YOU WON’T find the name “Meonbridge” on any map of Hampshire.
But it’s a name that could appear in bookstores throughout the country for years to come if the dreams of Carolyn Hughes become a reality.
Fortune’s Wheel is not only Carolyn’s first novel, it’s also the first in the Meonbridge Chronicle series which the Soberton author intends to pen.
The book is an historical novel set the mid-14th century in the “calm and gentle” period following the Black Death.
The impact of that horrible event on the lives, feelings and daily routines of ordinary Hampshire families got Carolyn thinking.
“One of the things I love about historical fiction is how it can reflect both the similarities and differences between folk then and us now,” said the author.
“The 14th century was gentle but there was quite a lot of social change and I’m quite interested in that.
“I particularly wanted to write about women because they don’t get much of a voice in history.”
Fortune’s Wheel, which Carolyn wrote for her Masters at the University of Portsmouth, was launched in a city bookshop in late 2016.
She wanted to do something completely different having written her fair share of contemporary fiction, so has now devoted her life to Meonbridge.
“I’m writing a sequel at the moment,” added Carolyn.
“Meonbridge is not a real place but it’s set somewhere in the Meonstoke area so I’m going to try and make it a bit more Meonstoke-y in the next one.
“It’s my life for the foreseeable future. If you don’t love writing then you shouldn’t attempt to be a writer or a journalist.”
Fortune’s Wheel is available for £9.99 through publishers, www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk, for more details about the author visit www.carolynhughesauthor.com