Hearts Set Free launch
Franklin writer Blick’s new novel
will be launched at Chapters Bookshop in Pukekohe on Thursday, April 27, at 1pm.
The book, published by Pegasus Elliot McKenzie, is a departure from other works Blick has written. ’’I have leaned heavily on my own background and experiences,’’ she said.
‘‘It is a historical novel set in a modern time frame and for this reason it should appeal to a wide spectrum of readers.’’
Blick said the book told the story of two women - Debra, a young married woman of today and Clara who lives in the 18th century, at the same time as Jane Austen.
Debra and her husband Grant are renovating their Elaine cottage in the country near Bristol, England when they find a packet of love letters that have remained hidden behind the fireplace for 200 years. Debra is intrigued and as she reads the letters she becomes increasingly involved in the life of Clara who was married to a slave trader and also living in Bristol.
‘‘In the late 18th century there is an outcry about the slave trade led by such people as John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher who had such an impact on William Wilberforce,’’ Blick explains.
‘‘In the novel Clara hears him preach a scorching sermon against slavery and fears for her husband’s eternal destiny if he continues to keep slaves on his sugar plantation in Jamaica.’’ Blick said she became interested in the subject of slavery after visiting John Wesley’s chapel in Bristol and reading a pamphlet written by him. ‘‘ A couple of years ago our film festival at Clarks Beach featured the works of Jane Austen and of course, I reread all her novels before watching the film adaptations.
‘‘This made it relatively easy for me to slip into the language and thought patterns of the 18th century and I must say I enjoyed writing about this era and in the writing style of those days.
‘‘I admire the dignity and restraint of the language then. ‘‘I also have tried to show in Hearts Set Free that concerns of people of the past are not so very different from our own today.