Gift of Happy Endings

What happens if nine northern authors collaborate on an anthology? You will find one shop, Miss Moonshine and a gift of happy endings.  Miss Moonshine’s Emporium of Happy Endings is an anthology of heartwarming romantic stories from the Authors on the Edge: Mary Jayne Baker, Sophie Claire, Jacqui Cooper, Helena Fairfax, Kate Field, Melinda Hammond, Marie Laval, Helen Pollard and Angela Wren. Listen in as the authors chat about the inspiration behind the anthology.

Kate: The character of Miss Moonshine was the starting point for the stories. I loved reading how we all described her, such as Jacqui’s introduction to her:

‘A tiny woman in a flowing, sleeveless lace gown was dusting the displays with what looked like an ostrich feather. A glittering black hairband scraped her silvery hair back off her face. Her eyebrows were arched and high.’

Jacqui: We needed to make sure all our descriptions of Miss Moonshine’s character matched. Marie had the brilliant idea of basing Miss Moonshine’s appearance on Vivienne Westwood. Vivienne Westwood is over 70 now but still as sparky as ever, she wears beautiful, quirky clothes, she’s not afraid to be different – and she has just the right northern accent!

Sophie: We also agreed she would be an ethereal character, said to be from the Pendle area (with all its associations with witches and magic), who has owned the shop since the 1700s, when Melinda’s story opens, to the present day. We later added Napoleon the dog, who was the ingenious idea of Marie, and the perfect companion for her.

Kate: Napoleon certainly shows off his personality in some of the stories! Miss Moonshine’s shop ties the stories together too, and Helen captures the place perfectly.

‘The handsome stone building had been here since 1777, according to the date above the door. Set back from the road, with roses dotted between the stone slabs in front and growing up an arch over the doorway, it looked more like a fine old house than a place of business.’

Jacqui: The shop is based on a real place. When we all gather in Hebden Bridge, we meet very near the Heart Gallery. It’s in a beautiful old building that used to be a chapel, with an arch of roses at the entrance. If you look carefully at our book cover, you’ll see the year 1777 over the door.

Kate: It was fascinating to see how we all filled the shop with unusual items. You summed it up brilliantly, Mary Jayne:

‘Tat and treasure, mingling like a mismatched couple’s wedding list. The only thing they had in common was that each item there was chosen. Everything on sale had been personally selected by Miss Moonshine.’

Kate: How did you choose which object would feature in your story?

Mary Jayne: My object is a pulp fiction novel of the 1960s called “Budgerigars Don’t Talk”. My heroine Callie, somewhat unwillingly, accepts this as a gift from Miss Moonshine, only to find herself falling for the anonymous doodler who’s annotated the book as she reads it.This was inspired by a very real book called “Crows Can’t Count” that I picked up in a second-hand bookshop in Southport over Christmas, for the sole reason that the title made me smile. I was tickled by the idea of parodying the detective fiction genre, and it was great fun to create the story within my story. So my quirky item from a dusty second-hand shop was inspired by a real-life quirky item from a dusty second-hand shop – I think Miss Moonshine would approve!

Angela: My central character, Maddie, is in a difficult place emotionally.  She has an immediate need – to win the rally that she is engaged in for the duration of the story – and an inner, more long-term worry about her dad’s business. Miss Moonshine gave her some rose quartz, which brings inner calm and is good for the heart.  It seemed to me that it was just what Maddie needed… and not only for herself.

Marie: I love music boxes. When on holiday in France a few years ago I bought one that played the French song La Javanaise. It is a very beautiful, very melancholic song by Serge Gainsbourg that always makes me cry, but I do hope that my story won’t make the reader cry!

Kate: Your hero wasn’t impressed by Miss Moonshine’s shop when he first visited, Marie. That scene made me laugh:

‘He stepped forward, but the lighting was so dim he bumped into a display table, causing the odd assortment of tins, cups and saucers, and dainty porcelain figures to clatter. What a strange collection. Were these ancient medical implements? And what about that fossilised crocodile skull, complete with teeth?

He shook his head in dismay. How could anyone want to purchase any of this junk? The name of the shop was misleading. Perhaps Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium should be called Miss Moonshine’s Weird Emporium.’

Kate: If your main character was writing a review of Miss Moonshine’s Wonderful Emporium, what do you think he or she say?

Helena: She would say Miss Moonshine’s Emporium is far more than just a shop, and that Miss Moonshine had given her the strength to embrace her future – as well as introduced her to the man she loves.

Melinda: Diana, my main character might say this (translating it from her Regency speech to modern day, of course!)

“I would give Miss Moonshine’s Emporium 4 stars. It has such a welcoming atmosphere and I felt completely at home as soon as I walked in. I have never seen a shop like it, so many strange and wonderful objects, some of which are completely foreign to me. I would have given it 5 stars, only during my time there I think I only once saw a customer!”

Mary Jayne: My heroine Callie has business dealings with Miss Moonshine – she sells her craft pieces for her stock – so it would be in her interests to give the emporium five stars! Nevertheless, she is a little wary of Miss Moonshine, having heard some of the whispers surrounding the objects on sale. I think she might feel obliged to include a warning in her review – she knows that lives change irrevocably when people shop at Miss Moonshine’s.

Kate: That’s a good point, Mary Jayne. Would you dare visit Miss Moonshine’s shop?

Mary Jayne: I’m not sure I would! But if I did, I think she’d sell me something to improve my confidence. Perhaps a beautiful vintage fountain pen that would help me write the perfect book…

Marie: I agree, I need self-confidence too, like many of the heroines in the anthology.  Miss Moonshine certainly helps several of them find a new, exciting life filled with love and happiness. As for which object would help me develop self-belief and confidence, I’m not sure…perhaps a music box with a happy, magical tune.

Sophie: I would love to visit Miss Moonshine’s shop – if only to find out what she would sell me. What is missing from my life? – I’m not sure, but what I’d wish for would be a box of inspiration to fuel a lifetime of story-writing. If anyone could conjure up something as magical and exciting as that, Miss Moonshine could!

I wonder what Miss Moonshine would sell me? Would it be a vintage handbag?  I wouldn’t want anything elaborate, just something to make me smile. I think I could settle for a copy of Miss Moonshine’s Emporium of Happy Endings in my handbag.  I love the way the concept behind this book makes think about happy endings, and I can’t wait to read it.  I will also visit Heart Gallery, in Hebden Bridge, when I visit Yorkshire.

All photos copyright Authors on the Edge.

 

Please see all my author interviews at My Guests, guest posts at Mail from the Creative Community and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.