We never actually meet Florence Powell in Barefoot on the Cobbles, yet her short life, or more precisely her death, has ramifications that echo throughout the novel. Florence Lilian Powell was the second daughter of Thomas Folliott Powell and his wife Mary. She was born in Saltash, Cornwall in 1877 but shortly after her birth, the family relocated to Tavistock. By the time Florence was about eleven, the family had moved again, this time to Chudleigh Villas, East-the-Water, Bideford. On the 18 October 1890, Florence died at home from rheumatic fever. Receiving the copy of her death certificate was very exciting for me as there was already another character in the novel who died from the same cause. This gave me scope for drawing a number of parallels. Florence was the first person to be buried in the new East-the-Water cemetery. I searched through the undergrowth for a gravestone in vain. Perhaps there never was one; the family had financial worries. I hope that her place in the novel can be a memorial.

‘Her mother placed a bunch of rusty chrysanthemums on the long, wet grass in front of a forlorn gravestone. The name, Florence Louisa Powell, was deeply incised in the slate; a short life marked by the stark dates 1877-1890. The family was paying homage at this tangible reminder of a daughter, of a sister, who was forever frozen in time.’

Barefoot on the Cobbles will be published on 17 November 2018. More information about the novel can be found here. Copies will be available at various events in the weeks following the launch or can be pre-ordered from Blue Poppy Publishing or the author. Kindle editions can be pre-ordered for the UK and also on Amazon.com.