How do you overcome the loathing, lust and bitterness threatening you and your family’s honour?
It’s 1363, and in Steyning Castle, Sussex, Dickon de Bohun is enjoying life as a squire in the household of Earl Raoul de Fougère. Or he would be, if it weren’t for Edwin de Courtenay, who’s making his life a misery with his bullying, threatening to expose the truth about Dickon’s birth.
At home in Meonbridge for Christmas, Dickon notices how grown-up his childhood playmate, Libby Fletcher, has become since he last saw her and feels the stirrings of desire. Libby, seeing how different he is too, falls instantly in love. But as a servant to Dickon’s grandmother, Lady Margaret de Bohun, she could never be his wife.
Margery Tyler, Libby’s aunt, meeting her niece by chance, learns of her passion for young Dickon. Their conversation rekindles Margery’s long-held rancour against the de Bohuns, whom she blames for all the ills that befell her family, including her own servitude. For years she’s hidden her hunger for retribution, but she can no longer keep her hostility in check.
As the future Lord of Meonbridge, Dickon knows he must rise above de Courtenay’s loathing and intimidation, and get the better of him. And, surely, he must master his lust for Libby, so his own mother’s shocking history is not repeated? Of Margery’s bitterness, however, he has yet to learn…
Beset by the hazards these powerful and dangerous emotions bring, can young Dickon summon up the courage and resolve to overcome them?
Secrets, hatred and betrayal, but also love and courage – Squire’s Hazard, the fifth MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLE.
Interview
What inspired you to start writing?
I wrote stories as a child, as many of us did. But, later, as an adult, all the time I worked (and married and had children), I continued writing on and off – short stories, novels, children’s stories, ideas for non-fiction books. But it never occurred to me to try and have anything published – I wrote for pleasure, or perhaps because I couldn’t NOT write. At length, though, I did begin to think publication might be possible and tried submitting my contemporary women’s fiction to agents. But I got nowhere. Then, quite late in life, I decided to take a Masters in Creative Writing – to give a “focus” to my writing, as I told myself. And it worked. The result was Fortune’s Wheel, the first of my Meonbridge Chronicles, which I eventually self-published. I became “a writer”, which is what I now think I am.
What was the hardest part about writing this book?
Squire’s Hazard has taken me longer to write than the previous books, and I think that is because I was finding it all quite “hard” to write! And the hardest scenes for me, in this book and the earlier ones, are those involving emotional conflict and psychological distress, in particular where characters are keeping secrets, are being deliberately “economical with the truth”, or have lost touch with the truth. Because I’m writing in series, I’m inevitably referring back to earlier events, which one character might “remember” differently from another. It’s important to maintain consistency and continuity of characters from book to book, but also to have them develop and change. Getting that balance can be tricky, and is one aspect of writing about characters that I find most challenging.
Does one of the main characters hold a special place in your heart? If so, why?
Mmm, that’s really difficult. I love them all! But I think I’ll choose Lady Margaret de Bohun, who is the lady of the manor in Meonbridge, and in Squire’s Hazard, is actually the “lord”. I love her because she is quite down-to-earth in many ways. She loves gardening, and works hard, even though her body is telling her it’s time she slowed down a bit. She regards her tenants as her “friends and neighbours”, rather than her chattels, even though she is most definitely in charge. Another character in Squire’s Hazard thinks Margaret is autocratic but in truth she’s not. She adores her grandson, despite his “difficult” start in life, and is determined to do the best for him – of course she is. But she cares about the future of others too, like her maid, Libby. She also has a gentle sense of humour, and laughs a lot. Yes, Margaret definitely has a special place in my heart!
If your book was to be made into a movie, who are the celebrities that would star in it?
Mmmm, I’m not sure about this! Mostly because I am not terribly au fait with movie stars! Squire’s Hazard has four principal characters: Lady Margaret de Bohun, who is comparatively elderly; Dickon, her grandson, who is fifteen; and her maid, Libby, who is the same age as Dickon. Then there is Libby’s aunt, Margery, who is in her thirties but almost certainly looks a good deal older because of the hard physical work she does as a servant. So, let’s think… Maybe I can suggest actors for two of the characters?
For Lady Margaret, maybe Imelda Staunton or Julie Walters? I’m thinking here of actors who can be somewhat comical, as Margaret, despite her high station in life, is not aloof or serious but definitely has a droll side to her.
For Margery, perhaps Carey Mulligan or Emily Blunt? The problem for these lovely actors is that Margery is not a particularly “lovely” woman, and becomes even less so through the book! But I’m sure the actors could do “unattractive”, if called upon to do so!
What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
I hope they have felt, as one of my reviewers has said, that they have “[not] so much read about the folk of Meonbridge as [dwelt] amongst them for a few precious hours”; that they have walked in the shoes of my fourteenth century characters for a little while and understood something of their lives, appreciating both their similarities to us today as well as the differences.
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Carolyn Hughes
CAROLYN HUGHES has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, as she wrote and edited material, some fascinating, some dull, for an array of different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers.
Having written creatively for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest several years ago that writing historical fiction took centre stage, alongside gaining a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University and a PhD from the University of Southampton.
Squire’s Hazard is the fifth MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLE, and more stories about the folk of Meonbridge will follow.
You can connect with Carolyn through her website www.carolynhughesauthor.com and on social media.
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The Whispering Bookworm
Thank you for hosting Carolyn Hughes today. What a fabulous interview! x
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