Hello Cumbria

Thorndale has been a wonderful place for me to spend so many happy hours but as writing my 4-book series comes to an end, it’s time for me to think about what’s coming next. I’m currently on a short writing break as I’m at the very beginning of planning a new 3-book series. It feels slightly sad, to be leaving Thorndale (for the time being at least) and heading for pastures new with different characters, but also exciting as the ideas start to take shape in my mind.

Working out these characters, who they are, the lives they lead, how the heroine and the hero come to be in the same place at the same time, is one of the most fun parts of writing for me. I create their family history, friends, experiences, education and careers. It all helps me to build up a profile and I can begin to understand how their lives have been shaped to the point at which I begin writing their stories.

If you’re familiar with my books then you’ll probably know that the landscape is often the first place I look for inspiration. I didn’t have to search far from home to find my new setting and it’s in Cumbria, a place I love and know well. I’m thankful to be able to visit (under normal circumstances) and I plan to be spending (if we can) quite a bit of time there over the next months as the new series takes shape.

Cumbria is a county shaped by its landscape, history and those who live and work there. Today it’s a place where outstanding food, arts and culture combine with a traditional farming heritage. Throw in incredible views, challenging outdoor activities like climbing and ghyll scrambling, and there truly is something for everyone.

I’m delighted to be setting three books around a holiday home managed by a brother and a sister, with an eccentric and lively French mother thrown into the mix. I have my three new heroines and I’m working on the heroes. The first hero is likely to be a landscape architect and it’s worth remembering that all of this may change later as the writing progresses! Some of my very first ideas are in each of the Thorndale books and other details sometimes appear deep into the writing process.

I was very grateful to take a research trip further north recently and here are some of the images I took to help me later:

I hope you’ve enjoyed this very early glimpse behind the scenes of the new series. Please do drop me a line and let me know!

Suzanne x