I'm delighted to welcome Allie Burns to Books, Life and Everything today with a great Guest Post to celebrate the publication of her historical novel, The Land Girl. Before we get to Allie's guest post on 5 things we didn't know about The Land Girl, here's a little about the book itself.
War changes everything…
Emily has always lived a life of privilege. That is until
the drums of World War One came beating. Her family may be dramatically
affected but it also offers her the freedom that she craves. Away from the
tight control of her mother she grabs every opportunity that the war is giving
to women like her, including love.
Working as a land girl Emily finds a new lease of life but
when the war is over, and life returns to normal, she has to learn what to give
up and what she must fight for.
Will life ever be the same again?
Five things you didn’t know about The Land Girl by Allie
Burns
The Land Girl blends historical facts with fictional
characters. Many elements of the novel were inspired by my family history, my
connection with the Kent countryside and its agricultural history, and some of
the interesting gems I uncovered during the research stage.
Mixing fact with fiction is an interesting way to work, but
from time to time I do have to go back to my research notes and check what is
real and what is just a figment of my imagination!
So, here are my little-known facts about The Land Girl.
1. I named my main character, Emily, in memory of my
great-great grandmother.
2. There are three cows in the novel and I named them after my
friend and her two daughters. It made me smile during a long editing sessions
and it also helped me to give the cows character traits.
3. I learnt how to winter prune apple trees at Hadlow College during
my research.
4. I went on a research trip to Belgium, but my editor later
suggested cutting the scenes where the characters visited the battlefields.
5. The fictional village in The Land Girl is inspired by Ditton
in Kent. I found a history book of the village in the local library and it was
fascinating to see how the village went from a sleepy rural community to an
industrial area in the period directly after the war.
About the Author
Allie lives in Kent with her family and two tortoises. When
she's not writing for business or penning her women's historical fiction, Allie
enjoys swimming and yoga. She has an MA in Professional Writing from Falmouth
University and The Lido Girls is her debut novel. She is currently working on a
second interwar years novel, which is due for publication in the summer of
2018.
You can read my review of Allie's debut novel, The Lido Girls here.
Thanks to Allie Burns and Jenny of Neverland Blog Tours for a place on the tour and for Allie's post.
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