulations, and when I’d got her, she appeared easily on the page. Of course, you have to remember women were actually banned from the air at that time, so my challenge was to find ways for her to break the embargo. The hardest person to write was the father of her best friend whom she idolised as a kind of substitute father. He let her down and I had to give him legitimate reasons to do so. Mannerisms… they came from watching people in buses and trains!

When you were researching in preparation for this novel, were there any aspects of life around that time in general, that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise?  

The more you get into the 1910-14 age the more surprises! Poverty at that time was such that the war was actually a boon to those who were not in immediate danger. If you hailed from the horror of the slums being called up to the forces meant three meals a day, proper beds, a nice uniform and respect for who you were. Many pleaded: please don’t stop the war! I was also able to add a little texture from the family lexicon.

Hypothetically speaking, if “Her Private War” was made into a film, who would you think would be most suited to the characters of Charlotte and Scott?

My film choices for Charlotte and Scott; Kate Winslet and Tom Holland.

Growing up, have you always wanted to be a journalist/author or did your career aspirations lie elsewhere?

I always wanted to be a reporter from my teens, started writing a magazine at school and couldn’t wait to get started. Probably wrote about a hundred letters of application before I landed a job. Asking questions of other people, that’s the key… but now I ask questions of myself instead, delving into the imagination with ‘What if….?’

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

Unsurprisingly, my favourite genre is the thriller, with Robert Harris probably the master of the art. Add in Philip Kerr, Ken Follett, Jack Higgins, Henry Porter, Peter Robinson, Robert Goddard, Gerald Seymour and Charles Cumming. I’m happy with either Kindle or paperback.

 Is “Her Private War” available to purchase worldwide?

Her Private War is available to all English speaking readers(62 reviews in the UK, 38 in the US and 35 in Canada) and there are eight European translation versions of the book, the most recent in Spain, which I visited a few weeks back to help with the launch.

If you could visit any place in the world to give you inspiration for your next book, where would you go and why? 

I’ve always fancied Amsterdam as a starter for another story… all that water, all those crimes, the paintings, the artists and the forgers. Dirty work at the crossroads, as my Mum used to say.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

As a keen walker I’m usually in outdoor gear, mostly The North Face, with Craghoppers and Karrimor boots (like slippers); on other occasions I attempt smart casual with jeans, favouring Gardeur or Meyer bought at a great little tailor’s in my local town.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

Some comfortable Oxford shoes.

Boots Or Shoes?

Oxford Shoes

Links you would like to share:

David Laws books on Amazon; 

website: https://davidlaws.co.uk

twitter@davidlawsauthor; 

Facebook; Thriller Writers@davidlawsbooks.Book

Thank you very much David for chatting to me about your book and also thank you for sending me a copy of Her Private War for reviewing. I really enjoyed the read 😊 Thanks also to Ben Cameron

All photographs have been published with kind permission of David Laws, apart from where marked.

Linda x

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I’m so pleased to be on another book tour – this time it is to highlight “Reckless Grace” by Carolyn DiPasquale – a moving memoir or as Carolyn puts it, a mother’s crash course in mental illness.

BOOK SUMMARY

Fourteen-year-old Rachel guards a collection of secrets for ten years, journaling to vent her terror and loneliness.

Following Rachel’s fatal overdose years later, her mother, Carolyn DiPasquale, stumbles upon her daughter’s diaries. Shattered, she searches for answers, retracing her steps to figure out how parents and doctors missed three major mental illnesses.

What the single, working mother recalls is a far cry from what happens, as dramatically revealed in tandem chapters gleaned from Rachel’s journals. While the mother sprints from task to task, the daughter details the baffling emergence and frightening progression of bulimia, diabulimia, and borderline personality disorder; her eventual substance abuse; and heart-wrenching reasons for not seeking help.

Despite her loss, DiPasquale hopes her story lights a path for victims of mental illness while awakening all readers.

Publisher: E.L. Marker

ISBN-10: 1947966550

ISBN-13: 978-1947966550

ASIN: ‎B09W69TT11

Print length: 440 pages
Purchase a copy of Reckless Grace on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list

MY INTERVIEW

This book is brutally honest – and although it is a sad tale, it is also one that hopefully helps other parents to spot the signs of mental illness in adolescents that can easily be missed. There is a lot of love in this book too. And a lot of heartache. I am so honoured to have Carolyn join us on the blog …. welcome Carolyn…

Hi I’m Carolyn. I’m a follower of God, a wife, mother, grandmother, and new author.

What made you decide to write down your memoir about your beautiful daughter Rachel and her struggles with mental illness, diabetes, diabulimia, bulimia and substance abuse? 

My daughter’s extraordinary journals—twenty volumes penned over ten years. When I discovered them, I felt like I’d struck gold. Rachel was guarded, and her death was abrupt. These diaries would finally let me in. They would answer my gnawing questions. However, once her secrets started to surface, I knew they had to be shared. Other people, especially parents of teenage girls, would want to know how Rachel had fallen through the medical cracks and why she’d kept quiet for fourteen years.

Your book highlighted for me how quickly your daughter’s struggles with accepting her diabetes and trying to deal with puberty and wanting to be slim quickly escalated to eating disorders and substance abuse. I have heard of anorexia and bulimia and diabetes but never heard of “diabulimia”. Before your daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, had you heard of “diabulimia”? Do you think the diabetes diagnosis and subsequent treatments were to the catalyst for her succumbing to her eating disorders and substance abuse disorder?

I had never heard of diabulimia, nor have most of my readers; indeed, this term has been unfamiliar even to RNs who have been practicing for decades.

Though other factors were involved, Rachel’s diabetes diagnosis was the catalyst. Up until then she was a happy, slender fourteen-year-old. With insulin therapy, she gained 15 pounds, her new shape clashing with the waif-like female body type pop culture was pushing in 1998. Adolescence, as you guessed, also played a part. At a time when Rachel’s autonomy should have been taking flight, diabetes, with its strict food and insulin regime, clipped her wings. Tragically, she rebelled by turning against herself.

Were there any aspects of writing your book that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to relate than you expected? 

Nothing about writing this book was easy, except knowing in my bones that it had to be done. I expected it to be emotionally taxing, but I never dreamed it would be so intellectually taxing or time-consuming. I had to pore through hundreds of pages of Rachel’s journals, not just to plumb the meaning of her poetry and prose, but also to choose from among the sea of riveting entries. Next, I had to research diabulimia and Borderline and their link to substance abuse, reading and rereading highly technical studies that I labored to convey in simple language. Then I had to figure out how to work all this information into the story in a way that was logical and compelling. Another challenge was trying to reach both Christian and secular readers.I did not want to minimize my or Rachel’s faith. Nor did I want to proselytise . I ended up cutting quite a bit of spiritual content to find that sweet spot. 

I loved your writing style and the honesty that shone through. I was also impressed and moved by Rachel’s journals – her thoughts so eloquent yet heartbreaking too. Do you feel that journal writing was a therapeutic way for Rachel to cope with what was going on in her life? Was reading Rachel’s journals and writing this memoir therapeutic for you too?

Rachel journaled for a few reasons. First to unburden her tortured soul. But she also loved writing. She constantly read good books, mostly by contemporary writers—Alice Sebold, Toni Morrison, Jodi Picoult, Elizabeth Berg. She liked to learn new words; and often defined these in the margins of her journals, applying them in that day’s entry. Mostly, Rachel wanted to be known. While guarding her deepest secrets from her family, she meticulously recorded her struggles, hoping, I can only guess, that after she died, we, and possibly a larger audience, might finally understand her.  

This project was therapeutic for me. Healing came not just from venting my emotions but also from understanding what had happened. Learning about Rachel’s disorders helped me grasp some of her baffling thought patterns and risky behaviors. Even her grip on substances and downward spiral started to make sense. My comprehension even of this tragic path somehow brought me peace. 

One thing I did feel was how easily signs of eating disorders and substance abuse can be missed by parents and by specialists and how easily addicts can “hide” the signs too. What is the main piece of advice you would give to a parent in a similar situation?

I didn’t talk to my kids enough about substances. I would caution parents to discuss this subject early and often. By early, I mean third or fourth grade, well before kids are exposed or enticed and when they still think Mom and Dad know a few things. By often, I mean monthly or at least several times a year. Parents shouldn’t lecture. These talks should be short and light—simple statements, suggestions, and questions that plant seeds about the insidious nature of alcohol and drugs so their kids make wise decisions when they grow up.

Have you always wanted to have a career in writing or did you have other aspirations?

Writing has always been my first love. Being a novelist would have been my ideal career, but it wasn’t feasible as a single mother. I settled for teaching writing; it seemed like the next best thing.

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

I chain read good literature. After word processing all day, I wouldn’t think of reading on a Kindle. I reach for the book on my nightstand. There’s something soothing about smelling and turning real pages. Though I enjoyed reading the classics in college, now, like Rachel, I prefer contemporary literature,memoirs and fiction about family dynamics and relationships. I’m currently reading Ann Tyler’s Saint Maybe. Before that I read a new memoir by Cathryn Vogeley, I Need to Tell You and A Yellow Raft on Blue Water by Michael Dorris.

 Is “Reckless Grace” available to purchase worldwide?

Yes.

 What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I like to walk and hike in any season, especially in fall when the trees are breathtaking and the cool air is perfumed with the musk of fallen leaves. I love to shop at thrift and consignment stores.It’s such a rush to find treasures for nearly nothing. I enjoy talking with female friends over coffee or wine. I LOVE reading to my granddaughters. Four-year-old Lelia and two-year-old Essie sit on either side, crunched against me on the couch, like soft,sweet-smelling bookends. Church outreach—visiting people in nursing homes and hospitals or doing Bible studies with homeless women—also gives me joy.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

I love quality clothes in flattering colors with good lines. Comfort is also key. In summer, when I’m home writing, I dress down: sleeveless linen top or cotton tee, Levi’s Bermudas, flipflops or bare feet. When I go out, I wear a linen or cotton maxi dress.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

I like TJ Maxx and Marshalls because they carry quality yet affordable shoes and clothes.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

I’m always looking for that elusive linen jacket in oatmeal white with silver buttons. I had one once, but I literally wore it out.I’m also on the lookout for stylish (never Uggs) fleece-lined winter boots for those frigid winter walks.

Boots or Shoes? 

Please don’t make me choose between boots and shoes! I love them both! I recall the foreign but wonderful smell of Italian leather filling my bedroom when my mom bought my first pair of burgundy buckle shoes. I displayed them on my dresser. From then on, I was hooked. My love of boots followed. To my chagrin, we couldn’t afford the stylish “shoe boots” other girls wore. Now, I indulge myself. My favorites are a gorgeous pair of knee-length, black leather Coach boots with flat heels and silver buckles that the kids bought me one year for Christmas.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

www.recklessgracestory.com

https://www.instagram.com/dipasqualecarolyn/

BOOK TOUR DATES

Thank you so much Carolyn for letting me be part of your Reckless Grace Book Tour – I really thought the book was interesting, thought provoking and I highly recommend it. Thank you for the review copy of Reckless Grace.

Linda x

All photographs has been published with the kind permission of Carolyn DiPasquale.

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