Perotine – a forthcoming novel
It’s 1556. Perotine is abandoned, pregnant – and on trial for heresy.
Coming Soon – a powerful new novel, inspired by the true story of The Guernsey Martyrs.
Why Perotine?
In the mid-1990s, I was studying for a PhD (that I have yet to finish). The topic was the representation of witchcraft in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. Although The Guernsey Martyrs were not witches, and their prosecution happened a few years earlier, I came across an image of them. I was struck by the pain and cruelty of their story.
Being from the Channel Islands myself, I was amazed I hadn’t heard the tale before (and still, to this day, the vast majority of those I speak to are unaware).
And so the story of these women – Perotine, Guillemine, and Catherine – has stayed with me ever since.
(image: Engraving of the Guernsey Martyrs from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs)
The Process
Writing this novel was not easy. Having only ever written contemporary or at least twentieth-century work, this was a leap that landed me far outside my comfort zone. I was unfamiliar with the Marian Persecutions. I had never written something inspired by ‘real’ people. Even stylistically, I had a lot to learn. And so I waited until I had completed other novels before attempting something so mammoth.
I knew I would need to immerse myself in the story in order to do it justice. In early 2023, I applied for a development grant from ArtHouse Jersey (Jersey Arts’ Trust), which enabled me to visit Guernsey and the site of many events, plus the archives and local historical library. Subsequently, I have travelled back to the island several times. I now feel connected to the women and their home in a real and visceral way.
Along the way, the story has morphed from a dual narrative to Perotine’s story alone, and I have re-drafted more than any other book I’ve produced.
Now, it’s getting closer to publication. And I can’t wait to share their story with others.
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I was interviewed by the Jersey Evening Post! If you’d like to read more about Perotine and my writing process, you can find an article here.
I’m speaking at the Jersey Festival of Words. You can buy tickets here.
Perotine was a top ten finalist in the Marlowe and Christie Unpublished Novel Prize.
(image: On-site research in Guernsey)
And Then She Fell
Ten tall stories. One cruel truth.