MAP ONE.
Having decided to set my novel in North Kent I had to
pick a town, but when I couldn’t find one that exactly matched my criteria I
invented one …Oh the giddy power of being a writer!
Thambay is situated
near Whitstable, and I have taken liberties with the local geology to build it in
a bay capable of sheltering a long beach, a fishing harbour and the
all-important pier on which stands the Helter-Skelter
of my novel.
Then I had to draw a
map – I couldn’t have Albie running across the Market Square on the way to the
timber yard if that was the wrong way, could I? So here it is – the town Albie
grew up in – and it feels so real to me that I’d move there myself if I could!
MARIA
.....Albie
wheeled his bike into some woods to shelter under one of the big old trees. He
had just pulled the wax packet of sandwiches out of his pocket when he smelled smoke,
and his heart pounded inexplicably. Leaving his bike, he pushed his way through
the wet tangle of undergrowth to emerge, with startling suddenness, in a
clearing full of gypsy wagons………..One face in particular caught his eye…….. she was only a young
girl – maybe fifteen or sixteen – but more beautiful than any of the girls in
town, and those black eyes were casting a spell on him.
This is Albie’s first sight of Maria, and when she returns
his love he is overjoyed. But to marry Maria and travel with her tribe would
mean leaving Thambay where George, his ageing adopted father, wants him to take
over the Helter-Skelter. Albie faces
a difficult decision – until Fate takes a hand.
For your daily dose of Tenerife here is MAP TWO, of a MONKEY ZOO near us.It’s not nearly as grand as the Loro Parque in the north - to be honest it's a bit scruffy - but the animals and birds do have room to move and you are allowed inside some of the cages. This entranced
my grandsons – the tiny MARMOSETS and Lemurs took fruit from their hands and they stroked a giant turtle. My
son had a long conversation with a chimp, and when the chimp eventually had
enough he sprayed John with a mouthful of water. I wish I’d caught that moment
on camera!
These two monkeys where
photographed by my daughter-in-law in Costa Rica – sitting in your drinking-water is a wonderful way to keep
cool!
A great and interesting post today Liz. You would have made a good cartographer.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I love about writing. You have such power over everyone and everything. I love your little town. But sitting in your drinking water to keep cool? No, I think I'll pass on that on.
ReplyDeleteI think I would always want to invent a location, Lizy, as otherwise I would be worried about getting the facts wrong. I love maps and have been particularly struck by a number of pictorial maps that have appeared in various locations in recent years.
ReplyDeleteYour map of your Kent town reminds me of the seaside town I 'invented' for my 'Dream of Paris' novel. I called it Medport, and it was a mix of seveeral Kent resorts!
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping by my blog.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine being allowed in some of those monkey cages.
Imagination is a wonderful thing. Coming up with a town name is fun! Coming up with a whole village is wild!