An Author's Inspiration
Kindred Spirits: Ephemera
Jennifer C.
Wilson
Since writing the first of the Kindred Spirits novels, the
world just won’t leave me alone – not that I want it to!
Any new place I visit, or even when I revisit old
favourites, I find myself thinking: Which ghosts might be found here, and what
would they be up to? At the same time, a lot of places didn’t necessarily have
an obvious story that could carry a novel’s worth of conflict, adventure, etc.
That’s where the Kindred Spirits Shorts concept came in; getting to explore
places and people, but knowing that I could stay within the word count which
felt comfortable for the story I was telling.
The overall result was, for me at least, a sense of fun and
freedom, allowing me to play with ideas, and I really hope that fun comes
across in the reading of each story too.
In terms of direct inspiration, three of the pieces were
written specifically following a call-out for different projects – Leicester,
Hampton Court Palace, and Jailbreak. As for the others, Eurostar was written as
a competition entry, but in the end, just didn’t fit the bill, and Pere
Lachaise was written in the Eurostar departure lounge four years ago, as I was
thinking about having visited the cemetery the year before. I’d seen a play
about Abelard and Heloise and found them fascinating.
Hampton Court Palace
For York revisited, I was writing a compromise. I’d had the
(I thought) brilliant idea of a detective being killed in the line of duty,
then helping partner solve crimes from beyond the grave. It was only after I’d
sketched out the whole plot that I realised I was entirely copying the concept
of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). A bit of a rewrite was needed on that one…
Windsor Castle
The final story in the collection takes us to Windsor, a
location which several people have asked about over the last couple of years,
and having written Kindred Spirits: York, I now had a lead-in. I loved visiting
the castle when I was in Windsor for work years ago, and with so much history,
I wasn’t short of ideas for which ghosts could be about.
For each of the stories, once I’ve chosen my location or
lead characters, that’s when the research starts. I know it’s a slightly
bizarre concept, the ghosts of historical characters pottering around
contemporary sites, but even though I’ve got the supernatural element on my
side, I think it’s really important to have the facts as accurate as I can.
Luckily, I love the research, and it can become inspirational in itself when a
connection I hadn’t picked up on suddenly leaps out of a book at me.
I really hope readers enjoy the collection, and the
keen-eyed amongst you might pick up on where the story might be going next.
I’ve already started that research…
The afterlife is alive with possibility…
In this collection of stories, we follow kings and queens as
they make important (and history-defying) visits, watch a football game
featuring the foulest of fouls, and meet a host of new spirits-in-residence
across the British Isles and beyond.
Be transported to ancient ruins, a world-famous cemetery,
and a new cathedral, and catch up with old friends – and enemies.
Because when the dead outnumber the living and start to
travel, the adventures really do begin.
Kindred Spirits: Ephemera is a charming collection of stories
about your favourite ghosts!
Included short- stories are
Kindred Spirits: St Paul’s
Cathedral
Kindred Spirits: Jailbreak
Kindred Spirits: Carlisle Castle
Kindred Spirits: The Sisterhood of
Hampton Court Palace
Kindred Spirits: Leicester – Return
of the King
Kindred Spirits: The Jewel of the
Wall
Kindred Spirits: Eurostar
Kindred Spirits: Père Lachaise
Kindred Spirits: York, Revisited
***
Purchase Links
***
About the Author
Jennifer C. Wilson
Jennifer C. Wilson stalks dead people (usually monarchs,
mostly Mary Queen of Scots and Richard III). Inspired by childhood visits to as
many castles and historical sites her parents could find, and losing herself in
their stories (not to mention quote often the castles themselves!), at least
now her daydreams make it onto the page.
After returning to the north-east of England for work, she
joined a creative writing class and has been filling notebooks ever since.
Jennifer won North Tyneside Libraries’ Story Tyne short story competition in
2014, and in 2015, her debut novel, Kindred Spirits: Tower of London was
published by Crooked Cat Books. The full series was re-released by Darkstroke
in January 2020.
Jennifer is a founder and host of the award-winning North
Tyneside Writers’ Circle, and has been running writing workshops in North
Tyneside since 2015. She also publishes historical fiction novels with Ocelot
Press. She lives in Whitley Bay and is very proud of her two-inch view of the
North Sea.
No comments:
Post a Comment