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A work of fiction
Characters
Cassie
MID THIRTIES INTERIOR DESIGNER MARRIED TO MARK. THEY LIVE IN CENTRAL BRISTOL. SHE LOST HER PARENTS IN A CAR CRASH. HER FRIEND SABRINA AND HER PARENTS BROUGHT HER UP, AND SHE REGARDS THEM AS HER FAMILY.
Mark
MARRIED TO CASSIE, LATE THIRTIES. HAS BUILT UP A SUCCESSFUL ARCHITECTURAL BUSINESS WITH THE HELP OF HIS FRIEND AND PARTNER ROGER.
Sabrina
MID THIRTIES OF JAMAICAN/ ANGLO PARENTAGE. WORKS AS A SENIOR EXECUTIVE WITHIN THE SOCIAL SERVICES. GREW UP WITH CASSIE. Poised confident and sophisticated
Roger
HEAD HUNTED BY MARK TO JOIN HIM AS A PARTNER IN BRISTOL AND INTRODUCED TO SABRINA BY CASSIE. THEY LATER MARRIED. Passive laidback loyal and honest, slightly boring
Don Berry
WEALTHY BUILDER AND CONTRACTOR. MOVED TO BRISTOL FROM SOMERSET TO FORWARD HIS BUSINESS AND SOCIAL CONTACTS JUST HAPPENS TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO ROGER AND SABRINA. Loud, brash, ambitious parochial and out of his depth
Anne Berry
DON'S WIFE. ISOLATED BY THEIR MOVE TO BRISTOL FROM A SMALL VILLAGE WHERE SHE KNEW EVERYONE. Shy, not confident. downtrodden by her husband
Lorna
GOOD FRIEND OF SABINA'S IS A P.A. TO A SENIOR LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL. Confident, stylish and self-obsessed
Felix
LORNA'S DATE AT SABRINA'S DINNER PARTY, HE QUICKLY BECOMES GREAT FRIENDS WITH THE FOUR MAIN CHARACTERS. He is a lecturer at the University the transatlantic slave trade is one of his subjects
Cudjoe
A JAMAICAN DESCENDED FROM THE MAROONS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ISLAND HE MEETS CASSIE AND MARK WHEN THEY GO TO JAMAICA ON HOLIDAY. AND LATER FOLLOWS THEM BRISTOL. Logical and articulate
In conversation with Glyn Morris
The story follows Cassie and Mark, who buy the remains of a burnt-out house on the Bristol Channel coast. The land proves to have a mysterious and terrifying past, which sweeps the characters from Bristol to Jamaica.
Tell us a bit more about yourself before you decided to become a novelist... My background is sales and marketing and, before retiring, I had my own retail accessory business in Bristol.
What gave you the idea for your first novel?I previously lived in Somerset and, although I have always been creative, it wasn't until I moved to Bristol, coupled with a walk along the North Somerset coast, that made me think I would like to write a work of fiction. The classic 'what if?' situation kicked in, and I began to wonder if I could combine a modern day story that somehow involved that side of Bristol's slave history.
What made you decide to tackle the history of Bristol's slave trade? It tackled me. I took a coastal walk near Clevedon and came across a derelict house that had been damaged by fire. For some reason it seemed shocking as it was totally at odds with the well-kept pristine houses surrounding it. The views across the Channel were amazing and in my imagination I could see the ships sailing past towards the mouth of the Avon, which incidentally is very narrow, and I wanted to link the building with a story of that important period in Bristol's history. I really had no idea where it was going but it seemed to me there was plenty of documentation written on the subject of the slave trade, but very little fiction. In the end, my characters told me.
What sort of research did you do for A DANGEROUS HISTORY? Did it discover anything unexpected? When I started the book in the mid-1990s I didn't have the Internet, so I did all my research at the central and reference library. It gave me a good insight, as I was able to handle the old ledgers and find interesting facts of the many ships at the time, as well as valuable research on the layout of Port Antonio when Cassie and Mark go to Jamaica.
Are you going to write a sequel to A DANGEROUS HISTORY? People ask me this question. To me the book is a complete stand-alone story. I was in a happy and settled place living in Cotham and very much aware of the creative vibe that surrounded central Bristol, and I knew I would not be able to recreate that time, neither would I want too, to me this is a Bristol book about Bristol for Bristol.
Does that mean you will not be writing anymore adult fiction?No, in fact I am twenty thousand words into another story, but in a different genre. I like to write outside the box. It is definitely a work in progress.
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