Michelle Styles: A Mother's Influence

Sometimes it seems the only time people discuss mothers is when Mother’s day happens. However,  my daughter happened to stumble upon Marmee and Louisa by Eve LaPlante which is the first exploration of the influence Abigail May Alcott had on her daughter Louisa. Prior to this the focus had been on her father, Bronson Alcott a self-proclaimed visionary educationalist. However in Little Women, the lynchpin is Marmee, the mother.  And then I  started thinking – how many other book were about the mother/daughter relationship and why have the mothers of authors been ignored?

When reading about the  Little House books, why is the emphasis on Pa rather than on both the parents? I recently read the annotated autobiography of Laura Ingalls Wilde, Pioneer Girl and much was made of the father, rather less of the mother. Equally I suppose the relationship between Laura and her own daughter Rose is ripe for exploration.

Then there is Jane Austen who wrote about strong older women (some of them monstrous). What was her mother like? Was she a Mrs Bennett type? Or some other creature entirely?  And what about the Bronte’s? What was their mother like? I know she died young but what effect did her death have on the family? What were her beliefs and how did that affect her daughters?

Some of it could be lack of material. If the journals and letters have

disappeared, there can be no way of telling a person’s thoughts or looking for clues. In Abigail May Alcott’s case, some survived but they were heavily redacted by her husband. After her death he cut out those passages which were unfavourable to him. Given what remained, it begs the question of how badly did he treat her?  He was not a man who believed in supporting his family.

Some of could be subtle (or not so subtle) misogyny — that the father/daughter relationship matters more for some reason. Or that women somehow have less influence in their children’s lives.

I am suppose I am as guilty as any for not wondering more about the mother’s influence. I know my mother had and continues to have a huge influence on me, even though there is an ocean between us.

Anyway, the book is excellent. I had not realised how much Louisa had cribbed from her mother’s life. Abigail May Alcott also proved to be a woman of courage and really moulded her daughter.

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance. Her next book Sold to the Viking Warrior will be published in February 2017. You can learn more about her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk

Cleary hits 100 in 2016 by Michelle Styles

There are always some books which stick with you. Henry Huggins is one of those books. I can remember my teacher reading it to us and me thinking – yes I want to read that. I preferred Henry to Beezus and Ramona, partly because I felt Beezus was put upon. I too had a younger sister who needed looking after and was a character in her own right.

 Fast forward a few years to me being 11, and I was in my school’s library one lunchtime. I happened across a book called Fifteen. It was also by the same. It told the story of a young girl and her first love in the late 1950s. I can still remember bits. She thought he didn’t like her but he ends up with appendicitis. There is also a reference to Macbeth. Anyway I enjoyed it and looking for more books of that sort and that led me on to Constance and from there, the adult library beckoned and I discovered romance books.

I liked the Henry Huggins books so much that I sought them out in the early 1990’s to be able to read them to my children. This was pre-Amazon and getting hold of North American children’s books (even classics) in the North East of England was difficult. I used to stock up when I visited my relations in the US. Thankfully my children could appreciate the adventures of Henry, Beezus, Ramona and Ribsy.

Beverly Cleary who wrote the Henry Huggins, Ramona the Pest and Fifteen books turns 100 this year in April. She is still very much alive. And this year people are celebrating her centenary (particularly during April which is DEAR month – Drop Everything And Read – and promotes sustained silent reading).  I happened to click on something about this earlier this month and a whole host of memories welled up. I had totally forgotten about Fifteen but onc

e I saw the name, I knew the story and how much I had enjoyed it.

I am thoroughly delighted that someone whose first book was publishe

d in 1950 and whose books have been such a great influence in children's literature and literature in general remains alive.

So who else is a Beverly Clearly fan and which is your favourite Clearly novel or character. If you can quite remember – try visiting her website  to jog your memory. There is also a good article about her from 2011 Atlantic Monthly.  I plan to keep DEAR month. Actually thanks in part to Cleary, I don't need an excuse to read. I just do it. Maybe I could have a DEAR day today...

And because Harlequin put these out or Valentine’s Day and I pressed send on my latest Viking:

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance in a wide range of time periods, including VIkings. Her latest Viking  Summer of the Viking was published in June 2015.

YOu can learn more about Michelle and her books by visiting www.michellestyles.co.uk 

Some things never change - Kandy Shepherd

“Give me the child until he is seven and I'll give you the man” is a famous quote about how childhood experiences affect the adults we become.*

As a romance writer, I like to delve into my characters’ fictional lives to see what happened in their early years to influence the way they behave as adults.

What aspects of my hero’s and heroine’s childhoods; their ingrained likes and dislikes; their buried hurts and memories might have some bearing on their relationships? In particular what might cause my fictional heroes and heroines not to commit to the perfect partner I have created for them? Well, not to commit until near the end of the novel, that is! By that time, there can be no more barriers to stop them getting their wonderful happy-ever-after ending together…

My recent release from Harlequin The Summer They Never Forgot is a story of first love and second chances and features a hero and heroine who first met as teenagers. Twelve years later they meet again—are the aspects of their character that made them fall in love still the same?

Recently, while celebrating a significant birthday, I trawled through family photos to find images that represented milestone times in my life for a party slide-show. Here’s a few that made me smile—those early interests certainly lived on!

Copying my mother or an early obsession?

 I think I was about eighteen months when the photo above was taken. It was the start of a life-long obsession with my weight. Hopping on the scales is still a regular occurrence. (Not that there's anything wrong with wanting to stay a healthy weight! ) Sadly, these days the numbers on the now digital scales are less than edifying...

Cats have been a life-long love

 In this next photo I'm about seven years old. These two kittens, Lucky (left) and Big Boy were born under my bed, their mother a stray who had wandered into our suburban garden. Big Boy went to a home nearby where we could visit him, but Lucky stayed with us until I was eighteen. I was heartbroken to leave him when I left home to go to university and I think he must have been too as he died not long after. That precious feline was the first of a number of beloved cats in my life.

Ivy (left) and Alfie, the most recent additions to my kitty family

What about you? How different are you now to when you were a child? Any particular incidents you might remember? Have any of your interests carried through to adulthood?

Please leave a comment—I’d love to hear about it!

I have one signed copy of The Summer They Never Forgot to give away. Please include your email address in your comment if you want to be included in the draw.

The Summer They Never Forgot is Kandy’s first release from Harlequin Romance in the US, the UK and Australia. Watch out for The Tycoon and the Wedding Planner in July 14.

Visit Kandy at her website

www.kandyshepherd.com

*Attributed by the Jesuits to St Francis Xavier