{"id":4513472512044,"title":"Love Letters (2009)","handle":"love-letters","description":"\u003cspan\u003eLove Letters is about a literary festival.  I had appeared at a local one and the organiser was very young and had never had anything to do with a festival before.  Thus, all her ideas were completely original and off the wall but it produced a wonderful event.  My character had had a bit more experience of book events but organising the festival still took her in directions she didn’t expect.\u003c\/span\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T11:16:33+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:01:54+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Love Letters"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32075978506284,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099525042","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Love Letters (2009)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099525042","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/15._Love_Letters.jpg?v=1582547118"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/15._Love_Letters.jpg?v=1582547118","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594432401452,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.636,"height":753,"width":479,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/15._Love_Letters.jpg?v=1582547118"},"aspect_ratio":0.636,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/15._Love_Letters.jpg?v=1582547118","width":479}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cspan\u003eLove Letters is about a literary festival.  I had appeared at a local one and the organiser was very young and had never had anything to do with a festival before.  Thus, all her ideas were completely original and off the wall but it produced a wonderful event.  My character had had a bit more experience of book events but organising the festival still took her in directions she didn’t expect.\u003c\/span\u003e"}

{"id":4513501184044,"title":"Wedding Season (2008)","handle":"wedding-season-2008","description":"\u003cspan\u003eWedding Season was partly inspired by my choir, who nagged me to write about a wedding.  As a choir, when we sing at weddings, we have a lot of time to inspect the guests as they arrive and assess who they are and who they’re related to.  Having a wedding planner as a heroine meant I could write about several in one book.  Except she doesn’t think love and marriage is for her, just for other people.\u003c\/span\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:13:54+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Wedding Season"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076078841900,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099502128","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Wedding Season (2008)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099502128","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/16._Wedding_Season.jpg?v=1582547720"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/16._Wedding_Season.jpg?v=1582547720","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594593521708,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.647,"height":753,"width":487,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/16._Wedding_Season.jpg?v=1582547720"},"aspect_ratio":0.647,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/16._Wedding_Season.jpg?v=1582547720","width":487}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cspan\u003eWedding Season was partly inspired by my choir, who nagged me to write about a wedding.  As a choir, when we sing at weddings, we have a lot of time to inspect the guests as they arrive and assess who they are and who they’re related to.  Having a wedding planner as a heroine meant I could write about several in one book.  Except she doesn’t think love and marriage is for her, just for other people.\u003c\/span\u003e"}

{"id":4513503805484,"title":"Going Dutch (2007)","handle":"going-dutch-2007","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile I was writing Practically Perfect we were having our house remodelled.  (I still thank my neighbour for instigating it – the improvements were vast.)  We rented a house for most of the time but towards the end, we moved onto our Dutch barge in London.  Being there for longer than usual of course, made me want to set a book on it.  Someone we met at a party suggested the title.  Titles are always tricky and so I was delighted to have one before I started. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is one of those books with two points of view.  If the story is right, I enjoy doing this but I find it quite impossible if the story doesn’t work.  But I had a story and a lot of recent barge experience.  The barge in this book is exactly as it was before it too was done up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had a deadline to reach while we were there and at the same time there was a rally which meant everyone could ask to inspect each other’s barges. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOurs was by far the tattiest – and possibly the oldest.  She is a real antique having been built in 1897.s.  She also fought in the war, on the German side we think, and has a porthole with a bullet hole in it.  So lots of history but not a lot of glamour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile people were periodically coming onto the barge I was finishing my book and had had to keep jumping off my stool to offer sweeties (to soften the blow of the tattiness) and show people round, hoping they’d forgive us.  The barge was primarily student digs at that time to family and friends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe went round all the smarter barges too, of course.  And I still liked ours the best.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:15:20+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076086378540,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099499831","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Going Dutch (2007)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099499831","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/GoingDutch2.png?v=1590490152"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/GoingDutch2.png?v=1590490152","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":9260637651099,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2339,"width":1524,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/GoingDutch2.png?v=1590490152"},"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2339,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/GoingDutch2.png?v=1590490152","width":1524}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile I was writing Practically Perfect we were having our house remodelled.  (I still thank my neighbour for instigating it – the improvements were vast.)  We rented a house for most of the time but towards the end, we moved onto our Dutch barge in London.  Being there for longer than usual of course, made me want to set a book on it.  Someone we met at a party suggested the title.  Titles are always tricky and so I was delighted to have one before I started. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is one of those books with two points of view.  If the story is right, I enjoy doing this but I find it quite impossible if the story doesn’t work.  But I had a story and a lot of recent barge experience.  The barge in this book is exactly as it was before it too was done up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had a deadline to reach while we were there and at the same time there was a rally which meant everyone could ask to inspect each other’s barges. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOurs was by far the tattiest – and possibly the oldest.  She is a real antique having been built in 1897.s.  She also fought in the war, on the German side we think, and has a porthole with a bullet hole in it.  So lots of history but not a lot of glamour.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile people were periodically coming onto the barge I was finishing my book and had had to keep jumping off my stool to offer sweeties (to soften the blow of the tattiness) and show people round, hoping they’d forgive us.  The barge was primarily student digs at that time to family and friends.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe went round all the smarter barges too, of course.  And I still liked ours the best.\u003c\/p\u003e"}

{"id":4513507246124,"title":"Practically Perfect (2006)","handle":"practically-perfect-2006","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyone who knows me well knows I never waste anything writing wise.  I don’t like wasting food either but rather that than what seems something fun to write about.  One of the triggers for this book was my daughter’s adorable little rented house in a village near us.  There was a row of them and they were built in a time when a garden was essential for growing food.  These were known as ‘black gardens’ because they were soil, no land was wasted on lawns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI loved my daughter’s house.  She shared it with a work colleague and it was tiny but perfect.  A sitting room, little kitchen and two bedrooms.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext door to her, in the porch was a row of three sets of wellingtons.  Small, smaller and absolutely tiny.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI knew I had to write a book that involved that row of cottages and that row of boots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt so happened that we were having major alterations to our house.  The instigators of the alterations were neighbours.  (Top tip, never go away and leave your daughter in charge of the house.  It’s not the wild parties, it’s the interior designers she lets in, who have big ideas which are so tempting that really costs the money.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese neighbours were also doing up their house and, because they were overseeing my building work and having a baby at the same time, their renovations were slow.   They didn’t have a staircase.  Everyone said, don’t worry, as long as you have a staircase by the time the baby is born, about eight months, walking, but honestly I can’t tell you how long it was before they got up and downstairs without using scaffold planks and ladders.  I put this in the book too!\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:16:52+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Practically Perfect"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076102369324,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099472377","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Practically Perfect (2006)","public_title":null,"options":["Default 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charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyone who knows me well knows I never waste anything writing wise.  I don’t like wasting food either but rather that than what seems something fun to write about.  One of the triggers for this book was my daughter’s adorable little rented house in a village near us.  There was a row of them and they were built in a time when a garden was essential for growing food.  These were known as ‘black gardens’ because they were soil, no land was wasted on lawns.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI loved my daughter’s house.  She shared it with a work colleague and it was tiny but perfect.  A sitting room, little kitchen and two bedrooms.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext door to her, in the porch was a row of three sets of wellingtons.  Small, smaller and absolutely tiny.  \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI knew I had to write a book that involved that row of cottages and that row of boots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt so happened that we were having major alterations to our house.  The instigators of the alterations were neighbours.  (Top tip, never go away and leave your daughter in charge of the house.  It’s not the wild parties, it’s the interior designers she lets in, who have big ideas which are so tempting that really costs the money.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese neighbours were also doing up their house and, because they were overseeing my building work and having a baby at the same time, their renovations were slow.   They didn’t have a staircase.  Everyone said, don’t worry, as long as you have a staircase by the time the baby is born, about eight months, walking, but honestly I can’t tell you how long it was before they got up and downstairs without using scaffold planks and ladders.  I put this in the book too!\u003c\/p\u003e"}

{"id":4513510719532,"title":"Flora's Lot (2005)","handle":"floras-lot-2005","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wanted to write about auction houses because it seemed every second television programme seemed to feature them.  I loved these programmes and felt that if people wanted to watch programmes they might also want to read books about auction houses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was lucky in that I had a wonderful contact in The Cotswold Auction house to call on for research.   I did what amounted to work experience with them and enjoyed it so much I was prepared to give up writing and become an auction house porter.  However I refrained and went on to write the book. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFlora’s Lot also has my choir in it.  I’ve been a member for over 20 years and love it.  My fellow second sopranos complained that I hadn’t written about a choir yet so I felt obliged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd finally, Flora is based on my daughter.  She too is blonde and as she drove me about the place (I don’t drive) I wondered if she knew it wasn’t usual for everyone to let you out and be so kind on the road.  What was it like to be blonde?  I wanted to explore it a little.  One of the downsides are that people can assume you’re stupid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo be fair to my daughter, she often lets people out of side roads when she’s driving now she’s no longer 18.  She did reverse the boat and trailer onto the ferry though.  (Not really a spoiler!) \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:18:11+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Flora's Lot","Katie Fforde"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076117475372,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099472360","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Flora's Lot (2005)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099472360","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/19._Flora_s_Lot.jpg?v=1582546858"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/19._Flora_s_Lot.jpg?v=1582546858","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594373255212,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"width":490,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/19._Flora_s_Lot.jpg?v=1582546858"},"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/19._Flora_s_Lot.jpg?v=1582546858","width":490}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wanted to write about auction houses because it seemed every second television programme seemed to feature them.  I loved these programmes and felt that if people wanted to watch programmes they might also want to read books about auction houses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was lucky in that I had a wonderful contact in The Cotswold Auction house to call on for research.   I did what amounted to work experience with them and enjoyed it so much I was prepared to give up writing and become an auction house porter.  However I refrained and went on to write the book. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFlora’s Lot also has my choir in it.  I’ve been a member for over 20 years and love it.  My fellow second sopranos complained that I hadn’t written about a choir yet so I felt obliged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd finally, Flora is based on my daughter.  She too is blonde and as she drove me about the place (I don’t drive) I wondered if she knew it wasn’t usual for everyone to let you out and be so kind on the road.  What was it like to be blonde?  I wanted to explore it a little.  One of the downsides are that people can assume you’re stupid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo be fair to my daughter, she often lets people out of side roads when she’s driving now she’s no longer 18.  She did reverse the boat and trailer onto the ferry though.  (Not really a spoiler!) \u003c\/p\u003e"}

{"id":4513514160172,"title":"Restoring Grace (2004)","handle":"restoring-grace-2004","description":"\u003cspan\u003eRestoring Grace is about a picture restorer and a wine expert.  I already had quite a lot of wine experience but I really wanted to become a picture restorer while doing my research.  Two women who agree to live together in a beautiful old house owned by one of them are joined by a troubled teenaged girl who is the step daughter of one of them.  I loved the research and putting three very different young women together.  Friendship is a great subject for a novel.\u003c\/span\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:19:44+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Restoring Grace"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076126289964,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099446637","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Restoring Grace (2004)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099446637","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/20._Restoring_Grace.jpg?v=1582547239"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/20._Restoring_Grace.jpg?v=1582547239","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594463924268,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.653,"height":753,"width":492,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/20._Restoring_Grace.jpg?v=1582547239"},"aspect_ratio":0.653,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/20._Restoring_Grace.jpg?v=1582547239","width":492}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cspan\u003eRestoring Grace is about a picture restorer and a wine expert.  I already had quite a lot of wine experience but I really wanted to become a picture restorer while doing my research.  Two women who agree to live together in a beautiful old house owned by one of them are joined by a troubled teenaged girl who is the step daughter of one of them.  I loved the research and putting three very different young women together.  Friendship is a great subject for a novel.\u003c\/span\u003e"}

{"id":4513517994028,"title":"Paradise Fields (2003)","handle":"paradise-fields-2003","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eI love to write about what’s current and farmers’ markets where just starting when I wrote this.  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eI based it on Stroud Farmers’ market which is award winning and a bit different from some.  It sold - and sells - non food items that are created locally which means people go even if they don’t need any wonderful cheese, honey or beef.  (I buy my pudding bowls from there and ask for more when inevitably some of mine are broken.)  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eI put my children in this book.  They are teenagers in it and I love teenagers.  I made my daughter read it.  Then she wasn’t much of a reader but as it had her in it I felt she should know what other people would be reading.  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eThe unexpected plus to this was the fact she quite enjoyed it.  It also caused me to go to my first football match.  I went with a lovely girl who showed me the ropes.  I loved it!\u003c\/div\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:21:35+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Paradise Fields"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076137660460,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099446620","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Paradise Fields (2003)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099446620","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/21._Paradise_Fields.jpg?v=1582547157"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/21._Paradise_Fields.jpg?v=1582547157","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594443739180,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"width":490,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/21._Paradise_Fields.jpg?v=1582547157"},"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/21._Paradise_Fields.jpg?v=1582547157","width":490}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eI love to write about what’s current and farmers’ markets where just starting when I wrote this.  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eI based it on Stroud Farmers’ market which is award winning and a bit different from some.  It sold - and sells - non food items that are created locally which means people go even if they don’t need any wonderful cheese, honey or beef.  (I buy my pudding bowls from there and ask for more when inevitably some of mine are broken.)  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eI put my children in this book.  They are teenagers in it and I love teenagers.  I made my daughter read it.  Then she wasn’t much of a reader but as it had her in it I felt she should know what other people would be reading.  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"\"\u003eThe unexpected plus to this was the fact she quite enjoyed it.  It also caused me to go to my first football match.  I went with a lovely girl who showed me the ropes.  I loved it!\u003c\/div\u003e"}

{"id":4506771324972,"title":"Highland Fling (2002)","handle":"highland-fling-2002","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis was the first book I wrote that wasn’t set in Gloucestershire, apart from the canals of London that were the setting for my second book, The Rose Revived.   I was moved to try this different setting because of something I overheard one of our choir members saying to a fellow bass. (Singer, not fish, just to be clear.)  He had been climbing in Scotland and instead of putting up a tent, one day they made a snow hole.  I asked him if he would tell me about them and he said he would but that I couldn’t set a love scene in one.  I said he wasn’t to worry about that, that was my job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough I had been to Scotland every year of my married life, even before I was married I wasn’t entirely confident about this setting.  I had always visited in summer or in winter, but I hadn’t been there when the heather was out, for example.  Although we continue to visit Scotland every year I still mostly miss the heather.  I had to set the book far further North than the Perthshire I knew well, and I had to calculate when there would be enough snow for a snow hole and working backwards had to work out when my story should start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy heroine was a virtual assistant, something that is quite common nowadays but then was a very new concept.  I met on (virtually) and she actually assisted me by finding a mountain rescue team I could ask questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore recently I’ve set other books in Scotland and am fairly confident about it now as long as I don’t forget the midges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/0099415550\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8\u0026amp;camp=1634\u0026amp;creative=6738\u0026amp;creativeASIN=0099415550\u0026amp;linkCode=as2\u0026amp;tag=katieffordede-21\u0026amp;linkId=dbb63230706ad9e4ad69244fe35de280\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"basketButton\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-05T10:57:06+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-05T11:05:42+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Highland Fling","Katie Fforde"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32044350898220,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099415558","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Highland Fling (2002)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099415558","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/2._Highland_Fling_new_cover.jpg?v=1582547023"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/2._Highland_Fling_new_cover.jpg?v=1582547023","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594410020908,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.648,"height":753,"width":488,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/2._Highland_Fling_new_cover.jpg?v=1582547023"},"aspect_ratio":0.648,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/2._Highland_Fling_new_cover.jpg?v=1582547023","width":488}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis was the first book I wrote that wasn’t set in Gloucestershire, apart from the canals of London that were the setting for my second book, The Rose Revived.   I was moved to try this different setting because of something I overheard one of our choir members saying to a fellow bass. (Singer, not fish, just to be clear.)  He had been climbing in Scotland and instead of putting up a tent, one day they made a snow hole.  I asked him if he would tell me about them and he said he would but that I couldn’t set a love scene in one.  I said he wasn’t to worry about that, that was my job.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough I had been to Scotland every year of my married life, even before I was married I wasn’t entirely confident about this setting.  I had always visited in summer or in winter, but I hadn’t been there when the heather was out, for example.  Although we continue to visit Scotland every year I still mostly miss the heather.  I had to set the book far further North than the Perthshire I knew well, and I had to calculate when there would be enough snow for a snow hole and working backwards had to work out when my story should start.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy heroine was a virtual assistant, something that is quite common nowadays but then was a very new concept.  I met on (virtually) and she actually assisted me by finding a mountain rescue team I could ask questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore recently I’ve set other books in Scotland and am fairly confident about it now as long as I don’t forget the midges.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/gp\/product\/0099415550\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8\u0026amp;camp=1634\u0026amp;creative=6738\u0026amp;creativeASIN=0099415550\u0026amp;linkCode=as2\u0026amp;tag=katieffordede-21\u0026amp;linkId=dbb63230706ad9e4ad69244fe35de280\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"basketButton\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e"}

{"id":4513521074220,"title":"Artistic Licence (2001)","handle":"artistic-licence-2001","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a couple of years I had been helping out a friend who was running an art gallery.  I helped get the gallery ready for Private Views (which mostly involved applying poly filler and scrubbing floors. I met a few famous people when I was scrubbing floors) and felt I knew quite a bit about it.  I never waste anything in my life and so this experience had to go in a book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere were a few other things that had gone on in my life that ended up in this book.  One of them was a dog having puppies.  Someone who’d bought one of our puppies went on to breed from her.  There was a time when I was listening to my husband on the phone to this nice woman.   Not hearing the whole conversation it seemed to me that she was going to be referring to my novel for advice on the birth.  Extremely concerned I kept shouting at my husband ‘Shirley’s Dog Book!’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think she must have got good advice because her puppies went on to be prize winning dogs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePart of my research involved a wonderful trip to France.  I went with a friend on an art history tour which made for a very jolly time. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book also involved a trip to New York that sadly, was cut out of the final book.  But the trip wasn’t wasted as it came in handy several books later.  (A Perfect Proposal.)  \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:23:10+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["Artistic Licence","book","Katie Fforde"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076144181292,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099415282","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Artistic Licence (2001)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780712669733","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/22._Artistic_Licence.jpg?v=1582546799"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/22._Artistic_Licence.jpg?v=1582546799","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594360311852,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"width":490,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/22._Artistic_Licence.jpg?v=1582546799"},"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/22._Artistic_Licence.jpg?v=1582546799","width":490}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a couple of years I had been helping out a friend who was running an art gallery.  I helped get the gallery ready for Private Views (which mostly involved applying poly filler and scrubbing floors. I met a few famous people when I was scrubbing floors) and felt I knew quite a bit about it.  I never waste anything in my life and so this experience had to go in a book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere were a few other things that had gone on in my life that ended up in this book.  One of them was a dog having puppies.  Someone who’d bought one of our puppies went on to breed from her.  There was a time when I was listening to my husband on the phone to this nice woman.   Not hearing the whole conversation it seemed to me that she was going to be referring to my novel for advice on the birth.  Extremely concerned I kept shouting at my husband ‘Shirley’s Dog Book!’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think she must have got good advice because her puppies went on to be prize winning dogs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePart of my research involved a wonderful trip to France.  I went with a friend on an art history tour which made for a very jolly time. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis book also involved a trip to New York that sadly, was cut out of the final book.  But the trip wasn’t wasted as it came in handy several books later.  (A Perfect Proposal.)  \u003c\/p\u003e"}

{"id":4513524842540,"title":"Thyme Out (2000)","handle":"thyme-out-2000","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was inspired by a television programme for this one.  It was a series of very short films called  ‘A Woman Called Smith’ and it was about – yes – woman called Smith.  It is a long time ago now but I loved these tiny glimpses of other women’s lives.  Frances Smith grew tiny vegetables for the restaurant market.  There’d been a ‘Black Day of the Week’  - can’t remember which one it was – but the stock market had collapsed and Frances decided that she had to use the property they lived in, which had a very large garden, to restore the family fortune.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe was incredibly resourceful and among other things, sold some baby leeks, which were due to be planted, to a passing chef who told her that they were the perfect size for leeks.  She listened, she provided!   It was she who brought us the pea shoot which we all eat every time.  She was the one who convinced a chef (wish I could tell you which one) that they were a great garnish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI went to stay with her for a night and had a terrific time.   I think she was the basis for my ‘resourceful heroines’ I am so fond of writing.  I suppose it’s because I admire these people as women and wish I was more like them!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had one difficulty though.  I wanted to write about a tv cookery programme and try as I might I couldn’t get behind the scenes at any of them.  The only programme who’d let me in was Ready, Steady, Cook!   They let me be in the audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI remember this book with great pleasure.  Having a good heroine (even though Frances Smith had to be made younger and single) is such a good start. \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:24:46+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Thyme Out"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076153815084,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099280248","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Thyme Out (2000)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099280248","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/ThymeOut.png?v=1594812560"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/ThymeOut.png?v=1594812560","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":10110082744475,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2339,"width":1524,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/ThymeOut.png?v=1594812560"},"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":2339,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/ThymeOut.png?v=1594812560","width":1524}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was inspired by a television programme for this one.  It was a series of very short films called  ‘A Woman Called Smith’ and it was about – yes – woman called Smith.  It is a long time ago now but I loved these tiny glimpses of other women’s lives.  Frances Smith grew tiny vegetables for the restaurant market.  There’d been a ‘Black Day of the Week’  - can’t remember which one it was – but the stock market had collapsed and Frances decided that she had to use the property they lived in, which had a very large garden, to restore the family fortune.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe was incredibly resourceful and among other things, sold some baby leeks, which were due to be planted, to a passing chef who told her that they were the perfect size for leeks.  She listened, she provided!   It was she who brought us the pea shoot which we all eat every time.  She was the one who convinced a chef (wish I could tell you which one) that they were a great garnish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI went to stay with her for a night and had a terrific time.   I think she was the basis for my ‘resourceful heroines’ I am so fond of writing.  I suppose it’s because I admire these people as women and wish I was more like them!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had one difficulty though.  I wanted to write about a tv cookery programme and try as I might I couldn’t get behind the scenes at any of them.  The only programme who’d let me in was Ready, Steady, Cook!   They let me be in the audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI remember this book with great pleasure.  Having a good heroine (even though Frances Smith had to be made younger and single) is such a good start. \u003c\/p\u003e"}

{"id":4513529069612,"title":"Life Skills (1999)","handle":"life-skills-1999","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first met my agent she suggested that I should write about my life on the canals, running a pair of narrow boats as a hotel.  I flatly refused.  It was far too much like hard work and no one would want to read it.  But this was my fifth book, I didn’t have any other ideas at the time.  Besides, time had passed – quite a lot of time – and narrow boats had become romantic for me again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy girl starts the book giving up the life she knew, rather like I did when I got fed up with doing secretarial work and went on a cookery course.  (It was for debutants and my fellow pupils were all very grand.  Lady Diana, who became Princess of Wales went on it after I had been there and she wasn’t famous for her cooking either.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut my husband and I decided to use my new skill to have a business which meant he didn’t have to go away to sea.  We were newly weds and very young.  We did learn a lot!  And a lot of the things that happen in the book happened to use in real life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wanted this book to have two heroines – it was a while since I’d done this – but I wanted one of them to appear to be an over privileged air head and if I was actually in her head, we’d find out immediately that she wasn’t.  She was fun to write and my sensible heroine ended up learning a lot about life, hence the title.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:26:46+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Life Skills"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076172099628,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099280231","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Life Skills (1999)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099280231","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/24._Life_Skills.jpg?v=1582547055"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/24._Life_Skills.jpg?v=1582547055","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":6594417655852,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"width":490,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/24._Life_Skills.jpg?v=1582547055"},"aspect_ratio":0.651,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/24._Life_Skills.jpg?v=1582547055","width":490}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I first met my agent she suggested that I should write about my life on the canals, running a pair of narrow boats as a hotel.  I flatly refused.  It was far too much like hard work and no one would want to read it.  But this was my fifth book, I didn’t have any other ideas at the time.  Besides, time had passed – quite a lot of time – and narrow boats had become romantic for me again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy girl starts the book giving up the life she knew, rather like I did when I got fed up with doing secretarial work and went on a cookery course.  (It was for debutants and my fellow pupils were all very grand.  Lady Diana, who became Princess of Wales went on it after I had been there and she wasn’t famous for her cooking either.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut my husband and I decided to use my new skill to have a business which meant he didn’t have to go away to sea.  We were newly weds and very young.  We did learn a lot!  And a lot of the things that happen in the book happened to use in real life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI wanted this book to have two heroines – it was a while since I’d done this – but I wanted one of them to appear to be an over privileged air head and if I was actually in her head, we’d find out immediately that she wasn’t.  She was fun to write and my sensible heroine ended up learning a lot about life, hence the title.\u003c\/p\u003e"}

{"id":4513532117036,"title":"Stately Pursuits (1997)","handle":"stately-pursuits-1997","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile I was writing Wild Designs I saw a small ad (a habit of mine) offering a course on ‘How to Look After a Great House.’  I was fascinated and intrigued but, being still quite inexperienced, I didn’t immediately drop everything and go on the course because I was busy writing another book.  I assumed, in my naivety, that the course would be offered again and I could go on it later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had foolishly mentioned my plan to write about a stately home to my agent and she loved the idea, so much so that when I realised the course was gone forever I still felt obliged to write the book.   It was hard, getting behind the scenes of a stately home. I had a friend who volunteered at Ham House and I got in there.  I also went round a local stately home (Uley Manor, small and delightful) but being quite shy I didn’t dare say I was a local author and could they tell me a bit about running it.  Nowadays I would write and ask and all would be well.  I also went round Berkley Castle courtesy of a friend who ran the butterfly house.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen I had to have a story.  I gave my heroine a mother who, when being made aware that her daughter had been recently dumped, thought she might as well be useful if she was miserable anyway.  Thus my poor Hetty was sent off to look after the house belonging to a distant uncle who was in hospital.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFortunately for me, the poor girl was so busy she couldn’t stay broken hearted for long.\u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2020-02-07T12:06:57+00:00","created_at":"2020-02-07T12:28:37+00:00","vendor":"Katie Fforde","type":"books","tags":["book","Katie Fforde","Stately Pursuits"],"price":899,"price_min":899,"price_max":899,"available":true,"price_varies":false,"compare_at_price":null,"compare_at_price_min":0,"compare_at_price_max":0,"compare_at_price_varies":false,"variants":[{"id":32076179832876,"title":"Default Title","option1":"Default Title","option2":null,"option3":null,"sku":"9780099446682","requires_shipping":true,"taxable":false,"featured_image":null,"available":true,"name":"Stately Pursuits (1997)","public_title":null,"options":["Default Title"],"price":899,"weight":318,"compare_at_price":null,"inventory_management":"shopify","barcode":"9780099446682","requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_allocations":[],"quantity_rule":{"min":1,"max":null,"increment":1}}],"images":["\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/StatelyPursuits.jpg?v=1628602710","\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/25._Stately_Pursuits.jpg?v=1628602710"],"featured_image":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/StatelyPursuits.jpg?v=1628602710","options":["Title"],"media":[{"alt":null,"id":24374617145499,"position":1,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.646,"height":2560,"width":1653,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/StatelyPursuits.jpg?v=1628602710"},"aspect_ratio":0.646,"height":2560,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/StatelyPursuits.jpg?v=1628602710","width":1653},{"alt":null,"id":6594478374956,"position":2,"preview_image":{"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":753,"width":491,"src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/25._Stately_Pursuits.jpg?v=1628602710"},"aspect_ratio":0.652,"height":753,"media_type":"image","src":"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0309\/6199\/1724\/products\/25._Stately_Pursuits.jpg?v=1628602710","width":491}],"requires_selling_plan":false,"selling_plan_groups":[],"content":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile I was writing Wild Designs I saw a small ad (a habit of mine) offering a course on ‘How to Look After a Great House.’  I was fascinated and intrigued but, being still quite inexperienced, I didn’t immediately drop everything and go on the course because I was busy writing another book.  I assumed, in my naivety, that the course would be offered again and I could go on it later.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had foolishly mentioned my plan to write about a stately home to my agent and she loved the idea, so much so that when I realised the course was gone forever I still felt obliged to write the book.   It was hard, getting behind the scenes of a stately home. I had a friend who volunteered at Ham House and I got in there.  I also went round a local stately home (Uley Manor, small and delightful) but being quite shy I didn’t dare say I was a local author and could they tell me a bit about running it.  Nowadays I would write and ask and all would be well.  I also went round Berkley Castle courtesy of a friend who ran the butterfly house.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen I had to have a story.  I gave my heroine a mother who, when being made aware that her daughter had been recently dumped, thought she might as well be useful if she was miserable anyway.  Thus my poor Hetty was sent off to look after the house belonging to a distant uncle who was in hospital.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFortunately for me, the poor girl was so busy she couldn’t stay broken hearted for long.\u003c\/p\u003e"}