Celia Anderson on Romantic Country Living and Why She Loves To Write About It:
An idyllic life in the country with a garden full of flowers and cows grazing in the nearby fields; does it really exist or is it just a beautiful dream I conjure up when setting the scene for a new book?
I come from a small ex-mining town in the heart of the Midlands which, although it’s not very pretty in its own right, is not far from the Peak District and has lovely countryside within easy reach. I’d never class myself as a true country girl, but I think I’ve always had a yen to live in either a close-knit coastal village or somewhere rural with a village green and pubs where friendly locals gossip, slap each other on the back and buy each other pints. For that reason, inventing this type of place has been the starting point of all my stories so far. There’s Pengelly – a Cornish fishing village with an unusual matriarch, Periwinkle Bay – also by the sea but surrounded by salt marshes, Chandlebury – a canal-side community with a post office at its hub and most recently, especially for Boldwood, Willowbrook which is more central and has the whole village green/pub quiz/welcoming church thing going on.
Until now, city life has never crept into my books but having relocated to Brighton and thrown myself into its bustling, colourful world, everything could change. I don’t think I’ll ever lose my roses-round-the-door dream completely though! Watch this space for the next developments…