Continuing to write within the world of the Seven Sisters is both a privilege and a slightly terrifying responsibility. After all, these characters belong entirely to my mother, and I am always conscious of the extraordinary relationship readers have built with them over the years. After penning Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, I naturally assumed it was the end of my own journey with the series (certainly in terms of full novels).
But Lucinda Riley’s brilliant characters continued to roam around my mind, with one in particular repeatedly emerging from the throng: Orlando Forbes, the antiquarian bookseller first introduced in The Shadow Sister. I’ve always loved him, and I was fascinated by the idea of digging beneath his eccentric facade.
This new novel gives the character his own story, whilst opening another door into the wider Seven Sisters universe. At its heart is a literary mystery involving a forgotten Victorian female writer, a lost novel and Charles Dickens. Plus, as you might expect, there are appearances from some very familiar faces.
My writing process is decidedly unglamorous. When I penned my last novel, I had no children. Now I (somehow) have three! My day therefore consists of nursery drop-offs, nappy changes and bath time wrangling. In between that, the work somehow gets done. I force myself to write ten pages per day, rain or shine.
In the case of Orlando, I have tried not to imitate my mother’s voice (in complete contrast to Atlas, where that was my sole objective). However, I hope that I have preserved the spirit of her storytelling - sweeping history, the power of family, and the sense that the past is never quite finished with us.
- Harry Whittaker
