“The future haunts me…”

An atmospheric family saga following four generations of women as they struggle with their supernatural abilities. Inspired by women, events and stories from my own family history, the novel examines a woman’s place: motherhood, generational trauma, how women survive and endure.

Victorian photo of Blackpool Tower in approximately 1890s

From Victorian Blackpool…

In the village that will become the infamous Blackpool, 18 year old Ellen arrives alone, heavily pregnant and with more than one secret to hide: her gift of foresight and the true father of her child.

As her daughter Agnes grows, Ellen tries to protect her from their past and attempts to build a new life for them, while ignoring the omens of death she can see in the tea leaves at the bottom of Agnes’ cup.

But as Agnes matures and discovers her own abilities, the divide between mother and daughter deepens. Believing she can leave her fate behind, Agnes leaves her mother and Blackpool, embarking on her own journey across Lancashire.

Old single story thatched cottage in Cleveleys, late 1800s.
1890s OS map of Cleveleys, just north of Blackpool. It's a tiny village, just a smattering of houses.
Map of the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway system from Liverpool and Manchester to Fleetwood, Leeds and beyond.
Victorian photo of South Shore gypsies in Blackpool approx. 1890s. Sign reads: "Gipsy Sarah's only clever daughter in law". Four Victorian women in white dresses and hats sit on a bench outside the tent under the sign waiting for the fortuneteller

…to war-time Liverpool

The family’s supernatural gifts skip Agnes’ eldest daughter Tinnie who works in service to help support her five younger siblings. Frustrated and resentful about her lot in life, young Tinnie becomes jealous of her younger sister Maggie, who inherits the family’s link to the supernatural. In an attempt to escape her fate of drudgery, she begins a passionate affair with the gardener where she works until she falls pregnant and discovers he’s already married.

Determined to take control of her own life and not follow her grandmother Ellen’s path, Tinnie takes matters into her own hands.

But despite her efforts, history repeats itself as Tinnie works to hide her past and build a better life for daughter Nell in 1900s Liverpool, only for Nell to come full circle during World War One.

1920s OS map of Liverpool - the area surrounding Stanley Park.
Photo inside a Victorian maternity ward at the old Maternity Hospital in Liverpool. Women in white, floor length nursing uniforms and women in beds on either side of the room.
Black and white photo of a street of terraced houses in Everton, approx 1920s.
A group of four children (approx age 3-12) sit on a curb in war-torn Liverpool eating sandwiches. One girl is laughing but the oldest boy stares straight at the camera.
Black and white photo of the Liver building in Liverpool. There's smog and dark clouds in the air and in the foreground is the old Dockland Railway above the street.

For fans of…

  • The House of the Spirits, Isabelle Allende

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    The book cover for Isabelle Allende's House of Spirits: the cover is yellow with an artist impression of a woman's face in profile in a deep orange with deep pink hi-lights. There are artistic impressions of leaves, stars and birds.

  • The Covenant of Water, Abraham Verghese

    Set in South India and spanning 80 years, the novel follows three generations of a family haunted by a mysterious condition drowning at least one person per generation. Exploring themes of caste, colonialism, faith, medicine and a woman’s strength and endurance.

    Book cover with the title written in bold white writing across the front; the image behind is a watercolour painting of the South India waterways in turquoises, reds and oranges.

  • Pachinko, Min Jin Lee

    An epic historical novel following four generations of poor Korean migrants who move to Japan between 1910 and 1980. The novel explores themes of identity, systemic racism, generational trauma, survival and a woman’s ability to endure.

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