The Poacher's Daughter: Saga Queen Margaret Dickinson's 30th book is 'pearl-fect' celebration
The Poacher's Daughter, a tale of of forbidden love and social divide, set against the backdrop of looming war, is a gem of romantic fiction that fans old and new will want treasure.
Set in the Lincolnshire Wolds, it begins in 1910 and tells the romantic story of Rosie Waterhouse, daughter of a local poacher, and Byron Ramsey, son of the harsh and heartless landowner.
Despite the vast differences in their backgrounds, their connection is irresistible and fated, leading them down a path fraught with danger and uncertainty as war looms.
BUY NOW: The Poacher's Daughter is out in hardback, with paperback, e-book and audio releases available from May 11 – buy and pre-order at www.panmacmillan.com.
LISTEN: Hear an exclusive free Audioboom podcast with Margaret talking about her new book and future plans in conversation with Graham Walker - CLICK HERE.
Just like a pearl, formed through a process of gradual accumulation, The Poacher's Daughter is the result of Margaret’s three decades-plus of writing and a tribute to her enduring power of storytelling.
Its themes of love, loss, and the impact of war on ordinary lives are universal and enduring, and its portrayal of a vanished world has a nostalgic appeal that will resonate with readers of all ages.
With each of her previous books, she has honed her craft and developed her unique voice, creating a body of work that is rich in character, emotion, and historical detail.
The Poacher's Daughter, with its evocative setting and memorable characters, is a testament to the author's skill and her ability to capture the essence of a bygone era.
In our exclusive chat - hear it in full here - Margaret explains the secret of her success is about creating characters that come to life on the page and for readers to care what happens to them.
Her books are always well researched, set during the First and Second World Wars, featuring strong, female characters. She also writes about the areas where she has lived or knows best, notably Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire
Margaret also exclusively revealed details of her next book, featuring a Pals battalion, made up of men who worked, fought and in many cases died together in the trenches of World War One. It will be set in Sheffield.
"I've got about half the draft done. I'm going to give away a secret now... it's set in Sheffield.
"It brings in the Sheffield Pals battalion in World War One and the working title is A Mother's Sorrow. That's really all I can tell you right now.
"At this point I don't like to say too much in case something crops up that I need to change."
Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, Margaret moved to the coast at the age of seven and so began her love for the sea and the Lincolnshire landscape. Her ambition to be a writer began early and she had her first novel published at the age of 25.
This was followed by many further titles including Plough the Furrow, Sow the Seed and Reap the Harvest, which make up her Lincolnshire Fleethaven trilogy. She is also the author of The Buffer Girls, and its sequel, Daughters of Courage.
Of her characters she said: "They have to be real to me, to live on the page, for the reader to feel involved with what happens to them.
"A Saga usually goes over a lot of years and, unfortunately, in the 20th century you always run into a war somewhere, the First or Second.
"I've done quite a few books set in the Second World War. There are a lot of other Saga writers around now writing wonderful books about the Second World War. So I wanted to be a bit different. I've gone back in time a little bit further. In these books you need conflict between the characters, families and so on. If you have a war situation, you've already got an inbuilt conflict and the concerns of the family about their loved ones."
The Poacher's Daughter, a story of love divided by social class, might sound like it was inspired by DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover or Barry Hines’ 1975 novel The Gamekeeper.
But it wasn't, Margaret is quick to point out.
A real life tragedy actually sparked her interest in the subject.
She revealed: "The germ of the idea shall we say, not the story, is that years ago in the 19th century there was a story of a gamekeeper who was shot and killed by a poacher. I didn't write about that. But it was the idea of a poacher and gamekeeper at loggerheads, you know, and the life that would lead and the dangers that a poacher would get into.
"And then of course, my stories have to have a woman as a central character or a girl. So the poacher in my story teaches his daughter the tricks of his trade, and of course, that's going to lesd into problems.
"The romantic element is that where they are poaching, she meets and fall in love with the the son of the master of the estate. It's a no no; his father is absolutely dead set against it, and he tries to keep them apart forever.
"This is set just before the start of the First World War, and the man she's in love with, the son of the estate owner, volunteers. She goes to be a nurse in the hospital and, of course, you're waiting all the time to see who's gonna come in as a patient. And I'm not telling you any more than that."
LINKS:
Web: www.panmacmillan.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com