UNTIL
WE MEET AGAIN – a World War I saga
I’d
like to extend a big thank you to Rachel for inviting me to write about my
novel as a guest on her blog.
I was thrilled when my novel Until We Meet Again was
released on 31 October by Hera Books, as the first of three books.
The centenary of the Great War reminded us of this tragic
period of history. What must it have been like to have been suddenly swept into
it? My characters, Amy and Edmond, fall in love as war breaks out. They snatch
days and weekends together, uncertain of their future.
It was a challenge to set a story in this
era without making it unbearably grim, but I was inspired by accounts of
soldiers enjoying songs and jokes even in the trenches. My hero and heroine
needed to be special people. Edmond and Amy are resourceful and brave, and
deeply in love; together they are determined to overcome the trials they face.
Some of the relatives we knew as children will have lived
through this era, but it was a very different world. There was a wide gulf
between rich and poor. The wealthy had cars and servants. The poor didn’t, but
they had lots of skills we are losing today, progressively with each generation,
such as growing vegetables, home cooking and mending clothes and household
items.
In 1914 Amy is a Suffragette – how could I resist involving
her in the vital struggle to obtain votes for women? Impulsively she joins her
friend in direct action, little thinking of possible repercussions.
Edmond’s family belong to a higher social station, and Amy
encounters hostility from them. When he joins up and serves in Flanders, she trains
to be a nurse. Meanwhile their families at home face anxiety, hardship and
sometimes bereavement.
I have learnt a good deal about the Great War through the
moving memoir of Vera Brittain, in Testament of Youth. (Virago Press,
ISBN 0 86068 035 5.)
I have also referred to A Nurse at the Front,
based on the First World War diaries of Sister Edith Appleton, edited by Ruth
Cowen. (Simon & Schuster, ISBN 978-1-84983-366-0.)
A wonderful film was released in 2018 called They
Shall Not Age, which consisted of reprocessed documentary WWI film with
colour added. There was even dialogue, which had been constructed from the
original speech, with the help of lipreaders. You could get a vivid impression
of the hardship the men actually encountered in the trenches.
I was truly inspired by the courage of the generation who
were young then. I am now preparing a sequel, continuing the story of Amy and
Edmond.
BLURB:
The Great War drove them apart – but love
kept them together
Summer 1914: Shy young woman, Amy Fletcher,
lives a quiet life in Sussex. An office worker, she lives at home, along with
her parents and spirited younger brother, Bertie. But her life is transformed
when she meets handsome young man, Edmond Derwent, son of one of the wealthiest
families in the small town of Larchbury, and student at Cambridge University.
The couple are falling deeply in love when war
breaks out and, eager to do his duty for England, Edmond signs up as an
officer. The couple plan to be wed, eager to start a new life together - but
their happiness is short-lived when Edmond is sent to Flanders to lead his men
into battle. Amy trains as a VAD nurse and is soon sent to France, where she
sees the true horror of war inflicted on the brave young men sent to fight.
Separated by war, Edmond and Amy share their
feelings through emotional letters sent from the front line. But when Edmond is
critically wounded at Ypres, their love faces the biggest test of all – can
their love stay strong while the world around them is crumbling?
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BIOGRAPHY
Rosemary Goodacre has previously worked in computing and teaching. She
has had short stories published and a novella, A Fortnight is not Enough.
Her father's family came from continental Europe and she loves travelling.
She enjoys country walking, bridge and classical music. She lives with her husband in Kent, England.
Her father's family came from continental Europe and she loves travelling.
She enjoys country walking, bridge and classical music. She lives with her husband in Kent, England.
It was lovely being a guest on your blog, Rachel.
ReplyDeleteGlad to have you here, Rosemary! xo
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