5 minutes with ELLIE DEAN

We have a chat with Ellie Dean, whose Cliffehaven series of novels, set during World War II, have brought hours of pleasurable reading to her many fans.

Tell us a bit about Cliffehaven.

Cliffehaven is a purely fictional seaside town in the south of England, which gives me far more scope than a real one. Cliffehaven is a conglomeration of Eastbourne, Seaford and St Margaret’s Bay, and lies beneath the enemy flight-path to London.

It has a railway station and RAF base, a private estate where the Americans are billeted and the Women’s Timber Corps work, and a large industrial estate where ammunition and plane parts are made.

There used to be a cinema, but it was bombed, so the entertainment is provided by the Anchor and the Crown pubs as well as dances in the town hall and the old Scout hut.

Do you have a favourite character?

I love all my characters, even the dreaded Doris, but I suppose my favourite has to be Ron Reilly. He’s a man who walks his own path, and feels deeply for those he loves. Though he never sets out to get into trouble, somehow things happen and he finds himself having to use his Irish charm to extricate himself. In many ways he reminds me of my husband!

How do you tackle research?

Historical research comes from autobiographies of those who lived and fought through the war, interviews with wonderful women who still have that “bulldog” spirit that saw them roll up their sleeves and do their bit whilst the men were away.

I also use the internet, which can be tricky because the information is sometimes wrong, which means I have to be very careful.

What are your plans for Cliffehaven?

Cliffehaven has already grown from the sleepy seaside town it once was, with evacuees and factory workers pouring in. Whole areas have suffered from the bombs and the V-1 and V-2 rockets, and the once lovely beach has been mined and closed off.

When the war is over and the men come home there will be lots of rebuilding, and because the government will encourage people to holiday at home, the tourists will once again come to enjoy the seaside. Cliffehaven might have been brought to its knees during the long years of war, but it will slowly blossom again.