Inspiration

I’ve been asked a few times recently where I got the idea to write The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor and in truth, the inspiration was a whole mish-mash of people, places and experiences. The starting point for the whole book can be pin-pointed to a single thought but what led to the book was much more.   

People:

I often see jokes and memes online about writers stealing or ‘magpie-ing’ people from real life for their characters and I can definitely relate. I don’t tend to lift a whole person and write them into a story but I might take a person’s looks or name or a particular characteristic and weave it into a character. I find it much easier to write about what I know, so elements of my friends, family and colleagues often appear in my stories.

Then there are the special people that are more than an idea for a character or plot twist. The people that actually encouraged me to write or continue writing. My mother, husband, close friends and wider family have all been invaluable in providing support and motivation over the past few years.

Places:

I was lucky to grow up in Middleton, a small village in Derbyshire. We lived on the edge of grassy moorland dotted with old mine shafts – perfect for adventuring as a child. I went on to live in Belper which became the location for one of my stories. The opening scene of The Butterflies of Meadow Hill Manor was inspired by my commute back from university one evening. I arrived at the station on a dark, rainy night and thought this would make a good story start. I started writing that night and although the story has changed a great deal over the years, the starting location has remained the same. Meadow Hill Manor itself was inspired by the beautiful Makeney Hall which is also located near Belper.

Belper Mill

Photograph: Tony Parks

Experiences:

Life experiences inevitably role into the stories I write, often where those experiences are of people met or people lost. Other books and stories I’ve read have also shaped and influenced my ideas over the years. There are too many books to list but as a child, I was particularly influenced by classics such as Tom’s Midnight Garden and The Magician’s Nephew.