Emma Batten -
Author of Historical Fiction set on Kent's Romney Marsh.
Romney Marsh is a fascinating place. Once under the sea, it has evolved over the last two millennia to be the low-lying land we see today. The countryside can be bleak, but reed-lined drainage ditches and red-berried hawthorn have their own special beauty. The seaside villages can easily be dismissed if you look no further than the arcades and ice-cream shops, but they have a colourful history. And then there is the shingle spit at Dungeness: a truly unique landscape favoured by artists, film-makers and writers.
What about the people who used to live there? We can only imagine what their lives were like.
My stories take readers from the 13th century, when a great storm destroyed the coastline and a river changed course overnight, through to life in Victorian and 1920s Dungeness. Although predominantly fiction, I work very hard to give readers an accurate sense of Romney Marsh through the ages and do a lot of research.
What's new for 2019?
THE ARTIST'S GIFT IS NOW AVAILABLE. A sequel to Secrets of the Shingle and Stranger on the Point, this is set in the 1940s.
I now offer talks on the self-publishing process and my author journey, or the history of Romney Marsh, as seen through the novels.
All novels - Secrets of the Shingle, A Place Called Hope, What The Monk Didn't See, But First Maintain the Wall and Stranger on the Point are now available on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and as paperback novels.
The paperbacks are for sale in the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre (New Romney), Mary's Tearooms (Dymchurch), The Chocolate Deli (Hythe), Avocet Tearooms (Rye Harbour), Salts Farm (near Rye), The Rye Bookshop, Waterstones Ashford and Made in Ashford. Also by clicking on the links below or if you live locally please contact me through this website as I can offer the best price. Prices below include postage.
But First Maintain the Wall
£8.99
A story set in 18th century Dymchurch where two people struggle to be accepted in the village which lies in the shadows of the great seawall.
Stranger on The Point
£8.99
A sequel to Secrets of the Shingle.
A story of a young woman's struggle to fulfill her worth as the shadows of WW1 live on.
Secrets of the Shingle
£8.99
A story of fierce loyalties, sinister secrets and a young woman's growing maturity as she reviews her prejudices and learns to cope in a new environment.