Can the past be truly redeemed? In 1997, Mara Ash discovers among her mother’s possessions the beautifully illustrated 19thC journals of the flora of the Forest of Dean by one Aaron Appleby. Tucked among the pages are two cryptic letters from Aaron to a woman called Hester.
I’ve been writing now for about ten years, and have two short story collections (including one of historical tales) and ten novels under my belt. One of these is what I thought would be a standalone inspired by historical events which took place in the Forest of Dean, UK, where I live, in 1906. A local ‘wise woman’ (herbal healer plus a little more), was charged with witchcraft (yes, in 1906).
The case was even discussed in Parliament, where the local MP was roundly teased about his backward constituents, poor man. The woman was acquitted, but when I came across her story I loved the idea of a witchy vibes book set here, using other local tales and legends to create an historical fantasy. That book became River Witch, and was warmly welcomed by readers – to the extent some people asked for a sequel. Which is a long-winded way of explaining how The Herbalist’s Daughters came about.
Never one to do things easily, I decided this book should be a dual timeline. I love reading dual timeline historical novels, which are immensely popular these days – a fact that didn’t escape the marketing bit of my author brain. Learning this new approach was fun, and challenging.
The ‘modern’ tale is set in 1997. My protagonist Mara Ash goes searching for her forebears, and I didn’t want to make things too easy for her with our current online access to this kind of information. The historic tale spans 1897 to 1917, and follows Hester and Aaron, the key characters in River Witch. One River Witch reviewer had made the comment that there were ‘no guarantees’ in the ending of the book when these characters are re-united. I took her at her word and spun the story from there. Hope she approves!
Researching for the novel led me all over the place, from gas street lighting, the 19th century postal service, how far a horse can travel in a day and turn of the century train journeys, through to the 1996 Good Pubs Guide. Plus quite a bit about VADs in World War 1.
However, the sub-plot involving the VAD would have complicated things and made the book overly long, so I have set referred to it and set it aside for the next book, which I hope to publish in late spring 2025.
Cheryl Burman
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