An invitation from the Scottish Government EU Office in Brussels came my way. I was very excited when I realised that they host a 'Scottish Writer's Series'. What can be better than to actually meet the writer? So, I ventured into the city from the suburbs, and it has to be something very good for me to go downtown during the day. And it was!
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Lucy, signing and Lynsey Rogers from the
Scottish Book Trust |
The Scottish Book Trust, represented by Lynsey Rogers, supports young and upcoming Scottish writers, with scholarships, get aways, promotion assistance and other supporting schemes. Lucy Ribchester received the New Writers Award in 2012/2013 which helped her finish her first novel
The Hourglass Factory, which was presented today. From the back cover of the book I read:
Meet Ebony Diamond: trapeze artist, tiger-tamer, suffragette. Where there is trouble, she is never far away. But nos she's the one in trouble, and she's up to her neck in it.
Enter Frankie George: tomboy, cub reporter, chippy upstart. She's determined to make her name on the London Evening Gazette, if only someone will give her a chance.
Then Ebony disappears during a performance at the London Coliseum, and Frankie jumps at the chance to find out what happened. How did Ebony vanish, who was she afraid of, and what goes on behind the doors of the mysterious Hourglass Factory?
From the newsrooms of Fleet Street to the suffragette headquarters, Frankie enters a world of society columnists, corset fetishists and circus freaks on the trail of a murderous villain with a plot more deadly than anyone could have imagined...
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| Lucy, reading from her book |
Sounds like an exciting story. Lucy told us that she got fascinated with the suffragette movement and wanted to include it in her story. The characters are made up, but through her research similar real characters popped up and she wove some of their real life happenings into her own story. She has been working on and off with the book for five years. Thanks to the award from the Scottish Book Trust, she finally decided to focus on her writing and managed to finalise the book.
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| Lucy signing my copy |
Lucy Ribchester is a lady of many talents. She works as a freelance dance journalist and adult education tutor and can now add writer to her CV. She studied English at the University of St Andrews, and later Shakespearean Studies at Kings College London and Shakespeare's Globe. To one question on how she would feel if her book was made into a film or TV-series, she answered that she would find it thrilling, it would be another experience. Interesting would be to see how a manuscript writer would interpret her story. However, there is a catch...she is a control freak and would have to let go...!
She also revealed that she is a fan of mystery books. Agatha Christie has been a companion and she has read, not all, but many of her books. I think we will be able to see that she has used this interest in her own book.
It was a lovely lunch time occupation and very inspiring to hear first hand from the writer how a story evolves. I bought the book of course. As you know it is hard for me to resist when something interesting pops up. I also got a lovely dedication from Lucy. Once I have read it, I will be back with a review.
In the meantime, enjoy this lovely cover, which is done in embossed printing, which feels very nice, when you hold the book.
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