A love for a magical mystery tower
Susan Browrigg talks about her new book Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest. Set in 1930’s Blackpool, Susan’s own family life and upbringing provide a seed for the inspiration of both the setting and the main character.
SUSAN Brownrigg’s tale of mystery and adventure, Gracie Fairshaw and the Mysterious Guest, is a book that draws on Susan’s own roots – bringing a new character to life, in a place she loves. Her previous children’s stories have seen the action take place at exotic locations such as Madagascar, Peru and Cambodia. Her latest adventure takes place in Blackpool during its glitzy heyday in the 1930s, and the setting evokes strong memories for Susan. She says: “I wanted to write a children’s book with a northern, working class main character. I grew up in Wigan, Lancashire. My dad was a milkman and my mum has had lots of different jobs, when I was little she worked evenings in a fish and chip shop and later she juggled admin jobs with raising a family. My mum and dad worked very hard, we never had a lot of money, but I had a very happy childhood. With Gracie, I want to show that a working class upbringing is fun and nurturing.
“When I was growing up a daytrip to Blackpool was a real treat! We didn’t have foreign holidays. Blackpool was (and still is) a magical place, full of colour and light. I loved the Illuminations, the beach with its donkeys, the Pleasure Beach with its exotic River Caves and
Autumn-Winterr 2020
scary Noah’s Ark and Ghost Train, and of course Blackpool Tower with its circus and aquarium. We would pack so much into one day and be allowed to stay up after dark.”
Susan’s working class upbringing and
A young Susan in a clown cut-out display.
northern roots are celebrated through the character of Gracie, named in honour of another northern star Gracie Fields. Susan explains the premise of Gracie Fairshaw and the Mystery Guest, saying: “Gracie Fairshaw, 14, and her family have taken over The Majestic, a typical seaside boarding house. The Fairshaws have barely settled in when Ma mysteriously vanishes. Gracie, her younger brother George and their new friends Violet and Tom, and Phyllis the maid must work out which of the guests is responsible for her disappearance. They must solve the mystery so they can rescue Ma as the clock ticks down to the 1935 Illuminations Switch-on.” Talking about why she chose that particular year in Blackpool, Susan says: “It seemed the perfect setting for a mystery series. I think there is something freeing about writing historical books – no pesky mobile phones and Google searches to worry about! “The 1930s was a golden age for Blackpool, while the rest of the country was struggling with unemployment due to the depression, the resort was thriving. The Pleasure Beach funfair had new rides like the Grand National, which is 85 years old this summer, and fabulous new Art Deco buildings were springing up. When I learned that in 1935 the ‘Lights’
PEN&INC. 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
