When I started writing, about fourteen years ago, I simply
wanted to prove to myself I could write a book rather than continue to think
about it. There were vague thoughts of genre and theme and I knew it had to be
set in Guernsey where I had spent many happy years, soaking up the ‘foreign’
atmosphere and sense of history. The beautiful island still showed the scars
left by the German Occupation during WWII and the older population still shared
their memories.
Although my first book, Dangerous
Waters, was a contemporary story, it did reference the Occupation and this
became a major theme for the next five books in what became The Guernsey Novels. In fact books 5 and
6, Echoes of Time and The Betrayal are dual-time, split
between the present and WWII. I was fortunate to speak to those who had lived
through those years as well as being given personal diaries.
The local archives
and the research library, Le Priaulx, are also wonderful sources for a writer.
All my books have stories with a connection to the past, driven by my love of
history and my belief that we are affected more than we realise by what, or
who, has gone before.
Book 7, The
Inheritance, shifts to an earlier era, the Victorian, and is a dual-time
story with the focus on Victor Hugo who lived in exile in Guernsey for many
years, providing me with the inspiration to delve further back than usual.
The Inheritance – Published April 2019
How
close were Victor Hugo and his copyist?
1862 Young widow Eugénie faces an uncertain future in Guernsey. A
further tragedy brings her to the attention of Monsieur Victor Hugo, living in
exile on the island only yards away from Eugénie’s home. Their meeting changes
her life and she becomes his copyist, forming a strong friendship with both
Hugo and his mistress, Juliette Drouet.
2012 Dr Tess Le Prevost, Guernsey-born but living in England, is
shocked to inherit her Great-Aunt’s house on the island. As a child, she was
entranced by Doris’s tales of their ancestor, Eugénie, whose house this once
was, and her close relationship with Hugo. Was he the real father of her child?
Returning to the island gives Tess a fresh start and a chance to unlock family
secrets.
Will she discover
the truth about Eugénie and Hugo? A surprise find may hold the answer as Tess
embraces new challenges which test her strength – and her heart.
Anne Allen lives in Devon but originates from Rugby. Finding
early on in life that she loved the sea she spent most of her adult years
moving from one coast to another. Her happiest time was spent in Guernsey where
she lived for nearly 14 years and her books are all set on that beautiful
island. Until recently Anne was a psychotherapist but has now retired to write
full time. So far she has published Dangerous Waters, Finding Mother, Guernsey
Retreat, The Family Divided, Echoes of Time, The Betrayal and The Inheritance,
forming the Guernsey Novels series. The books focus on love, mystery, drama and
relationships.
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