Morley in the seventies. Nothing much has changed apart from the cars parked on the roadside. Photo from David Atkinson Archive, Morley Memories.
Hiraeth is a delicious Welsh word as it captures that nostalgic longing for home. As a Yorkshire lass living in Wales, I often yearn for Morley, a town in Leeds, where my family still live. Yet I also feel at home in certain places in Wales that connect to the spirit and soul of place I long for. Maybe it’s the spirit of the industrial past that connects me to South Wales.
Morley is a large town in West Yorkshire that was constructed from the blood, sweat and tears of coal and textiles. The stone buildings of Morley are crooked and leaned towards me with whispers of secrets. I always identified a beauty in the urban landscape of home and feel so happy when I return to visit my family. There is a community spirit in Morley and people will always chat and make me laugh.
I imagined Jim driving along this road in his Zephyr. The photo is from Wales online and is captures Cardiff fifty years ago.
Last year, I stumbled on some newspaper photos of Cardiff in the sixties and seventies and the people huddled together chatting connected me to a familiar community spirit and evocated a nostalgia. When imagining the people’s stories, I met Pearl and Jim, characters from my novel,Loving You (working title), searching for their dreams in a fictional Welsh town near to Cardiff.
Photo of the Welsh factory woman in the sixties is from BBC News in an article written by Gwyneth Rees, BBC Wales News
Pearl is a seamstress who dreams of becoming a singer. Jim is a car mechanic who yearns to be an artist. Secrets about Pearl’s late father thrive in Aberynys as people still gossip about him. Pearl and Jim’s dreams push them together and pull them apart. Pearl is immersed in a community, but Jim is a loner. Both characters are shaped by their lives in Aberynys and want to escape in different ways. Pearl’s friends in the sewing factory are influenced by the people my grandmother brought to life for me when I was a child, and their sense of humour is both northern and Welsh. Of course, a colourful cast of characters also barged into the book, and my fictional town of Aberynys is a port which was also influenced by visits to Barry Island, Cardiff Bay and the Valleys.
This photo of the Valleys inspired Aberynys.
Aberynys is the nostalgic place in my heart: a place built on stories I listened to when chatting to folk in Yorkshire and Wales. I created a place name with lyrical Welsh words: Aber is the Welsh word for estuary and ynys means island. Aberynys is a montage of my life experiences and a place that makes folk dream their dreams. Loving You remains one of my works in progress as I just love to visit the place in my heart where I can seek sanctuary from what is happening to us all at the moment.
Which place do you call home and is this different to place you live in now?
Gilli Allan, author and artist, has written a novel entitled Buried Treasure and agreed to share an extract. I invited her to tell you more about her latest release. Apparently, ‘Buried Treasure is not always what it seems’…
Dear Readers,
I am delighted to present Buried Treasure. The extract I’ve chosen is a flashback to the gathering after the funeral of “Uncle” Bill Sydney. The heroine Jane, a young teenager, is talking to her twenty-plus sister Rachel. Rachel is being typically high-handed and unsympathetic, and suggesting Bill’s wife, Mary, can now have the clear-out of her late husband’s ‘Sydney Collection’, that she’s always complained about. Although Bill’s father, their great uncle Alf Sydney, did unearth a Viking hoard from a field during the war, always referred to as his ‘Treasure’, it was confiscated, much to his disgust. The collection now consists of the far humbler antiquities dug-up over the years, from the Sussex farm, to which Bill added the curios he brought back after his national Service.
“… I promise you will not be disappointed. It is a very satisfying romance, to be sure, but as always with Gilli Allan’s stories, ‘Buried Treasure’ is about so much more than the relationship between two people….” Anne Williams
‘Uncle Bill’s been dead less than a fortnight,’ Jane reminded her sister. ‘And the collection’s not in her way. As far as I know, it’s still in her shed.’
‘He was a silly old fool. You were the only one really interested in it, or in the so-called treasure, for that matter.’
‘We were both thrilled when we first heard about it.’
‘We were children!’
‘It was an amazing find. And Bill was only young when it was dug up. No wonder it became a big event in his memory.’
‘Most of us grow up, but I can see you’re not planning to. As for ‘The Sydney Collection’ … one day it will fall to you to sort it all out. I certainly don’t want a load of old stone-age tools, broken pottery and dirty coins…. Not to mention his “precious – s – s – s – s” !’ Rachel mimics the sibilant enunciation made famous by Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films. She twirls her index finger at her temple.
‘How can you be so…!’ Jane hated her sister’s disdainful tone, but it was true, the older he’d become the more Bill talked about the unearthing of the “treasure”, and since his father’s death he continually obsessed about the secret hidden artefact, never admitted to at the time of the treasure’s confiscation, that he claimed to have found.
‘You’ll have the pleasure of discovering that it was a delusion. Probably just as well he popped off when he did.’
Thank you for reading this extract. It was fun selecting a short passage that might whet the appetite. If you choose to read my book, I very much hope you enjoy it. And do please connect with me, leave a review or tell me what you think.
Best wishes, Gilli x
Jessie: Why did you select this extract?
Gilli: I chose this section as it’s the first occasion when one of the books mysteries is referred to – the notion that there might be something more valuable – perhaps an item of the Viking hoard – hidden amongst Bills rag-bag of oddities.
In Buried Treasure there is the intriguing backdrop of an old university, and a mismatched couple whose lives become entangled because each has an archaeological puzzle they need to solve.
Jessie: Why should I place Buried Treasure in my handbag?
Gilli: As for why do I think you should pop Buried Treasure onto the ereader in YOUR handbag? Well, I don’t think you should if you like your romance sugar-coated! My writing engages with the more challenging aspects of life and relationships, often glossed over or ignored in mass-market romance. In real life morality is not necessarily black or white. People are not neatly divided into heroes or villains. Sex is not always awesome – it can be awkward, embarrassing – even abusive – and it has consequences. And in Buried Treasure there is the intriguing backdrop of an old university, and a mismatched couple whose lives become entangled because each has an archaeological puzzle they need to solve.
Jessie: How did you feel when you finished writing Buried Treasure? Did you miss any of the characters?
Gilli: When I finished Buried Treasure my first feeling was relief; it was the hardest book I have ever written, but I found myself thinking about the characters long after.
Jessie: Tell us a little about yourself.
Gilli: I am stubborn, persistent and slightly obsessional; if I wasn’t I wouldn’t have 6 published books to my name.
Gilli: I am stubborn, persistent and slightly obsessional; if I wasn’t I wouldn’t have 6 published books to my name.
Biography:
Living in Gloucestershire with her husband Geoff, Gilli is still a keen artist. She draws and paints and has now moved into book illustration.
She is published by Accent Press and each of her books, Torn, Life Class and Fly or Fall has won a ‘Chill with a Book’ award.
About Buried Treasure
Their backgrounds could hardly be further apart, their expectations in life more different. And there is nothing in the first meeting between the conference planner and the university lecturer which suggests they should expect or even want to connect again. But they have more in common than they could ever have imagined. Both have unresolved issues from the past which have marked them; both have an archaeological puzzle they want to solve. Their stories intertwine and they discover together that treasure isn’t always what it seems.
Reviews
“….credible, three dimensional, affecting characters […] ordinary people doing and/or experiencing sometimes extraordinary things. Their respective loneliness, sadness and difficult back stories made this seemingly mismatched couple very appealing…” Anne Stormont.
“…[I] have the highest regard for this talented author. The title intrigued me from the outset; who hasn’t at some time in their life dreamed of finding buried treasure? I know I have, and found this treasure of a story deeply satisfying….” Lyn Sofras (The Manic Scroibbler)
“… I promise you will not be disappointed. It is a very satisfying romance, to be sure, but as always with Gilli Allan’s stories, ‘Buried Treasure’ is about so much more than the relationship between two people….” Anne Williams
I was honoured when Gail Aldwin sent me a postcard about ‘The String Games’.
Presenting an author’s debut novel is one of the great privileges of blogging, and I was honoured when Gail Aldwin sent me a postcard about The String Games. This debut novel is to be published later this month by Victorina Press. Gail’s poetic style of writing is charged with emotion and appeals to me. I look forward to reading her debut novel to discover how she has painted the complex emotions involved in the challenging narrative.
Without further ado, I will hand over to my lovely guest, Dr Gail Aldwin.
I have long been a fan of Jessie’s writing (You Can’t Go It Alone is a super novel with memorable characters) and Jessie’s blog (always love being introduced to new writers) so I am delighted to be offered a post to celebrate the launch of my debut novel The String Games which will be published by Victorina Press later in May 2019.
When four-year-old Josh is abducted and murdered during a family holiday in France, Nim, aged ten, becomes an only child. To cope with the tragedy, Nim reinvents herself but continues to carry a burden of unresolved grief. As an adult she returns to France determined to find out more about the circumstances of Josh’s death. How will she deal with this new information and what are the implications for her future?
I love the variety of posts on Jessie’s blog and thought I’d take the opportunity to share an extract from the novel that brings food and unforeseen consequences together. Nim narrates the story of the holiday she shares with her brother and her mother, Jenny. Joining them at the caravan is Jenny’s lover Dee and her six-year-old daughter, Ella. In charge of the little kids, Nim takes them to the campsite shop to buy ice-creams:
When it was their turn to be served, Josh bashed his finger at the glass cabinet, pointing to the vanilla. It might be easy to read words in French but it wasn’t so easy to talk. Nim nodded at the lady and stuck three fingers in the air. It was easiest to order the same flavour but that didn’t stop Ella from moaning. She was lucky to have an ice cream at all, seeing as Dad’s money was meant for Nim and Josh. When the first cone was topped with a white wig, Nim passed it to Josh and the next went to Ella. When the last one arrived, Nim gave the lady the money.
‘Non, non, non!’ The assistant shook her head and wagged a finger.
Nim stood there. The little children licked their cones while ice cream ran onto Nim’s hand. What was the matter?
‘Zis English.’ The assistant spat the words.
‘Yes.’
‘Non, non, non!’
‘Is something wrong?’ It was a relief to hear an English voice. The man had a tanned forehead and lines showed on his cheeks when he smiled.
‘I don’t know,’ said Nim. ‘My dad gave me the money as a going away present.’
‘He should’ve given you francs. Never mind. Let me get these.’ He passed the assistant a brown note and returned the five pounds to Nim. ‘Save that for a treat when your holiday’s over – you can spend it back in the UK.’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘It’s not a problem. Let me do you a favour. Your dad would do the same in this situation, I’m sure.’
‘Hmm.’ Nim didn’t know what to say. She’d been told not to talk to strangers, but it was too late. Josh crunched the last of his cone.
‘What’s your name?’ asked Josh.
‘Shush,’ said Nim. Josh had been warned as well, but the man didn’t look like a stranger. He wore a shiny top, and Nim hoped Josh wasn’t going to say anything about football shirts.
‘I’m Geoff,’ he said.
‘What’s your job?’ said Josh. ‘And where did you get that shirt?’
‘Too many questions,’ said Nim.
‘Don’t worry. I know what boys are like. I’ve got nephews. They’re toddlers at the moment but I bet they’ll be the same as Josh one day.’
‘When I was little, I wanted to be a tractor,’ said Josh. ‘But now I want to be a policeman.’
‘Interesting career choice,’ said Geoff.
‘We live at Sank-on-Seas,’ said Josh.
‘Sank-on-Seas?’ Geoff repeated.
‘He means fifty-six in English,’ Nim corrected, but realising she’d probably said too much, she elbowed Josh. ‘We need to go.’
‘Goodbye.’ Josh scampered to the steps, where he turned.
‘You can come to my place any time you want ice cream. My freezer is full of it,’ said Geoff. ‘Just look for the caravan with the yellow door along the road from here.’
‘Okay.’ Josh skipped down the steps.
This is the postcard Gail sent me from Dorset. I’ll certainly take care if I ever need to walk on the bridge.
When Josh goes missing later in the novel, suspicions about Geoff are raised and Nim shoulders feelings of responsibility for bringing the two of them together.
The String Games takes hold of the reader and the juncture of the head and the heart and simply does not let go. With courage and tenderness, and an unblinking eye, Gail Aldwin explores the ways in which the loss of a child explodes a family. Treat yourself and read this one.
JACQUELYN MITCHARD, bestselling author of THE DEEP END OF THE OCEAN
About Gail Aldwin
Gail co-writes short plays and comedy sketches that have been staged in Bridport, Brighton and Salisbury. She also performs her work at fringe festivals in the South-West.
Gail Aldwin’s published work includes Adversaries/Comrades, a poetry pamphlet (Wordsmith_HQ, 2019) and a collection of short fiction Paisley Shirt (Chapeltown Books, 2018) which was longlisted in the Saboteur Awards 2018. Gail co-writes short plays and comedy sketches that have been staged in Bridport, Brighton and Salisbury. She also performs her work at fringe festivals in the South-West. The String Games is her debut novel.
Gail’s anthology of flash fiction entitled Paisley Shirt captivated and moved me. In the future, I will blog the flash fiction Gail’s work anthology inspired me to write. I am excited to discover how Gail will stretch my imagination with The String Games.
