Author Archives: Jane Cable

NELL DIXON SHARES HER INSPIRATION FOR THE MISS UNDERHAY SERIES

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For the last two years I’ve been living full-time in Devon in a small fishing village. If anyone is unfamiliar with the area, it is a particularly beautiful place with sandy beaches, wide rivers, green farmland and historic and lovely towns and villages. Thatched cottages abound in a chocolate box setting. The Miss Underhay series is set in and around Torbay during the 1930’s. Torquay was the birthplace of Agatha Christie so clearly this is a landscape to inspire crime writing!

The world my intrepid amateur sleuth, Kitty Underhay inhabited in 1933 would be familiar to her today despite some damage done by the second world war and over enthusiastic building works in the 1960’s. Punctuating the landscape are several beautiful and unique buildings. All of which feature in or have inspired scenes in the series. Landscape has always been important to me as a writer. I’ve always been fascinated by the built environment and the human stories that are told through both the building and the spaces between them.

One such building is the now sadly neglected Pavilion theatre in Torquay, a gorgeous art deco affair on Torquay seafront. Set amidst green space and flowerbeds, in the twenties and thirties it hosted operas and a beautiful tearoom. It was the place to see and be seen. This was also a building familiar to Dame Agatha Christie. Hopefully it will take its place again soon as one of Torquay’s jewels.

Another favourite building is run by the National Trust, tucked away down a country lane on the way from Torquay to Dartmouth. Coleton Fishacre is a gem of a jazz age country retreat. Once the summer home of the D’Oyly Carte family, it’s set in beautiful gardens that lead to the sea. A wonderful cream tea can be enjoyed, and the house is one of the loveliest places to visit.

In nearby Dartmouth, the inspiration for Kitty’s home is York House. A black and white half-timbered building, it’s easy to picture Kitty and her grandmother running their hotel there. Dartmouth itself is full of amazing buildings, from the medieval Dartmouth Castle which guards the mouth of the river estuary to the Butter walk, a colonnaded stone walkway housing shops and tea rooms. The Butter walk was damaged in the Second World War but has been so well repaired that you wouldn’t be able to tell.

Dartmouth is also home to another incredible building, St Saviour’s Church. Listed as one of the best 100 churches in England, it was constructed around 1372, and underwent significant restoration in 2014 to preserve it for future generations. It has magnificent medieval wooden doors, heavily carved with gryphons and supported on huge iron hinges.

Another building that sums up the spirit of Torbay in the jazz age is a mansion owned by the local council which is now coming back to life. Oldway mansion in Paignton was home to the Singer family, a name known to anyone with an interest in sewing. Oldway mansion was modelled on the Palace of Versaille and the interior is a magnificently painted masterpiece. During the first world war it was a hospital for injured American servicemen and went on to become a country club. The house is currently closed to the public, but the beautiful grounds can be enjoyed by anyone and there is a lovely tearoom. It’s easy to picture Hercule Poirot strolling in the grounds.

As well as the places listed above there is also Greenway House, Dame Agatha Christies’ own home, which is well worth a visit.

Helena Dixon’s latest release in the best-selling Miss Underhay series is Murder at the Highland Castle available as ebook, audiobook or paperback https://www.nelldixon.com

THREE CHRISTMAS AND A SUMMER BOOK REVIEWS

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The Christmas Love Letters by Sue Moorcroft, reviewed by Morton S Gray

Classic Sue Moorcroft.

I enjoyed being back in Nelson’s Bar, Norfolk reading about Ruthie, Maddy and Raff. A Christmas novel with twists and turns in the present and the revelation of secrets from the past too as Ruthie shares her treasured love letters.

A romance between Maddy and Raff seems inevitable, as they help Ruthie heal wounds from her past, until Maddy receives a message about her own mystery and the world changes.

Sue Moorcroft has a skill of carrying you along with a story and leaving you wanting for more.

A story to tug at your heart strings.

The Recipe for Hope by Fiona Valpy, reviewed by Jane Cable

I fancied a Christmas story, and for me this one was close to perfect. For a start it’s a novella, just a touch in under two hundred pages, and for a relatively simple festive romance it doesn’t need to be any more. And the cast of characters is small, and yet still a community is created for Evie to fall into when she escapes to France to avoid Christmas.

What really made this book stand out for me was the way I almost instantly slipped inside Evie’s heart and mind, and cared about her. I finished the book hours ago, and still she’s with me. On top of that, the customs and settings of rural south west France are described so beautifully, and with love. As is the food. The icing on the cake was a proper, real world, grown up ending. Five stars from me any day of the week.

New Beginnings at Christmas Tree Cottage by Georgia Hill, reviewed by Morton S Gray

A great read that will have you thinking about Christmas and maybe buying Baileys!

I loved reading this book, which was a complete tonic in a stressful time for me. I always say that a book that can produce an emotional reaction is a good book and this one produced not one, not two, but three heart affecting scenes that had me thinking and reaching for the tissues. A cosy read, but with serious underlying themes of starting again after loss.

The characters are likeable and relatable, particularly Jago, trying to be the responsible son and brother, whilst nursing his own demons and heartaches, Honor, the primary school teacher with a big venerable heart and the amazing vicar, Verity, who is mad on ABBA. Merryn is a very wise little girl beyond her years. Georgia Hill weaves her story around community of Lullbury Bay, with each person living there having a distinct role and backstory. It sounds like somewhere I would enjoy living. I’d even take part in the yarn bombing brigade!

Highly recommended to get you in the mood for Christmas.

Secrets of the Shell Sisters by Adrienne Vaughan, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

Magical tale of secrets, second chances and sisterhood

Set on Ireland’s ancient east coast, the Morgan sisters are in crisis. Cassandra runs the family hotel and it’s struggling, as secrets from her past threaten to resurface making things worse. Greer is fleeing a failed relationship with a powerful man, but if she returns will she stay? And then there’s Orla – fey, funny and mysterious – insisting messages from the shells must heeded or what will become of them all?

Returning to Rosshaven was a delight, especially as this story, while fresh and original, is cleverly intertwined with characters from the first book, Summer of Secrets.

A beautifully written tale of relationships, lost love and second chances, laced through with a touch of Irish magic – so deftly delivered it feels as natural as the sea itself.

This is romantasy at its best and I loved it.  

JANE CABLE REVIEWS

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Circe by Madeline Miller

A rich reweaving of Circe’s story with threads from a number of other Greek legends pulled expertly together into a spell-binding book. How very appropriate for a witch.

It did take me a while to get into the story, but when I looked back at the end, not an incident – even from her childhood – was wasted. Everything was poured into making Circe the woman she became; everything fitted, nothing jarred. An absolute masterclass in building a character.

And indeed, in building worlds. Worlds of faraway and long ago, inhabited by gods and mortals, and creatures somewhere between the two. Once I was past the initial chapters I became totally immersed in the story, even when it was so brutal I did not want to be. Story-telling at its best.

 

The Socialite Spy by Sarah Sigal

The sense of place and time in this book was wonderful and I was transported back to the highest echelons of society in 1930s London, which was at times far darker than I might have imagined.

Fashion journalist and socialite Lady Pamela More finds herself drawn into the world of espionage as she is asked to report back on Wallis Simpson and her circle, in particular any fascist sympathies she might have. The historical characters including Simpson, the King and the obnoxious Moseley are blended seamlessly with fictional ones, and as Lady Pamela becomes more immersed in their world the plot stretches and thickens and, in the best tradition of Le Carre et al, it becomes hard to know who to trust.

My only issue with this book is that the personal story of Lady P’s childlessness seemed superfluous to the main plot, and sat rather strangely alongside it. The spy story was quite enthralling enough on its own.

 

No 23 Burlington Square by Jenni Keer

Such a great premise for a book; a sliding doors-type story based on which prospective tenant sentimental yet wise Agnes Humphries will choose. Perhaps in will be her troublesome niece, Clara. Or the very respectable Mr Thomson, or even shy Mercy Mayweather who lost her husband in the war.

Set in 1927, the book is structured to take each scenario in turn, and for me Clara’s story took a tad too long to reach her turning point. Once it did I was certainly more invested in the characters’ individual tales and the way they twist together with the existing residents of 23 Burlington Square – and eventually with each other.

 

The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers

A beautifully crafted work of literature that pulled me in, night by night, and circle by circle. Many small stories of the lives of cornfields after dark, drawn together by a single summer in the lives of Calvert and Redbone, unlikely friends and co-conspirators with a single purpose.

This is a literary novel; don’t expect a fast paced plot or a satisfying ending. It’s one to savour during the journey. The descriptions that take you into the countryside at night; the interactions of the characters, the designs they create and the reasons for it. Four stars not five because of the retrospective preachiness as the book nears its end.

 

 

MORTON S GRAY REVIEWS

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The Girls of Bomber Command by Vicki Beeby

Vicki Beeby has done it again!

I enjoyed her last two WW2 series about The Ops Room Girls and The Wrens, but I loved the first in this new series about The Girls of Bomber Command.

A poignant subject, Beeby comments in her notes that the RAF Bomber Command had one of the highest casualty rates of any Allied unit during the Second World War and yet the author manages to portray this sensitively in a very enthralling read.

I loved Pearl, who reminded me of myself as she tries to look after her younger sister and strives to find her own place in the world whilst staying true to her aspirations. Greg has to deal daily with the thought that he might not survive the next bombing mission and that colours how he lives his life.

The author’s notes on the research undertaken to inspire and also to make this story authentic were fascinating.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

 

Wild Hope by Donna Ashworth

I cannot speak too highly of this volume of poetry. Comfort in troubled times and wisdom for everyday living.

Having seen a social media video of the author using the volume as an oracle, I now open this book daily at random and the results have never ceased to surprise me. I have my favourite poems of course but each page has the ability to touch my heart and often to produce tears.

I don’t think I have ever read a volume of poetry so often. Wonderful.

 

The Paris Affair by Victoria Cornwall

I really enjoyed this book and felt as if I was actually Charlotte, the heroine as she negotiated the sadness, excitements and uncertainties of her life and relationship with Pierre.

The Parisian scenes, particularly the characters’ visit to The Sacre Coeur took me right back to a long ago visit to Paris.

Victoria Cornwall is a skilled storyteller who makes you care about her characters and root for them as they tackle dangers and challenges.

I have always wondered how I would have coped in times of war and hope that I would step up to the challenge of helping with the war effort just as Charlotte, Pierre and their colleagues did in the book.

A thoroughly enjoyable read that made me reflect on the war experiences of members of my family.

 

The Lost Heir by Jane Cable

Jane Cable captures the time of the Covid era lockdowns, which caused many people to re-evaluate their lives and make changes, as does the modern day character of Carla in The Lost Heir. As a family historian myself, I enjoyed the research Carla and Mani’s research adventures. I liked the present day story, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to read about Covid times when I started reading the book, and would really like to know more about what happened to these characters after the end of this story.

Franny in the historical story, with her different way of seeing the world and her companion, Harriet, is a very complex character. I loved the secrets and risks surrounding William.

Loved the fact that Carla had inherited her grandmother’s skills for seeing auras and presences. Fascinating to read in the notes to the book about the inspiration for the story and the research done by the author.

All in all, a great read.

 

 

RETREATING IS THE BEST STEP FORWARD BY CASS GRAFTON

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One of the many things I’ve learned as a writer is the importance of location. This isn’t about the settings of novels so much, but rather places where it’s possible to escape from day-to-day life and become fully immersed in a story in the making.

Most authors, when at home, tend to write in whatever space they have created for the purpose, anything from a desk in the corner of a room to a dedicated office or (my personal dream) a writing hut in the garden. When the opportunity arises, though, the chance to go away—especially with other writers—is the perfect mix.

Although I’m lucky enough to ‘retreat’ with four of my writing friends each year, usually on an escape into the Shropshire Hills, I’ve also enjoyed a few Cornish writing experiences through The Writing Retreat, superbly run by Jane Moss and Kath Morgan, who not only offer their insight and experience through optional tutoring and one-to-ones they also provide plenty of personal time to write. I’m booked onto my third retreat with them next March and can’t wait—though I’ll have to diet before I go so that I can enjoy the delicious meals they dish up every day!

My most memorable stay with Jane and Kath so far took place a few years ago in a truly remarkable location: the Old Sawmills, a property situated on a secluded creek off the River Fowey in Cornwall.

I was deep into the writing of a book I hoped would be the first in a romance series, set in the fictitious town of Polkerran Point (also in Cornwall), which had several parallels with the town of Fowey and the village of Polruan, situated further down the river from the isolated creek that is home to Old Sawmills.

This fabulous property sits on a tidal inlet, only reachable by boat at high tide or by walking through the woods from Golant or uphill and down dale from Fowey (a much longer route).

The mill building has a fascinating history spanning centuries and was converted some years ago into accommodation, with a music studio built on the lower ground floor. Many musicians have stayed there over the years, and some iconic albums have been recorded in this distinctive location, including Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, and several by Muse, including Showbiz and Origin of Symmetry.

Stalled in my writing for months, once installed in my room at Old Sawmills, I quickly realised I’d found my happy place. My bedroom overlooked the top end of the creek, beautiful in any season, and sat in the window there or curled up on a squashy leather sofa in the light, bright sitting room, the words flowed.

Perhaps it’s not surprising. Not only had many musicians created their masterpieces there, but Kenneth Grahame is also believed to have been inspired to write Wind in the Willows after picnicking in a little creek off the River Fowey—allegedly this one—an experience that is reflected in the opening chapter and describes the setting perfectly.

For myself, not only did staying at Old Sawmills give me the space and opportunity to pour my heart into my book—now published as New Dreams at Polkerran Point—but the setting of the recording studio will be a key location in the third book in the series.

Currently for sale, who knows what the future holds for Old Sawmills? In my dreams, a reclusive writer will buy it and happily sit in the conservatory, nature all around, as they pen novel after novel, lost in a world of their own creation.

 

Visit https://www.thewritingretreat.co.uk/ for more information.

 

 

 

 

WHY GO ON A WRITING RETREAT BY JO THOMAS

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To celebrate publication of  Countdown to Christmas, Jo Thomas shares the magic of writing retreats…

credit: Gemma Griffiths Photography

I love the chaos of busy family life. People coming and going. The dogs greeting everyone, tails wagging; the hustle and bustle in my kitchen. I thrive off it….most of the time. But sometimes I need everything a writer’s retreat gives me.

The first writing retreat I went on was a house in Scotland, Cliff Cottage, owned by a writer who enjoyed the company of other writers. It overlooked the sea and was a marvellous place to sit and work and leave daily life behind.

There is nothing like spending time with other writers to get the juices flowing, ideas bouncing, plots unblocked and for laughing together. Generally, writers get other writers.

I went on to go on writing courses in France with Anita Burgh, Veronica Henry and Jane Wenham Jones and eventually after years of trying and failing I got my first book, The Oyster Catcher written. After that, Chez Castillon become a place to go and get words on the page for me.

I love morning tea with writer friends…… drinking tea in your dressing gown and discussing a plot problem that’s holding you up or talk through an idea that’s come to you in the night.

Now that I run retreats in France, we generally meet on the morning of the first full day to introduce themselves, tell us why they’re there, what they’re writing and what they want to achieve in that week.

For many people making time to get away from everyday life has taken a lot of effort and juggling, not to mention organising travel and paying for that time away. I don’t want anyone to feel they haven’t achieved something by the time they’ve left. Even if it’s a plan for going forward.

Then I’ll make time to meet with everyone, one to one. It may be over a coffee in café in the town, by the pool in the shade of the covered terrace or over a gin and tonic in the bar across the road. Somewhere we can talk about the path forwards; talking ideas, finishing the book, finding an agent. Anything.  A week away is like a fullstop on busy everyday life and whilst you may not write a book in that week I do want everyone to go home feeling they know how to keep going.

And so we leave with plans, food memories from meals out at the bistro or the restaurant by the river or oyster tastings on a Sunday morning, with new clothes bought from the linen lady at the Monday morning market, shoved into our already tightly packed cases. We have laughed together, swapped stories, even cried in some cases as we support and encourage each other in our writing. We swap email addresses, make WhatsApp groups and new friends. And we promise to meet again, same time, same place….. new words to go on the page. It’s a place of support, encouragement, celebration and laughter. A little pause on everyday life to keep the wheels of our writing routine turning as we go back to everyday life and I return to busy kitchen, happy dogs and family life around the table.

 

Countdown to Christmas by Jo Thomas is published by Penguin (£8.99)

JANE CABLE REVIEWS

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The Forgotten Promise by Corin Burnside

I’m normally a fan of dual timelines, but with this book I enjoyed the Second World War timeline so much I would have preferred for it to have filled every page. Maggie and Agnes’ story was so moving, and it was refreshing to read about a same sex romance in that period. The war around them was well researched and felt real, and I enjoyed this aspect very much.

The premise of the book, without giving too much away, if that when Agnes is recruited to join SOE she is forbidden from telling Margaret, because they are only ‘friends’. In the end she does leave a letter promising to return, but it never reaches its intended recipient.

I found myself hanging on every word of Agnes’s time in France, but not so the contemporary story. I found elderly Margaret’s periods of confusion and clarity a bit too convenient to the narrative, to be honest. But it didn’t spoil the book overall.

Call me grumpy, but I just wish that the title related better to what was between the pages; the book is called The Forgotten Promise, but to me the whole point was that neither of them did forget.

 

The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page

I love books about friendship, and this must be up there among the best. Although it took me a while to settle into it, once the cast of characters began to build around ‘Average Jo’ I was enthralled, and wanted to know more about them.

When Jo’s uncle develops dementia and her relationship breaks down, she goes to London to look after his stationery and hardware shop. Isolated and lonely, her confidence in shreds, she meets some of the people living and working around her, including Ruth, the runaway vicar, and Malcolm, a retired analyst who buys a new notebook every week. And slowly, maybe a little too slowly, their friendship begins to form.

This book is rich in vivid detail; about the settings, the characters, and the ghosts who may or ma not walk on Christmas Eve in Highgate Cemetery. Although there were small parts of the plot I did not like, they didn’t detract from the whole and I was left in awe of the writer’s skill.

 

The Figurine by Victoria Hislop

As always, the sense of Greece at a certain moment in time is created perfectly by Victoria Hislop. The oppressive atmosphere of young Helena’s grandparents’ apartment when she visits in the 1970s echoes the regime her grandfather is part of, and the whiff of corruption is never far away. And when, years later, she discovers an Athens of her own, the sense of new freedoms is palpable too.

I also really liked Helena as a character and was sufficiently interested to know how her story unfolded to almost forgive the head-hopping, which blighted the early parts of the book in particular. There was a vividly drawn supporting cast too, but I felt there were too many of them at times, too many scenes which contributed little to the overall narrative. I did enjoy the story, but overall it was too long in the telling for my taste.

On one level I feel bad criticising such a successful and established writer, but on the other, I do not want to misrepresent my personal opinion of the book.

 

 

PUBLICATION DAY SPECIAL: UNDER A GILDED SKY BY IMOGEN MARTIN

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Where do I start with this wonderful novel? With the sense of place and time, I guess, because it was so very brilliant. It’s set in rural Missouri in the 1870s and reminded me greatly of the childhood books I adored by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

The story opens when, much to her older sister Ginny’s horror, teenager Mary-Lou brings home an injured drifter. The sisters pretend their father is still alive, just sick upstairs, to keep themselves safe while Lex heals, but running the farm is a struggle in financial terms, although they cope on every practical level.

Then Lex leaves, and it isn’t giving too much away to say that a sweeping love story ensues. Beautifully done, but not overdone, embedded in both the social mores of the time and the freedoms of homestead life. The characterisation – and I mean all the characterisation, right done to the couple Ginny meets on a train – is wonderful, and I genuinely struggled to put this book down.

A strong contender for one of my books of the year and I just had to ask Imogen how she had placed her reader in the American Midwest in the 1870s, when she lives in twenty-first century Wales:

Credit: Faye Chamberlain

The story for Under a Gilded Sky had been in my mind for a long time. The first and most important thing was how my protagonists, Ginny and Lex, would get to know each other and fall in love. I hope their characters drive the story. Once I had written the first draft, I zoned in on the exact time and place. The novel is set in the Midwest and Boston, and begins in 1874, 9 years after the Civil War.  Although I have travelled in the States, I needed to do deep research. Luckily, the internet is a treasure trove of maps, photographs, academic papers, newspaper articles.

I’m a visual person and I needed to see my characters in their settings. Ginny’s homestead is the classic layout in the Midwest: what’s known as the I-House, with two rooms, a passage between, and the kitchen at the back. Not many remain, but Jessie James’ family home in Missouri survives because of his notoriety, so that was a great visual cue.

I wanted the size and price of Ginny’s farm to be accurate so I poured over the beautiful copperplate writing of page after page of the 1880 Agricultural Census for Missouri. I used William Strassburg’s farm in Pulaski County as a guide.

The episode in the Missouri Governor’s Mansion (my heroine has a rich cousin who is determined to find a rich suitor for her) uses the exact layout and décor of the real Mansion, using the rich details on their website.

The moments of research I most loved was when I found a nugget that would enhance the story. For example, I read on a history website about the devastating grasshopper plague of 1874 and 1875 which afflicted western Missouri and created financial strains. An academic from University of Missouri wrote a paper about the Missouri Banking Fraud of 1861, so I threaded this into Ginny’s aunt’s story.

I tried to capture train journeys of that time. Charles Dickens wrote letters about travelling on a train in Massachusetts and, although earlier than my setting, I used snippets such as his description of orange peel and nuts on the floor.  My best research moment was when, after hours of Googling, I discovered the exact timetable for Ginny’s journey from St Louis to Boston. She leaves at 7.20am, because that is the accurate time from 1875.

Looking back on my notes now, I see a huge level of detail. My hope is that this has made the story feel authentic, without the reader thinking they are walking through a museum.