Well, summer has endeavoured to arrive on a number of occasions but just as suddenly disappeared into pouring rain, but this week looks much warmer and drier. My rain garden is quite happy though and the flowers and grasses have shot up. The exciting thing for me in the garden is the flowering of my three newly planted magnolia trees. They’re the ones I remember when I lived in Georgia, USA some decades ago. When the flowers are fully out, they look like gorgeous creamy-white satin bows.
Those of you who read my posts know that I do my writing in my railway carriage, specially built by my two artisan builders. Here is the latest photograph taken when the flowers first bloomed in early ‘summer’. I still haven’t got over the novelty of sitting in the First-Class compartment, having my coffee or cup of tea, reading over the latest chapter or one of my research books, then walking through the partition into the office section where the ‘real’ work continues.
My latest novel: Courage for the Cabinet Girl is out next month, 26th September. My heroine, Katie, trained as a secretary and wanting to do her bit in the war, grasps the opportunity to work in the mysterious underground maze of the Cabinet War Rooms, not realising at first that this is where Winston Churchill directed the entire Second World War. I’ve really enjoyed writing this particular novel (actually, I’ve loved writing all of them!) because Mr Churchill plays a leading part – he would, wouldn’t he? It’s been such fun writing dialogue in the way he used to speak to various members of the staff, his idiosyncratic and volatile personality bursting through, all too often to the chagrin of the recipient.
I’m giving a talk on the novel and how I did my research on publication day itself at Waterstones in Lewes on Thursday, 26th September, from 6 -7pm. If you happen to be in the area, I’d love it if you could join us, as meeting my readers is so rewarding and spurs me on to write the next novel! The event is bookable through Waterstones website and the £5 ticket price will be deducted from the price of the book, should you decide to buy one. And just today the manager told me he would provide a welcoming glass of wine!
Hope to see some of you there.
Molly’s carriage in summer
Until next time, happy reading.
Molly Green
It seems impossible that Christmas is almost upon us. Every year I say this, but this year, really, how on earth did a whole year slip away while I wasn’t looking. Next year I’m determined to hang on to it.
Another experience was piloting a Spitfire! Yes, you read it here! All right, it was a simulator but it felt absolutely real to me. I’m not keen on flying generally but felt I had to appreciate how it felt to be in control for the sake of my heroine in A Sister’s Courage where Raine joined the Air Transport Auxiliary and flew many different planes in wartime. It was a fabulous experience. The Spitfire was so sensitive to every movement and seemed to work out what I wanted it to do before I knew myself! The instructor assured me every detail was exactly the same, even to the smell of the cockpit.
And my job is made even more fun nowadays as my fantastically-creative builders have now finished my new office in the garden – a First Class carriage with a real 30’s train door! I can’t wait to get in there each morning and start writing! This time I’m revealing a young woman’s life as a secretary in Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms during the Second World War. I visited them decades ago but am due to go again shortly to refresh myself as to the layout and the many different departments. Conditions were terrible to work in but it’s incredibly fascinating and I urge you to make a resolution to go this coming year.