RHYS: I am so delighted to welcome fellow Brit Hannah Dennison today as I am currently living the life she writes about in her wonderful Honeychurch Hall mystery novels. The beauties and quirks of the English countryside, and to be more specific, the West Country. Hannah has a new Honeychurch Hall mystery out and will be giving away two copies, so read on:
HANNAH DENNISON: “O To Be in England. Now that April’s here.” Well … it’s actually
May, but I think Robert Browning’s “Home Thoughts From Abroad” sums up my
feelings perfectly.
After twenty-two years as an ex-pat, I find
I’ve become more English rather than less. Perhaps that’s because both my
mystery series—The Vicky Hill Mysteries and The Honeychurch Hall Mysteries—are
set in Devon. So you could say that physically, although I pen my novels in
Oregon where I now live, mentally, I’m always in England.
I’ve never lived in London. In fact, the
first taste I had of life in the big city was when I moved Los Angeles way back
in 1993. It was a culture shock of such magnitude—rather like my first
earthquake—that it needs a post all of it’s own. In a way, writing about England
helps cure my acute homesickness especially as I discovered wonderful Anglophiles
eager to hear about the charming—and often strange—customs and quirky oddities that
we like to think make Britain great and that I often take for granted.
It’s not just the cream teas we Brits are
famous for, but also the village flower shows, amateur dramatic performances in
freezing cold parish halls, church fetes or the odd Morris dancing festival or
two. These things you just won’t find in London. So I thought I’d share a few photos
from last summer’s Diptford Garden Show in Devon. Competition was fierce,
feelings ran high, lamas ran rampant and feathers were definitely ruffled.
The charming thing about village life is
that in some places milk is still delivered to the front door. My mother lives
on a country estate where “Malcolm the Meat” comes on Mondays and “Fred the
Fish” on Fridays. Walk through any village and you’ll come across empty jam
jars full of freshly cut flowers or punnets of raspberries or tomatoes
alongside a little honesty box. That would never happen in Los Angeles!
RHYS: I should add that when it was suggested that Hannah's mother's house was maybe too much for her and she should look for another, simpler place to live, instead she went and bought a wing of a stately home!
RHYS: I should add that when it was suggested that Hannah's mother's house was maybe too much for her and she should look for another, simpler place to live, instead she went and bought a wing of a stately home!
HANNAH:
I feel lucky to be able to write about a place I love so much. In fact, we’re giving away two copies of “Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall” in a free raffle so you can read about it too.
RHYS:All you need to do is to visit Hannah's website, www.hannahdennison.com, and find out in which English county Honeychurch Hall is set, then leave a comment
guessing the correct location Your location options are:
Shropshire, Kent, Devon, Cumbria or Surrey. Hannah will select two winners at the end of the day. And if you want a vicarious trip to England, then just read her books!
I feel lucky to be able to write about a place I love so much. In fact, we’re giving away two copies of “Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall” in a free raffle so you can read about it too.
