The story behind the story of Orphan and Strangers

The story behind the story of

Orphan and Strangers

People have been asking me how I picked the title Orphan And Stranger for my new book. And how did I decide on its eye-catching cover. Well, in a way the book’s name came about from a conversation I overheard where one person remarked to their companion that despite being in a family sometimes people felt like they were a stranger, even orphan in their own families. That got me thinking and I thought,” That’s kind of like Lisa, the character in my story. She feels she was almost like a ‘add on’ in her family and there to be her brother William’s protector and minder.

The book is set in the beautiful Lakelands of Co Fermanagh

I am pleased that London Publishers Austin and McCauley followed my directions carefully in creating the image of the sun setting behind what is supposedly Enniskillen Castle and followed my choice of hair colour and dress style for the character  of Margaret’s and the image of the soldier William with his kitbag over his shoulder as he kissed his sweetheart goodbye – maybe never to return.

Why did I choose to create the character of William, the main protagonist as a soldier?

As you know my stories hold a grain of fact and a powerful lot of imagination.

My uncle Joe O Donnell, my mother’s younger brother was a soldier in the Inniskilling Fusiliers during WW2 He too loved writing letters and poetry  to his family while stationed in Burma.

He fought valiantly but died in Burma and is buried there – never returned to his family so, the image of William, the main character’s   soldier’s uniform is a nod of thanks to my Uncle Joe.

There is another significant link to Fermanagh and the book’s location.

As a young man in his early twenties, my Grandfather, Tom Canning returned from Scotland to Donegal to marry his childhood sweetheart, Catherine Sherrin from Toberoneill.  Not wanting to leave his new bride (who according to the 1911 Census had just turned eighteen) he sought work at home. He found employment with the Great Northern Railways and moved from Donegal to Belleek, a small town in Co Fermanagh where he worked first as a station porter and then as a signalman.

My Granda Tom and his bride settled down and started their family. In 1913 their first daughter Mary was born. Two years later my father was born in the Railway House in Belleek – a brother for his sister Mary and two other sisters who would come later. As was the custom in those days the first born son was named after his father or paternal grandfather. Daddy was named Thomas after his father. In time he would turn out to be the third Thomas in a line of six Thomas’s over the generations

So you see, the connection to Belleek in Fermanagh has deep roots to the choice of location for my new book Orphan And Strangers.

I hope you are enjoying reading the book.  Have you discovered Lisa’s secret? (No spoilers if you have). Or, William’s irrational belief and hatred for his  daughter Trisha

I am getting really positive feedback on it. I’d love to hear what other readers think.

MORE GLIMPSES AROUND THE BOOK’S PLOT AND CHARACTERS IN NEXT SHORT PIECE OF WRITING

Gemma Hill

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