Last year I wrote a story for my goddaughter, Holly, who had starred as Mary Lennox in a production of ‘The Secret Garden’ based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnet. She loved the part, so for advent I wrote her a 24 part Christmas story, based on the book and with Mary at its heart. It was a huge amount of fun to write, so I thought this year I would share it.
So, if you’d like to read a longish story, one page for each day of December finishing on Christmas Eve, I’ll be publishing Winter Comes to the Secret Garden here as a fiction advent calendar – for free, no subscription or payment of any kind required. You can follow this blog for updates, and I’ll also be publishing the links on my author page over on Facebook, so if you’re not already following it, please do. And do tell anyone you think might enjoy it!
I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Holly as Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden, photo from Billingham Players.
Last week was frantic for two reasons – firstly I went to London to visit my son (I haven’t seen him since June, so this was a long-awaited trip!) and secondly I was on a blog tour for the publication of ‘Winter Snowfall …’ If you don’t know about blog tours, this is where you ‘visit’ several different book blogs/bookstagrammers accounts during a week, and they either read and review or post content that the author provides. I’m always apprehensive about blog tours – what if everybody hates the book and all the reviews are awful?
At King’s Cross station, combining the virtual blog tour and the real visit to London
Blog tours can also be very illuminating – if everybody comments on the same thing, you know you are doing it right – or wrong. So, what did my reviewers and early readers tend to agree on?
One thing came through resoundingly. Harry and Oliver, Amy and Matt’s sons, were almost universally popular. I had thought about cutting down their parts in the next novel because I thought people might get a bit bored of their high-jinks, but now … Harry and Oliver possibly need their OWN novel!
I had hesitated over a rather sad moment in the book (I won’t say what it is as this might spoil the book for anyone who wants to read it) – I wasn’t sure if this would be too much for a Christmas novel. Enough people have told me that they were touched by it to make me think that I made the right decision in putting it at the heart of the story. Although I love everything about Christmas novels I like them to have something more thought-provoking than simply tinsel and hot chocolate. So I was relieved to hear that other people thought the same way as I do.
Several people told me that they didn’t like the character of Diane. Now, this was the point, because Diane is not a likeable person. However when I was writing about her, the story developed as I wrote – it wasn’t planned. Diane was one of those characters who leaps off the page, grabs the pen and starts to write her own story. She was an absolute joy to write about, and I’m quite glad that people didn’t like her!
A couple of people also said that Amy and Matt were a bit annoying too. I like all my characters to have flaws, and both Amy and Matt have their issues, and communicating is a problem for both of them. Yes, the story could have been less tense if they’d communicated better from the start – with each other and with Diane – but then they wouldn’t have had to learn about the importance of being honest with each other and there would’ve been no story!
I’m more than happy with the early responses of readers and reviewers – a novel that for a lot of last year had become a millstone around my neck now becomes a gleam of festive brightness!
As today is publication day for ‘Winter Snowfall at Elder Fell Farm’ I’d like to introduce you to the characters. Or rather, I’ll let them introduce themselves!
Matt: I’m Matt. I’m Oliver’s dad, and also Amy’s partner. All I really want is a quiet life and for my lad to be happy. He’s had such a lot of problems in the last few years, after his mum died, and I just want to make things easier for him. If that means sacrificing my own peace of mind so that he can be happy then that’s what I’ll do. Amy will understand. Amy always understands, that’s why I love her so much.
Amy: I was very unhappy before I met Matt. Everything seemed to be going wrong – first my marriage disintegrated and then my mam died. James, my ex, always said I was too soft and I was starting to believe him. But my son Harry kept me going – even though he can be a bit naughty sometimes, he always makes me smile. But meeting Matt made me feel as if life could be good again. He gives me the strength to be myself knowing that he’s got my back.
Harry: I am very nearly nine years old and I’m the best at sports in this house. I can run the fastest of everyone. Oliver is my best friend, though sometimes he can be dead annoying, especially when he doesn’t want to play. I love stories, though I don’t like reading them. Mam reads the best stories, and Matt’s quite good too. I liked the Titty book which we read on holiday last year. Dad thought it was something rude, but it’s not, it’s just about a girl called Titty who sails boats and has adventures. That’s the best thing about the Lake District, having adventures. I hope me and Olly are going to have some adventures this time!
Oliver: I am nearly ten years old because my birthday is in November and Harry’s is in May so he’s nearly a WHOLE YEAR younger than me, really, even though we’re in the same class at school. I’m the best student in our whole class and sometimes I help Harry, but not if he’s being irritating. I think Harry benefits from having me around to set a good example of how to behave. That’s what all the teachers say. I’m looking forward to Christmas because I’ve got the lead part in the school play. I’m going to be The Elf that saved Christmas, and I’m really excited – and a bit scared too. Perhaps Harry’ll help me because he’s not scared of anything.
Diane: I am Oliver’s grandmother, Diane. His mother, Stella, was my daughter. Since she died … well, never mind that. I like to keep positive. God moves in mysterious ways, as they say. Oliver has been my whole world since Stella .. since she … I’m very fond of him. And Matt has been a very good son-in-law, and I feel a certain responsibility for him. He’s vulnerable, you see, a grieving widower, he’d be the ideal target for the wrong sort of woman. I just want to make sure that Oliver isn’t hurt any more, if anything happened to him I’d …
Peter: The farm has been in my family for generations, but I’ll be the last of the Thompsons at Elder Fell. An only son, I never married. Never cared to, not since I lost Jen, Amy’s mam, the only woman I ever loved. I asked her to marry me, but she said no. Of course, I understood it. She didn’t feel she could move to Elderthwaite, didn’t feel it would be fair on her daughter. I’m a sheep farmer, first and last, I could never be owt else. Hefted to the land, that’s me, like my dad before me, and his dad before him.
We get asked a lot of questions, and sometimes the answers don’t come easily. Here are some of my favourites, and some of those that I’m less keen to hear …
Why can’t I see Santa?
This comes up a lot, though it’s usually the elf who is working with Santa who gets asked this, so I’ve only had to deal with disappointed children or parents a handful of times.
The real answer: Your parents didn’t book you a ticket to see Santa, tough luck, kid.
My answer: Oh, I’m afraid Santa is very, very busy today, so much to do this close to Christmas. If you don’t have a golden ticket, you might have to wait to see him on Christmas Eve, because I know he’s coming to your house then, and why don’t you have a little word with Mrs. Claus, she’ll pass on any messages, look, have you seen Mrs. Santa’s house? Isn’t it pretty …
Mrs. Claus’s house. It really is pretty.
Where are the reindeer?
The real answer: We don’t have any. Not any real ones, anyway, but we do have several stuffed reindeer in Santa’s grotto. However I’ve no way of knowing whether they’re going to see Santa or not, so I have to guess …
My answer: They’re getting ready for Christmas Eve, they’re with Santa’s sleigh. Why don’t you take some reindeer food to give them on Christmas Eve … just sprinkle it on your lawn, and you’ll be all ready for when they come!
But I’ve just seen the reindeer, and his sleigh, they’re in the grotto!
Okay, kid, you win this battle of wits.
Santa’s grotto
Do you remember me from last year?
The real answer: No. It was a different actor in this dress last year, so you quite clearly don’t remember me either!
My answer: Of course I do! How are you! How nice of you to come back and see us again.
You don’t look the same as you did in the film.Why not? [Mother Ginger is a character in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – you knew that, didn’t you?]
The real answer: Because I’m not quite as glamorous as Helen Mirren, darling.
My answer: Because I was far too busy making gingerbread to have time to be in the film. They had to ask somebody to pretend to be me. I think she did a pretty good job, don’t you?
Mother Ginger.
Are you a witch?
The real answer: I’m sorry, what? Do I look like a witch?
My answer: I’m not a witch, goodness me, no! I’m Mother Ginger, and this is my gingerbread house … oh, I see! No, that was in Hansel and Gretel; I’m not a witch.
Then why do you have a gingerbread cottage?
The real answer: Stop asking me difficult questions!
My answer: Oh, that was my sister, the bad witch. She had her own gingerbread cottage, this one is mine. I’m a good witch – you know, like in The Wizard of Oz?
Then where is your sister now?
The real answer: Please, please, just stop asking me questions!
My answer: She’s dead. Hansel and Gretel pushed her in the oven and she burnt to death. Macabre? Don’t blame me, it’s in the fairy tale, and you asked!
And finally, one question where I got a very unexpected answer from one young child.
My question: What are you leaving out for Santa to eat on Christmas Eve?
The answer I expected: A mince pie, or possibly cookies and milk.
The answer I got: Shells.
Me: I’m sorry, what did you say? Was that, ‘a mince pie?’
Child: Shells. I’m leaving shells for Santa.
Me: Oh, shells. Of course! How … lovely …
Parent: (patiently) Santa gave him a present with shells in, so he’s giving them back to Santa.
Me: Oh, of course. Shells for Santa. Obviously. Well, perhaps you could leave him a mince pie as well!
One good thing about spending time at a farm is meeting the animals who inhabit it. My day always starts with a wave and a word for the cows and a quack for the ducks on the pond as I pass them. There are less ordinary animals too; llamas and wallabies occupy two of the fields, and they’re a big hit with the visitors. I’ve made some animal friends too.
In the field opposite my usual station at crossroads between the ‘North Pole’ and Candy Cane Lane are some sheep and goats. They greet me every morning with some hopeful baa-ing, as they expect everyone who walks past their field to feed them. They have a little tube down which you can pour the animal feed, and all day long there is a steady stream of children happy to oblige. It’s hardly surprising that they can be loud if someone forgets to feed them as they walk past! There is inevitably a small pile of dropped animal food outside their field, which brings another visitor, in the form of a little robin who searches around for crumbs. He’s very brave, and I see him most days; often I hear him before I see him, a sharp chirping on the winter air before he bounces along the fence, one eye on the food, the other on me.
Then the robin brings another set of visitors to my North Pole crossroads – the cats. There are several cats who appear now and again, including a very pretty visiting ginger cat, who seemed very happy to see me; I suspect he recognised in me a kindred spirit as Mother Ginger. The farm has two resident cats, one tabby and a grey, Both farm cats are slightly aloof; both happy for a little bit of fuss, but on their own terms, and once they notice that there is no food on offer, they tend to stalk off in search of someone else. The grey cat is a hunter too – whilst talking to some very small children, he upstaged us by scrambling into a tree after some birds who were trying to roost on a high branch. He got quite a long way up before he decided that the birds were beyond him. I hope he doesn’t have his eyes on the little robin …
The horses in the field beside Candy Cane Lane like to interact with their visitors. Sometimes they interact by nipping fingers that are put too close to their mouths, but then visitors shouldn’t be putting their finders close to the horses’ mouths! They’re fond of a rub on the nose, though when one of our elves went to give his nose a rub, it appears that the horse was really VERY pleased to see her …
Then there’s the donkeys. They can make a surprising amount of noise when they want to, and for some reason, they always seem to want to while we’re singing carols. Perhaps they’re joining in? They’re not the only ones who want to add their voices to ours; at the end of the day, the birds begin to gather. A large flock of them, I don’t know what they are, possibly rooks, circle around the trees behind the sheep field. I suspect they have an eye on the spilled sheep food beside the fence, and they’re very noisy. They rise as one, and settle down together, cawing and flapping, they seem to be bickering amongst each other. ‘It’s a bird party!’ declared one of the elves. ‘It’s not a party, it’s only cheese and wine!’ replied another, as the birds watched us. That settles it. Definitely a parliament of rooks!
Liz Taylorson 