In my third blog about my writing journey, I tell the story behind 'What the Monk Didn’t See'. I had been fascinated by the events surrounding the 1287 storm for a long time. But how could I learn enough about Medieval New Romney to make a book feasible? The challenge seemed too great.
 In the summer of 2016, I was asked to write a fictional series for a local magazine. It was to be in four parts of 800 words. I am not keen on writing short stories but wondered if this could be my opportunity to put the great storm into fiction. So I set about putting my ideas into words. By the time the series had finished, I was sure there was more to tell – I started making each 800 word section into a 3000 word chapter.
My inspiration was the reports by a travelling monk (Matthew Paris) who wrote about the 1250 storm and the destruction of Old Winchelsea. His words describing a golden moon and a tide which flowed twice without ebbing, caught my imagination. I put my fictional monk in New Romney and as the storm breaks out, he goes to watch it from the top of the church tower. All he can think of is how he has the best vantage point and how beautiful his descriptive words will look. However, he cannot see what goes on behind closed doors and proceeds to make a terrible mistake when he tells the story of New Romney on the night of the storm.
While the monk moves into the background for a while, readers learn about the lives of fictional characters and the effect the storm has on them. It was in the 13th century that the fortunes of New Romney were lost forever when the river Rother changed course. Today we can still see the results of the storm, mainly around the church where the ground level is much higher outside. Also, at St Nicholas Church there is a tiny window to one side of the altar. This may have once been part of an anchorhold and I was excited to feature it in the novel. If you don’t know what an anchorhold is, you will have to read the book! Or use Google?
I mentioned my concerns about finding enough information to make the story of New Romney accurate. But luck was with me in the form of Sainsbury’s! Well, not Sainsbury’s but all the investigations which were done before the store was built and the fantastic publication on the findings:  ‘The Sea and the Marsh, The Medieval Cinque Port of New Romney’ by Gillian Draper and Frank Meddens.
'What the Monk Didn’t See' was again printed through Lulu in the summer of 2017. Although exciting to have three books I still had no expectation of selling many. I had tried a few craft fairs, but found them very quiet. There was still a joy to be found in having my three books on a shelf at home and that was enough, or so I thought!
In November 2017, two things happened. The first was a friend suggested that I change to a traditional printer as this would be cheaper per book. However, to bring the price down I needed to order 100 books. I decided to have 100 of 'What the Monk Didn’t See' printed. A week later I did a book signing at Jempsons and a few days after that, I went to the New Romney Historical Society to tell them about the book. Within a week of buying 100 books, I had sold half of them!
The other huge shift in my author fortunes was that I joined Facebook! It was here that I got to know the local people who would give me such support over the following years, enabling me to continue writing and producing novels. I was beginning to think that perhaps I could sell a few books!

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Last week I wrote about A Place Called Hope – the novel I wrote two decades ago, but not the first published. This time I am telling the story behind Secrets of the Shingle – my bestseller!
In 2015, I read Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier. The tale of the heroine trapped in a hostile place appealed to me and I was inspired to put my own naïve character in a harsh landscape from which there would be no escape. The novel begins with Alice Tibbs, vicar’s daughter and teacher, on the train to Dungeness. No sooner has the poor young woman arrived, than she trips over a body. And so, begins the mystery of the woman on the shingle, as well as the story of Alice’s growing maturity while she learns to cope in the remote settlement.
Not long after starting this novel, I found myself running Marsh Ink – the writers’ group I had joined about three years before. “I must be a good example,” I thought to myself. So I diligently wrote every day. Unlike ‘Hope’ I began at the beginning and finished at the end – no skipping about.
The novel was unplanned. In fact, no more than: young teacher – trips over body – dead or alive? – trapped – can’t trust anyone. I started writing and came up with ideas as I progressed. It’s a method which a lot of authors use but must horrify those who plan everything!
As before, I had no intention of selling Secrets of the Shingle,  but did share it with a good friend from the writers’ group. She wanted to buy some copies and suggested I print a few. I asked some people with good English skills to read through the book, and in 2016 tentatively printed a few through Lulu (more about Lulu in my last blog). By chance I visited our local Kent Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre and saw the lovely displays of gifts.  I asked the manager if she would be interested in stocking the book – she said YES! I also approached a local magazine and asked if they were interested in writing an article. Then the RH&DR allowed some copies to go in their shops. I had printed 50 copies and never expected to sell more than that. In fact to sell 50 would be marvellous and beyond my wildest dreams.
Incredibly, the books sold and I got some great feedback! I ordered more… and then a few more. I also learned how to put the book on kindle. In 2017, Secrets of the Shingle had a good edit and I moved away from Lulu to a traditional printer. By 2018, I had three other novels but ‘Shingle’ was the favourite for most readers. Rather than continue with stand-alone stories, I wrote a sequel… then another, and in 2020 I wrote a prequel! These Dungeness novels have gained the most attention and with Secrets of the Shingle being the first in the series (until 2020) it became my bestseller.
In 2020, I decided that the whole series should have covers by local artist, Zoe Beardsley. I worried that ‘Shingle’ was shorter than the other books and decided to rewrite it, adding in extra scenes. As I did this, Michael Golding from Dungeness, read the new version. His remit was to check Dungeness details, but he turned out to be an amazing editor. The new version was available in the summer of 2020.
I’ve learned a huge amount since first publishing Secrets of the Shingle. The most important thing has been to learn different editing techniques and to use professional proof reading. It is important to keep learning, and with every novel I am coming up with new ways to improve the editing process. I would like to thank all my wonderful readers who have supported me through this journey with such enthusiasm for my writing.
The book covers shown here are the second cover (homemade and really difficult to work with the shades in the stones), the second cover by a graphic designer and the 2020 cover with local art. I don’t have an original Lulu book.
Next time I will tell you about my third novel (and one of my favourites) – What the Monk Didn’t See.

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The story of my first novel starts way back in the year 2000. I was new to living on Romney Marsh and fascinated by the evolution of the area. I bought and borrowed books, studied maps and explored country lanes. It was the ‘lost’ villages which interested me the most. Who lived in them? What was it like to be the last of the families there? As an avid reader of historical novels, I decided to have a go at writing my own story about the fictional families who lived in the settlement named Hope outside New Romney. In 1589, the church was in ruins and there were only three families left in the village. I decided to write about the years leading up to this event.
I wrote in the first person - the style I was familiar with. However, to make my novel a bit different I decided that it would tell the tale of three women in three parts, each told in their voice. I started with the second part – now I would always begin at the beginning! Writing on an ancient Apple Mac computer, the novel was saved on a hard disk. The internet was limited, and the majority of my research was done by using library books. I was totally absorbed in the story, spending as much time as possible on it. After about a year I could no longer use this computer and stopped writing.
In 2005 I decided to do a creative writing course. The unfinished novel was still on my mind and the disks were precious, but now I had a PC with Word and it was not compatible. The novel was put onto a disk so I could use it, but sadly it was all mixed up. I had a printed copy and I set about rewriting it, and adding in more while doing the course. A Place Called Hope was finished in about 2006 and remained on the computer.
A few years later and I came back to the novel again. Curious to know how much it would cost to print one copy, I looked on the internet and was astounded. A company called Lulu would print the book for about £7! Of course, it would not be proofread and I was fully responsible for setting it up, but I could have one copy of this precious novel. I put the files into A5 size, took a photo for the front cover and had a book printed. What a wonderful thing to have – a copy of A Place Called Hope.
Fast forward to 2016 and I had published Secrets of the Shingle (more about that next time). I wondered if ‘Hope’ was good enough compared to my Dungeness novel and asked a couple of people to read it. The response was good and so the book was rewritten again. I printed some copies through Lulu (a traditional printer came later) and began to sell it alongside Secrets of the Shingle.
But this book, rewritten so many times, worried me. I was no longer happy with one of the characters – Christen. Also, I was concerned that the style was not fitting with my later novels. In 2018, the novel had its greatest rewrite, removing a third of it and increasing other parts. It was proofread and relaunched with a cover featuring local art by Phillippa Goddard.
The novel now follows the lives of Anna and Jessica, with each part told in their own voice. It remains my only story told in the first person, so despite the reworks, it stays true to my style back in the year 2000. Readers can expect, as always, to be immersed in a recognisable Romney Marsh and will recognise the amount of research done into local history. A Place Called Hope has been reworked for the final time and will remain as a stand-alone book. However, my interest in the ‘lost’ villages has encouraged me to learn more about Midley and Eastbridge, and I have a creative writing workshop based on Midley.
From my first novel written, next time I will tell you about Secrets of the Shingle – my bestseller and first published novel!

In my new Saxon novel, my characters are currently standing on top of Aldington Knoll. Last summer, as I started writing, my research took me to the knoll for the first time in a decade. Last time I ventured there because it is said to have the best views over Romney Marsh, and hate to admit that I was disappointed. The views were fair, but trees surrounding the area meant that it did not live up to its reputation. This time, I set off full of anticipation and enthusiasm having read that Aldington Knoll is more than just a hill – it is a Roman barrow, or burial ground!
 
Walking towards the mound, it became obvious the knoll was so much more than a hilltop – much higher than the surrounding hillside and quite irregular. Scrambling up, I noted the ground was very chalky and full of burrows, and not a dome shaped mound, but more of a boomerang. Once on the top, the views previously sneered at for not encompassing the Marsh, seemed quite beautiful on the summer’s evening. My memories of a limited view were correct but the scene of towards West Hythe and Dymchurch was beautiful.
 
After walking up the knoll and fully appreciating the view, I was eager to include it in my new novel set in Saxon times and I used my own experiences as I wrote:
 
​Here, Cym, who worked as hard as any man, but still remembered the fun to be had as a boy, looked at his brother with an unspoken challenge. Alfrid gave a broad smile and began to race up the mound, with Cym just a stride behind him. They slipped on flints, in shapely white and grey, reminding them of childish fun when they declared these were the bones of departed Romans coming to the surface. Sliding on the fine gravelly earth at the edge of burrows, the brothers recalled the times they longed to be a rabbit or a fox and explore the depths of the burial mound. Side by side, the summit was reached and, as young men, they were the first to survey Romney Marsh on this new day. (written in July 2020)
 
My writing led me to wonder how much Aldington Knoll appeared in the Dr Syn novels by Russell Thorndike, as I was sure this was how I had first learned about it. I found a few references but sadly only fleeting. The description in the books is more of the smugglers and their antics than the knoll itself. Here is one reference:
 
On the first night it will be necessary for you and me to command the beach, and when the pack ponies leave the hills, the Upton brothers will fire the great beacon from Aldington Knoll, which will bring the luggers inshore. But on the second night, I shall leave you in command of the beach, and no one but the Scarecrow himself must fire the beacon.
 
Not to be defeated, I wondered if the location featured in any other novels. Internet searches took me to a short story: Mr Skelmersdale in Fairyland, by HG Wells, written in 1901. Here the main character falls asleep on Aldington Knoll and dreams he has been transported to Fairyland. Sadly there was little description of the actual mound, but I like that it has been endowed with magical qualities:
 
The story was clear that he had stayed out late one night on the Knoll and vanished for three weeks from the sight of men, and had returned with "his cuffs as clean as when he started," and his pockets full of dust and ashes. He returned in a state of moody wretchedness that only slowly passed away, and for many days he would give no account of where it was he had been. 
 
My final piece of literature inspired by the knoll is a poem by Ford Maddox Hueffer (date unknown) and named Aldington Knoll. It begins with the lines:
 
A L'INGTON Knoll it stands up high,
Guidin' the sailors sailin' by,
Stands up high fer all to see
Cater the marsh and crost the sea.
 
This poem was inspired by the local legend which says the knoll is said to be the burial site of a giant and his sword; they are protected by murderous ghouls who will kill anyone attempting to flatten the area. 
 
Historic England website has information on the barrow and suggests that the present shape represents additional earth being put on top of the original barrow. Roman barrows are rare, the report says, with less than 150 recorded examples in the UK.  Further additions and landslips have led to the shape changing again. I am not clear if the add-ons were as burial places after the Romans time here, or to raise it further to enable its use as a beacon.  In contradiction to the report saying the mound had been increased in height, it later says that it now stands at 3m above the natural lie of the land, but would have been higher if it were not for military activity and excavation during the Second World War.  The most recent use was as an anti-aircraft emplacement. The report states that the use of the knoll as a beacon relies on oral telling, not evidence. It is interesting to note that a nearby road is named Roman Road, giving further credence to the mound being of Roman origin. Further investigation led to me finding that this is the Lympne to Pevensey road.

Time to return to my novel and take my characters back to Aldington. They have important matters to deal with…
 

It is almost September and I am planning to publish my next Dungeness based novel at the beginning of November. It is time to work on the final details.
 
What needs doing two months prior to book launch?
 
Still Shining Bright was completed last April and put aside so I could look at it with fresh eyes later. I came back to it in June and tried to read through it slowly and iron out any concerns I had about the details. With a new Word program on my laptop, I was able to make use of the Read Aloud feature. This reads my words in a monotone voice, often misreading the name places. It’s brilliant! The quirks keep me focused and mistakes are suddenly highlighted when read out to me. Next it went to Michael from Dungeness who has been persuaded to read the novel and pick up any mistakes in the details about the area. He has been fantastic, doing so much more than I asked him to do and giving the novel a thorough edit. After I have worked on Michael’s suggestions, the book then goes to the proof-reader.
 
At the moment, part of the book is still being checked by Michael and half of it has been proofread. After proofreading, I’ll ask a few people to read it and look for any mistakes which have slipped though.
 
I have decided to have all my Dungeness books with covers to match The Artist’s Gift. Zoe Beardsley, from Greatstone, has already changed Secrets of the Shingle and next it will be Stranger on the Point. The lighthouse features in the new book and I wanted this on the cover with a blast of yellow light. I sent Zoe photos of the old lighthouse and made some suggestions. She then came back with some sketches, and I chose the lighthouse from one, the plant from another, removed a small boat and asked for changes to another boat. In mid-August, the painting was complete and next it will go to the graphic designer (Bluebirch Creative from Hawkinge). The reason I haven’t sent it yet is because I am still working on the blurb (words on the back cover).

Now I am thinking about the information I need to put at the front of the book. It starts with a real historical event and I need to write a little about that, as well as noting the books and websites I have used, and thanking people. I have some notes on all these things and it is important to get this part right.
I’m not spending many hours a week on this at the moment; it is just a case of keeping an eye on the book and ensuring that everything is ready for November. I hope to have a proof copy by early October. About three weeks before the books are printed, I need to think about if it will be possible to do any ‘meet the author’ or book signings. It will also be time to start promoting it on social media.

Still Shining Bright is a prequel to Secrets of the Shingle, and there will be a second prequel coming after this one. That will make five in the series, with Secrets of the Shingle becoming the third book. It starts in 1873, and so brings a new cast of characters, but will also link in with the fictional families known from the other novels – including some surprise appearances! Mainly set at Dungeness, this book also has more Ashford chapters than the previous novels in the series.
With Still Shining Bright very much on my mind, I am also thinking of the next novel and have been busy writing a sequel to the Pendant Cross. Switching from one era to the other can be a bit unsettling, and sometimes I have to get on with real life and live in the 21st century! Hopefully, there will be a cover to show you soon and more to tell about both books. Thank you to everyone for your on-going support, especially during these strange times when so many businesses are struggling. Every sale really does make a difference.

​In July 2019 I did my first proper book launch, and what a fantastic day it was – selling my book and chatting to readers in Lydd Church where the opening scenes of the novel were set. By April 2020 it was a very different story when it came to book launch…
 
As the moment came when my novel, The Pendant Cross, was ready to be printed, the UK went into lock-down. My son was being educated at home and most of my work stopped. In other countries, people were not allowed to leave their homes without ID, and we saw horrifying scenes on television of life in Italy and Spain. People were panic buying and the shelves in supermarkets were stripped of essential foods and cleaning products. The future of my book hardly mattered compared to the lack of protective equipment in hospitals, or the risk of serious illness and death to millions of people. Yet I still wondered what impact the virus would have on my new novel.
With the rules being changed by the week, I didn’t know if I could have the books printed or whether they could be delivered to me and, finally, would I be able to deliver them. . . and would my customers want them? The books came and even before they had arrived most of my regular customers had committed to having one. I bought plenty of strong envelopes and put every book in one.
There could be no book launch or signings in shops or at a craft fair, so I decided to do a Facebook live signing. This isn’t something I hadn’t tried before but it went well. The laptop refused to be a part of it, so I used my phone to record me signing books for regular customers. It was fun because I could see who was watching me and their comments popped up on the screen.
Usually I hand the books to customers at the door if I am delivering. This time I went out over a couple of days and put books through letter boxes or left them in safe places, while feeling unsure if a book delivery was ‘essential’. It was a shame to miss out on chatting to people as I delivered, as this is something I enjoy, but I’m grateful to my customers who have shown such loyalty at this time.
 
And so, the Pendant Cross was launched to the people of Romney Marsh and beyond.
 
“What sort of place is Romney Marsh?” asks a monk in the opening line. The year is 680 AD and four monks are moving the body of Abbott Botolph from Middle England to Romney Marsh.
They first see the area from the top of Lympne Hill: one of the best viewpoints. There is a tidal lagoon beyond the shingle spit where the Hythe ranges now join the Dymchurch Seawall, and the water flows in from the direction of Hythe. Further inland, there are tidal marshes and areas of land which are gradually drying out. Man has not yet settled in any of the villages we know today but is using the land for salt production and as an area to fish from. In the place now called West Hythe, there is an area of dry land where people can come and camp during the summer months. The Sandtun, as the area is called, is a beach area alongside the sheltered lagoon. It is reached by the Shipway Track, today known as Lympne Hill. The Saxons travel from local villages – perhaps Lyminge, Aldington and Sellindge – and trade their wares with people who have travelled across the sea from France.
The two stories – that of the monks and the traders – run side-by-side, linked by the pendant cross.
 
Would my readers mind being taken back to Saxon times? I worried a lot about this as the writing came to an end. Perhaps it was too far back in time. The feedback has been amazing though and, in these uncertain times, sales have been great. With there being no objections to the Saxon era, I’m planning a sequel which will include the ruined Roman Fort on the nearby hillside. More about that another time. . .

 “What do I want to see in your next novel, Emma?” My good friend, Maud, asked as we discussed plans for my next creation. “I want something symbolic, like the hagstones. And plenty of description about Romney Marsh.”
“I want a Gundred,” I said, thinking of the old hag in What the Monk Didn’t See. “And I’m going far back in time, probably to Medieval times.” At the time I had just completed my WW2 novel.
In the end I went further and took my characters to Saxon times. But Maud’s request for something ‘like the hagstones’ stayed in my mind and I created a golden cross, worn by an abbot, and dropped on Romney Marsh where it moves into different hands. It’s been a wonderful tool, linking different characters together and moving from place to place through the story.
I wondered how many different ways the Marsh could be described, and going back to 680AD takes my reader to a very different place, one where the land is just beginning to dry out and islands are forming, but the sea still comes in at high tide, filling the creeks.
Here my visiting monk is gazing down from the top of the Shipway (Lympne Hill) on a moonlit Romney Marsh: The sea was on the rise and a million silver sparkles flowed with the tide, filling creeks and flooding low-lying land.
Here he is following a causeway across the marshy land: The track was narrow and every footstep needed to be taken with care, lest they should slip and their precious cargo launch into the gurgling marshland… The very thought of it caused Brother Edwen's stomach to lurch. Reeds brushed against his ankles and there was an occasional rustle as if a water-rat or wading bird had been disturbed by the nocturnal humans. In the half-light of a cloud-covered moon, Romney Marsh gave away none of its secrets.


And here my female character, Eadlyn, is looking over Romney Marsh from Lympne: But the Marsh still beckoned her: those flat lands with great pools of water and tidal creeks winding this way and that. The view was clear at that moment, but Romney Marsh changed with the weather and when the mists hung about at dawn it was the place of mysteries and mythical beings. Eadlyn could believe that the pagan gods still lurked in this place which was half-land and half-sea.


I’ve covered Maud’s requirements. But how to create another Gundred – the same but different? Meet Hlappa:
“There's curious things happening on the Marsh tonight, and I don't know that I understand it.” These words came from an old woman; a newcomer to the Sandtun. Her name was Hlappa and she wore her old age for all to see in her skin that was wrinkled like a dried apple, and her wisp of dull brown hair. Her voice was hoarse; she coughed a little, then reached for her mug of weak ale, before closing her eyes.
Her son, the clay-worker, gave a sigh. “She's always worrying over one thing or the other. Stirring up trouble.”
“That's how it is with the elders,” Eadlyn gave him a smile.
“I get these feelings and they play in my head,” Hlappa opened her eyes again and looked at those gathered nearby. “We are not the only ones on the Marsh tonight.”
“Perchance there's a farmer out with the cattle?” The clay-worker’s tone was irritable. “That’s enough of your talk.”
“A farmer is an innocent man, or so we would hope,” she raised her voice a little, disturbing the children, causing the mothers to draw them closer. “The folk on the Marsh tonight move in secret. Why else do they travel by dark?”


As I come to the end of my novel set in the year 680, I wonder if my readers will mind being taken back so far and will they like my interpretation of Romney Marsh in those times? I am reflecting on the plots of previous novels and debating what to include in the next one. Do I continue with my Saxon saga or return to the Dungeness series? Or perhaps I should stick with the job in hand – editing, re-reading, checks and more checks…?

As I take my characters down the Shipway (Lympne Hill) to the Sandtun (West Hythe), I reflect on the use of language in my novels.
Having just written a book set in the 1920s and another in the 1940s, I became well used to my female characters saying: ‘Gosh’ and ‘Golly’ and ‘Crumbs’ and there was even an ‘Old Bean’! They called their parents ‘Ma’ and ‘Pa’ or ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ depending on their upbringing.
But my favourite era so far was Medieval times and when the great storm was battering Romney, they were hardly going to say ‘Gosh’ or ‘Cripes, jolly bad luck old chap’. They said ‘God’s teeth’, ‘Christ’s bones’ or ‘By the blood of Christ’. These were pretty strong and quite appropriate for if your boat or home were being smashed up by the storm.
Now I step back to Saxon times and although I write in modern day English (I wouldn’t sell many books otherwise), I want to know how my characters are going to curse if they find themselves in trouble. Well… it turns out the religious swear words are not going to happen. The best I can find is … ‘Death’s head on a mop-stick’. Hmmm, there’s only so many times I can use that in one book! I’m going to have to give up on that search.
I move onto terms of endearment and find ‘Dearling’ and ‘Sweeting’, which I like. That reminds me that I tried to use ‘Honey’ in my medieval book. It was correct for the era, but sadly sounds too American so had to go…
What else? What will the children call their parents? ‘Modor’ and ‘Faeder’ – I like that! I also have a grandmother and she is called ‘Elder-Modor’.
Now I have to consider how far will I take this, without it becoming irritating for the reader? I decide to use ‘I thank you’ and I like a ‘Mayhap’ and a ‘Perchance’. Oh and I use ‘Aye’ and ‘Nay’.
If there are any rules about how far to take this in a historical novel, then I know nothing of them. I go with what feels right for me and my characters and I hope my readers agree. I have to be careful not to slip these words into a descriptive passage, as these parts are my words written in my 21st century style.
I do frequently check words to find out when they were first used. As I write this I have just searched twine, to see if my character can tie a goat up with it, or should it be rope? But words do slip through - a character was recently well ahead of her time when she used meters as a measurement in Victorian times! I do get it wrong and that’s when I rely on my readers to let me know. The kindle edition or the next print run of books can easily be changed.
​As I pass my halfway stage in the novel, I still need to use ‘Death’s head on a mop-stick’ and I’ve got ‘milk-soft’ on my list, which I think is rather nice!