So, the UK is now on GMT rather than British Summer time,
nights are darker, weather is colder and it is perfect for curling up in a
chair with a good book. I have just received my author copies of Beneath the
Major's Scars, one of two books I wrote
about identical twins, and this, the first book, is released in December. It is
such a long time since I wrote this book that I might very well indulge in
re-reading it, since it features a part of England that I love, the West Country.
As the title suggests, my hero Dominic Coale, was badly
injured during the Peninsula War and has retreated to the wilds of Exmoor to
live a solitary existence. As a West
Country girl myself, I love this part of England and have taken great
inspiration from the beautiful landscape. The last time we were there I took a
walk along one of the bridleways and was amazed at the lovely cobbled
surface. In Dominic's day this was
probably one of the main routes, and I could imagine a curricle or carriage
rattling over this surface – it made me quite thankful for today's pneumatic
tyres and tarmac roads!
The plot of
Beneath the Major's Scars involves a headlong ride to the coast and I used a
very isolated and dramatic area for this, Hartland Quay. The picture here shows
just how wild and isolated it is. In tudor times it was a thriving port but
steadily fell into disuse. It would still have been a busy place in the early
19th century, so I used a little artistic licence, changed the name
and made it much more run-down– and of course the rum characters I added are entirely fictional!
And just a final note to our friends on the eastern coast of
North America – you have suffered enough with the recent storms so maybe you
don't want any more excitement at the present time! Understandable, and my
thoughts are with you.
Happy reading
Sarah
Mallory
Beneath the
Major's Scars HH Dec 2012
The
Illegitimate Montague M&B 2012
4 comments:
We're switching our clocks back an hour this weekend.. Now it won't be light until about 9.30 am in Indiana.. Looking forward to your latest! Thanks
I find it hard enough being dark until 8.30 am every morning - good luck in Indiana - and happy reading!
I love it when an author is inspired by scenery they know and love. It really adds to the atmosphere of the book.
Thanks, Grace.Landscape and scenery are very important to me in my writing. Dominic's story of someone trying to hide away from everything and everyone fits wonderfully on Exmoor - his twin's story, on the other hand, is set in Bath.... more news in the New Year about that one!
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