Who is Evie Street?
On my daily drive to and from Radio City in Liverpool I had started thinking about devising a story that could tie together lots of the places I love and how one character could be the protaganist that would link them all together.
Evie started life as a young boy and he would have ultimately been a secondary character in the life of a couple who were suddenly given the responsibility of looking after him following a tragic event that forced them together through no choice of their own. It was going to be an adult mystery/thriller – that idea didn’t last long.
The opening of the book remains the same as it would have been with Evie as a boy, that is pretty much the only thing that hasn’t changed along the way.
As soon as I finished the opening section I knew that a young girl could carry the story much better than a boy – she could be a strong female character, just entering her teens, having to deal with family tragedy but with a mission bestowed upon her that could help her recover from the events of the book’s opening.
Over the last few years The Lingholm Estate in Keswick has been much frequented for many weddings and weekend breaks. It is one of the most perfect places to spend time – it is also full of history and stories that made it an ideal location to use in the book. The same goes for Whitby.
Having grown up in Yorkshire, Whitby was always a place to go for day trips and my Mum happens to be quite the expert on the town and Captain Cook, having taught the history to countless students over her years as a teacher. Essentially all the places in the book are real (as are all the historical figures) you can visit them and enjoy how brilliant they are.
I finally started writing in May last year and tried to develop as much as I could in between radio shifts and during my spare time through the Summer. Having progressed enough for the story to no longer be just a bit of fun I spent the majority of September and October completing it.
I have spent some time trying to find an agent and editor that might eventually take the story on – this is, understandably, a tough process ( and I though radio was hard!) I am going to keep looking - but in the meantime have decided to pop the book online and see whether people enjoy the story of Evie Street and The Clock Shop. If they do I have plenty of ideas of where she could go next.
If you are a big kid or if you have any teenagers in your house that love a bit of adventure and action then this is definitely one for them. I have dedicated this to Grace, Aoife, Molly, Lily and Daisy – but is for any young girl who has some fight in them and enjoys wearing baseball shoes!
