I’ve wanted to set a novel in Surrey for a while. I have good friends in Esher and Cobham, and I love hearing their stories from the private schools in that area. It’s my impression that the parents in their circle have a far more exciting social life than I do! (Or at least they did, pre-Covid.)
There’s no denying Surrey provides rich pickings for fiction. You’ll find that out quickly in Chapter 2, when Stacey gets some extra-curricular tuition from her tennis coach at the beautiful Beaverbrook hotel! I thought it would be fun to explore this part of the world through the eyes of a fish-out-of-water character, namely Emmy.
The wealth of Surrey doesn’t find much more contrast than the slums of India. Emmy’s been an aid worker in Uttar Pradesh for six years and she’s finding it hard to adjust to life back in the UK. I was very inspired last year by Melinda Gates’ stunning book, The Moment of Lift. It gave me so much to think about and I wanted Emmy (and her love-interest Jack, who runs a non-profit in the education sector) to be attuned to that world and to the astounding privilege that her friends in Surrey enjoy on an absolute and relative basis.
Finally, having spent eight years running a fashion brand, I still love writing about that industry, especially the fascinating lives of influencers and the gap between how they are perceived and their real lives. The concept of Cancel Culture gained strength in 2020 and I wanted to explore how Emmy’s sister Rosa, a successful influencer, would cope with an assault on her personal brand.
I hope you enjoy reading the storylines as much as I enjoyed creating them!