Tag Archives: 100daysofbfotc

#100daysofbfotc Day 2: William

by thehistoryinterpreter

William BraundYou will meet William in the pages of the first chapter. William is a taciturn fisherman, who is content, providing there is a meal on the table and no-one disturbs his afternoon doze. He has lived all his life in the fishing hamlet of Bucks Mills, where he fished alongside his father and grandfather and now runs a small Bucks Ledge Boat with his two sons. By the time the story opens, he has lived in Rose Cottage at the top of the village for about three years. He was born in 1837 at the now ruined cottage The Bluff but grew up in King’s Cottage overlooking the sea. When he married, he moved to John’s Cottage and spent a few years at Mark’s, before settling at Rose Cottage, where he died in 1906.

‘Hobnails clashed and sparked on the cobbles outside and the menfolk filled the small room with their bulk and the scent of the sea.

‘Good catch?’ asked Mary.

‘Plenty enough,’ replied William. ‘Takey’s off to Bideford with a cart load. We were late in, so he was already pretty full and we’ve some left he wouldn’t have, so they’ll need salting down.’ ’

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.

#100daysofbfotc Day 1: Clovelly Cobbles

by thehistoryinterpreter

New InnMuch of Barefoot on the Cobbles is set in the unique village of Clovelly. Clovelly is a privately-owned fishing village on the rugged North Devon coast and many of the cottages that are lived in by the novel’s characters are 400 years old. The steep, cobbled street, that is reflected in Barefoot’s title, means that motorised transport is prohibited. Modern-day residents walk up and down the main street just as Polly, Albert, Daisy and other inhabitants of Barefoot would have done. Although, in the early twentieth century, donkeys, as well as sledges, were used to transport goods, nowadays the donkeys are merely there to recreate the atmosphere of the past. In Barefoot’s time, tourism was secondary to the fishing fleet, whose small boats sought herring, lobster, prawns and mackerel on the uncertain waves. Now, the fishing fleet has dwindled to a handful of boats and Clovelly is dedicated to catering for visitors.

‘Daisy was a child of the season, delighting in the heat and the chance to discard her boots in favour of skipping over the cobbles in her bare feet. She loved the feel of the hard stones as she curled her toes round each pebble, like a bird poised for flight.’ (Chapter 4)

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.