Dear…Anybody?

Fran Clark writes as Rosa Temple, and she spends her days creating characters and story lines while drinking herbal tea and eating chocolate biscuits. Fran is an indie author and an author with HQ Digital. When Fran told me one of my favourite programmes ‘Escape to the Country’ inspired her latest novels, Dear … Anybody.  I had to find out more.

I was born and brought up in London. Like many Londoners, I took for granted that I lived in one of the most visited and popular cities in the world. London, to me, was always ever just Home. To be honest I never took advantage of all the city had to offer, but in time I got tired of living there. Though I lived in a swanky complex of flats by the River Thames, it was still a complex of flats. I couldn’t handle living in such close proximity to my neighbours – lovely though some of them were.

I never ventured out much unless I had to. I hardly saw friends and family. Everyone was just so busy and it seemed that no one had time for anything apart from buying the latest consumer luxury and binge watching Netflix.

For about 10 years I’d been addicted to the television programme, ‘Escape To The Country’ and my passion for open spaces and tranquillity just grew and grew. My London friends and family thought I’d get bored if I left London, they thought I was crazy and were certainly going to miss me. And I’d miss them, but there was something missing in my life. Let’s face it, a quiet cottage in the country would be ideal for a writer!

I found the perfect cottage in the Herefordshire countryside, my youngest set off for uni and my husband I left London.

Sitting at my writer’s desk, I dreamed up the idea for Dear…Anybody? the story of London girl, Sydney, who moved to the countryside from London, but for her it was out of necessity. Sydney adapting to country life, discovering a strong sense of community and enjoying a healthier lifestyle with fresh air and a slower pace of life all came from my experience of life in the country. I watch Netflix an awful lot less now and I always take a morning walk along the country lanes. Not forgetting the trips to the farmer’s market.

My original ideas for Dear…Anybody? intertwined a love story with weird and sinister goings on in the fictitious village of Bridley. The published version does include one or two mysteries to solve, but eventually became a novel about love, friendships and finding your true home. I hope you enjoy reading it!

A mother of two, Fran is married to a musician and recently moved from London to Herefordshire. To date, Fran has penned and self published four publications as Rosa Temple; Sleeping With Your Best Friend, Natalie’s Getting Married, Single by Christmas and Sleeping With Your Best Friend.

HQ Digital (Harper Collins) has published three books in Fran’s pseudonym, Rosa Temple. The first was Playing by the Rules in February 2017 followed by Playing Her Cards Right on 28^th August 2017 and Playing for Keeps on 12^th February 2018.