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Tag: Jan Baynham

Opening Lines with Jan Baynham: The Silent Sister

I’m delighted to welcome fellow author and friend, Jan Baynham to my place today, to share the #openinglines of her brand new novel:

The Silent Sister.

Over to you, Jan…

The Silent Sister is my fifth novel. It has all the features which readers are coming to expect of my books – a dual timeline, contrasting locations, family secrets and two love stories. In this novel, there is also the theme of trauma, resilience, sibling relationships, identity and reconciliation. It’s set in beautiful Kefalonia at the time of the devastating 1953 earthquake and again twenty years later as well as rural mid Wales.  The Silent Sister tells of three-year-old Eléni who is pulled, barely alive, from the rubble of an earthquake in Kefalonia when her parents and grandparents perished alongside her. Once physically healed, the traumatised little girl is raised by Cassia, who witnessed her rescue and who is faced with keeping a secret that must never be revealed. The book involved a lot of research, the highlight of which was a trip to Kefalonia itself. As a result, I been able to take the reader on a virtual visit to the stunning island, as seen through Eléni’s eyes as she returns to the place of her birth for the first time.

Blurb

A woman searching for somewhere to belong.
A child rescued from the rubble of a ruined island.
A secret buried in the heart of Kefalonia.

Greece, 1953. When a catastrophic earthquake reduces the beautiful island of Kefalonia to ruins, Cassia Makris risks everything to save a young girl buried beneath the rubble that was once her home.
In that moment, Cassia makes a life-changing decision that will bind their fates forever but force her to carry a devastating secret . . .

Wales, 1973. Eléni Davies has always felt there was something unspoken in her past — a silence at the heart of her childhood. When she discovers a hidden journal among her mother’s belongings, it unravels an untold story of love and loss on a faraway island.
Drawn to the place where her story really began, Eléni travels to the now-rebuilt Kefalonia. Among the lemon groves and sun-bleached chapels, she begins retracing her mother’s footsteps to piece together a story that was never meant to be told.
But in doing so, Eléni must decide whether some secrets are better left buried — or whether confronting them is the only way to finally heal.

This unforgettable dual-timeline historical page-turner will sweep you away to the olive groves and sapphire-blue seas of a sun-kissed Greek island. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Dinah Jefferies, Victoria Hislop, Santa Montefiore or Karen Swan.

FIRST 500 WORDS…

Kefalonia, 12 August 1953

The air was thick as Cassia walked back from the centre of Argostoli. The place was silent, wearing a cloak of fear, with a real sense of foreboding. The pewter-grey sky resembled one threatening a thunderstorm at dusk rather than one approaching midday when the sun was at its highest in the sky. Despite being drenched in perspiration, Cassia shivered. Something was very wrong. Glad to have reached her house, sitting halfway along the street leading out of Argostoli, Cassia dismissed the ominous feeling by making herself busy. First, she unpacked her shopping. She went to put the vegetables away in the small outhouse when the whole building shook. Crockery, pots and pans fell with a crash to the floor. The shaking and shuddering increased in intensity before there was an almighty deafening bang. A huge gaping crack tore from floor to ceiling down the opposite wall. Cassia screamed. The floor underneath her continued to move violently. She grabbed on to a kitchen chair that toppled over and took her with it. She tried to shield her head as another crack above dropped large chunks of masonry on top of her. She yelled out in pain. Coughing and spluttering, Cassia found it hard to breathe as the room filled with grey dust. She struggled to free herself but a wooden rafter crashed from the ceiling, pinning her to the floor. Excruciating pain shot through her whole body. She tried to push herself free. Outside she heard shouting, yelling, haunting cries. The sound of crumbling masonry, wood snapping. It was the last thing she remembered.

* * *

‘She’s in here. She’s alive. I need help to free her.’

There was urgency and panic in the voice. To Cassia, it seemed distant yet the man was close. Another person scrambled over the rubble blocking the doorway to join him. Together, they lifted the heavy wooden beam off her. Cassia tried to open her eyes and became aware of a stabbing pain in her lower leg. She cried out.

‘You’re safe, now.’ The older of the two men, neither of whom she’d seen before, smiled at her. ‘We’re going to lift you out. Is it just your leg that hurts?’

Cassia nodded. She looked down to the source of her pain and saw a wound encrusted with dried blood and grey dust.

Once outside, the two men placed Cassia to sit down on the ground. ‘It looks nasty, but I think it’s just superficial,’ the man said. ‘Are you all right if we leave you to go and help some of your neighbours? This street is one of the worst affected.’

‘Yes, please go! Efcharistó. Thank you to you both.’

Cassia had not been prepared for the devastation she saw in front of her. Not one of the houses stood unscathed. A gaping crack zig-zagged the length of the street. Some buildings were completely flattened while others had single walls intact. Some people wandered around aimlessly, while others held…

You can buy The Silent Sister from all good retailers, including:

The Silent Sister: Escape to Greece in this utterly captivating sun-drenched historical saga (Sun-Kissed Sagas) eBook : Baynham, Jan: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: The Silent Sister: Escape to Greece in this utterly captivating sun-drenched historical saga eBook : Baynham, Jan: Kindle Store

Bio

Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Radyr, on the outskirts of Cardiff. We have three grown up children and five grandchildren. After retiring from a career in teaching and advisory education, she joined a small writing group in a local library where she wrote her first piece of fiction. Her first collection of stories was published by Black Pear Press. Fascinated by family secrets and ‘skeletons lurking in cupboards’, Jan writes dual narrative, dual timeline historical novels that explore how decisions and actions made by family members from one generation, usually in or just after WW2, impact on the lives of the next. Setting and a sense of place play an important part in all of Jan’s stories and as well as her native mid-Wales, there is always a contrasting location in sunnier climes. She is published by Joffe Books/Choc Lit. She enjoys meeting up with other writers, especially members of our local Cariad RNA Chapter as well as when attending talks and workshops. When not writing, her time is taken up with reading, family history, Pilates and looking after her grandchildren.

Social Media

X– @JanBaynham (https://twitter.com/JanBaynham)

Facebook – Jan Baynham Writer (https://www.facebook.com/JanBayLit/?locale=en_GB)

Instagram – janbaynham (https://www.instagram.com/janbaynham/?hl=en-gb)

Blog – Jan’s Journey into Writing (https://janbaynham.blogspot.com)

Amazon Page – Jan Baynham (https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Jan-Baynham/author/B085DC6BKR?)

***

Here are just some of the amazing reviews, The Silent Sister has received so far:

‘I didn’t want this story to end . . . This is my first Jan Baynham book, but it won’t be my last.’ Veronica Leigh, author of The Keeper of Lost Daughters

‘If you enjoy Victoria Hislop, then give this one a go.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘You absolutely MUST read this story for the history, to fall in love with the characters, to enjoy the beautiful locations, to realise that humanity will repair itself no matter how deep the wounds.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Captivating and emotional . . . A top, top must-read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This breathtaking historical fiction novel is something readers will enjoy if you are looking for a story about healing, moving on, and reconnecting with family.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

***

Many thanks for sharing your opening lines with us, Jan.

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny x

 

 

 

Opening Lines with Jan Baynham: Her Sister’s Secret

This week I’m delighted to welcome Jan Baynham back to my blog with the Opening Lines from her latest novel,

Her Sister’s Secret.

Over to you Jan…

Her Sister’s Secret, with its sub-heading of ‘the Summer of ‘66’, is my second novel of three I’ve been contracted to write for Ruby Fiction. All three novels involve secrets and forbidden love, explore mother and daughter relationships and are partly set in countries other than Britain. ‘Her Sister’s Secret’ was published on September 15th as an e-book. Much of it is set in beautiful rural mid-Wales and the rest in a fictional area of northern Sicily. The story opens in 1946 when a young Welsh woman, Rose Howells, begins work in the kitchens of a large country house. She has a tempestuous relationship with her father whom she suspects of dealing on the Black Market. When matters come to a head after a particularly serious argument, she leaves home and eventually makes a decision that will have repercussions for the whole family. Her name is never mentioned again and what she did becomes a deeply held family secret. In 1966, that secret is partly revealed and Jennifer Howells travels to Sicily to find out why she and Rose have been kept apart for over eighteen years. In the novel, I try to give a glimpse of what life was like in both eras and how society judged women living in both times. Jen’s search for her true identity takes her to a wonderful island so different from rural mid-Wales in terms of climate, the colours, foods and way of life. I hope the book encourages readers to think about the decisions Rose made and whether, under the circumstances, they were the right ones. The role Aunt Edie plays in both stories is a crucial one.

BLURB:

How far would you travel to find the truth?

It’s 1966 and Jennifer Howells is a young woman with the world at her feet, just on the cusp of leaving her Welsh village for an exciting life in the city.

Then the contents of an inconspicuous brown envelope turn Jennifer’s world upside down. The discovery leaves her spiralling, unsure who she is. Overnight, Miss Goody Two Shoes is replaced by a mini-skirted wild child who lives for parties and rock’n’roll.

But Jennifer’s experience with the excesses of sixties’ culture leaves her no closer to her true identity. She soon realises she’ll have to travel further – first to Cardiff, then across the ocean to Sicily – if she wants to find out who she really is …

***

FIRST 500 WORDS

Prologue

24 August 1943

A loud knocking echoed along the passageway of the cottage. Joe Howells opened the front door to a solemn-faced young man in uniform.

‘Mr Joseph Howells? A telegram for you.’

The blood drained from Joe’s face. As he took the envelope, his hand shook. His pulse raced so fast, he steadied himself against the hall table. Please, God. Don’t let it be what I think it is.

Walking back into the scullery, he slid a finger under the flap of the envelope and unfolded the telegram with its Post Office logo heralding the message he didn’t want to read.

MR AND MRS J. HOWELLS, 1 PENRHOS, PONTCARREG.

I REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR SON, GUNNER BRIAN JOSEPH HOWELLS (ARMY NUMBER: 864499) OF THE 8TH ARMY, HAS BEEN KILLED IN ACTION NEAR MESSINA IN SICILY.

Joe couldn’t read any more. Transported back to the horror of the trenches in his war, he slumped to the floor and cradled his arms around his head. He tried to shut out the noise of shells exploding around him. He gagged on the stench of bloodied bodies, relived the pain of the gas blistering his skin under his damp uniform, tasted the burning bile in his throat and in his lungs as he tried to breathe. His hand traced the shape of the metal plate in his skull where they’d patched him up. Physically, at least.

The back door opened.

‘Joe. Whatever’s wrong?’ Violet put down the washing basket and rushed to her husband.

It was then she saw the telegram discarded on the flagstone floor beside him.

‘Oh, noo-oo!’ she wailed. ‘Not our beautiful boy.’

 

Chapter One

Rose

1946

‘What do you mean you know what I’m up to, you little madam?’

Joe Howells’s voice rose to a bellow. He went to strike his daughter, but Rose backed away and he caught the back of his hand on the door post instead. He swore and Rose ran upstairs. She slammed the bedroom door behind her and, with tears pricking her eyes, fumbled to turn the key. She clenched her hands so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms, flung herself on the bed and pictured her father pacing the floor in the kitchen below.

She heard him shouting angrily. ‘The girl’s gone too far this time. She needs to be taught a lesson.’

Her mother’s voice was softer. ‘Why do you two always have to annoy each other? You’re both as bad as each other.’

But her mother didn’t know what was really going on, did she? Her father’s voice was closer now. He was at the foot of the stairs.

‘Come down here at once, Rose, or I’ll break the door down to make you!’

‘No. Go away! I’m not coming out.’

Rose pulled the bed clothes closer to her chest and buried her head in the silky eiderdown to shut out her father’s rage.

He hammered on the door with his fists.

Her throat tightened…

***

‘Her Sister’s Secret’ is available on:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Her-Sisters-Secret-Summer-66-ebook/dp/B08F5H7YQF/

https://www.amazon.com/Her-Sisters-Secret-Summer-66-ebook/dp/B08F5H7YQF/

https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/search?query=her+sisters+secret+jan+baynham

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-sisters-secret-jan-baynham/1137428123?ean=2940162698852

You may find out more about Jan here:

Twitter – @JanBaynham https://twitter.com/JanBaynham

Facebook – Jan Baynham Writer https://www.facebook.com/JanBayLit

Blog – Jan’s Journey into Writing https://janbaynham.blogspot.com/

BIO

After retiring from a career in teaching and advisory education, Jan joined a small writing group in a local library where she wrote her first piece of fiction.  From then on, she was hooked! She soon went on to take a writing class at the local university and began to submit short stories for publication to a wider audience. Her stories and flash fiction pieces have been longlisted and shortlisted in competitions and several appear in anthologies both online and in print. In October 2019, her first collection of stories was published.  Her stories started getting longer and longer so that, following a novel writing course, she began to write her first full-length novel. She loves being able to explore her characters in further depth and delve into their stories.

Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Cardiff with her husband. Having joined the Romantic Novelists Association in 2016, she values the friendship and support from other members and regularly attends conferences, workshops, talks and get togethers. She is co-organiser of her local RNA Chapter, Cariad, and a member of the Society of Authors.

Many thanks for sharing your fabulous Opening Lines today, Jan,

Happy reading everyone,

Jenny x

Opening Lines with Jan Baynham: Her Mother’s Secret

This week, I’m delighted to welcome Jan Baynham to Opening Lines, to talk about her debut novel, Her Mother’s Secret.

Over to you, Jan…

‘Her Mother’s Secret’, with its sub-heading of ‘the Summer of ‘69’, is my debut novel. It is the first of three I’ve been contracted to write for Ruby Fiction. All three novels involve secrets and forbidden love, explore mother and daughter relationships and are mainly or partly set in countries other than Britain. ‘Her Mother’s Secret’ was published on April 21st as an ebook and most of it is set on Péfka, a fictional island off the coast of southern Greece. The story opens in 1991when a young Welsh woman, Alexandra Davies, is grieving after the untimely death of her mother. Elin has left her diary to her daughter and on reading it, Alexandra discovers a part of Elin’s life she knew nothing about. She is shocked as the secrets from Elin’s past are revealed and realises she didn’t know her mother as well as she thought. I tried to put myself in Alexandra’s shoes. Having had a very close relationship with her mother, how must she have felt finding out that her mother had kept such secrets from her?

The diary takes us back to 1969. Elin Morgan leaves Wales after finishing art college to spend the summer months studying at a painting school in Greece.  She records everything about her summer on the island but, while there, something happens that causes her to never paint again.  The secrets of that summer remain with her until she dies twenty-two years later.

Alexandra makes her own journey to Greece, following in her mother’s footsteps. She arrives on the same beautiful island that made such an impression on her mother. Once there, she sets about uncovering what really happened to Elin in that summer of ’69 and why it was never mentioned again. Will she understand why her mother closed down that part of her life?

Why Greece? Having had several holidays there now, I first visited the country in the seventies when we stayed with my aunt and Greek uncle. I fell in love with the climate, the vibrancy of the colours of the sea and flowers and the warmth of its people. It seemed to be an ideal place for a young artist to spend her summer. I enjoyed getting to know my Greek characters, some named after or based on people I’ve met and observed on visits over the years. Dimitra, the host at the taverna where Elin stays, is named after a lovely waitress from the hotel we go to in Crete. On a trip to a Cretan village, I watched a woodturner working at his lathe on pieces of olive wood and he became the inspiration for Yiannis who figures largely in Alexandra’s story. Vassilis is named after an elderly Greek who led me onto a taverna dance floor. He tried to teach me traditional dancing and had the bruised toes to prove it! He appears in both Elin’s and Alexandra’s story. I hope I’ve done justice to the country and its people by giving the reader a glimpse of life on my fictional island.

***

BLURB:

A secret left behind in the summer of ’69 …

It’s 1969 and free-spirited artist Elin Morgan has left Wales for a sun-drenched Greek island. As she makes new friends and enjoys the laidback lifestyle, she writes all about it in her diary. But Elin’s carefree summer of love doesn’t last long, and her island experience ultimately leaves her with a shocking secret …

Twenty-two years later, Elin’s daughter Alexandra has inherited the diary and is reeling from its revelations. The discovery compels Alexandra to make her own journey to the same island, following in her mother’s footsteps. Once there, she sets about uncovering what really happened to Elin in that summer of ’69.

FIRST 500 WORDS

Prologue

1969, The Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Sofia Simonides let out a scream and tottered backwards. Her pulse struggled to force blood around her veins. The body was slumped against the gnarled trunk of an ancient olive tree, head hanging to one side and resting on the left shoulder.

The man had a blue-grey pallor, his skin a candle-wax translucency. Sofia bent over and touched his cheek. It was icy cold; she gasped, drawing back her hand. Blood from a gash on one wrist had seeped over his thigh and there was a deep red stain in the sand. A long-bladed knife caked in dried blood lay by his side. Sofia eased out the piece of paper he clutched in one fist, unfolded it and read the message.

Falling to her knees, she sobbed.

‘Andreas, no-o-o! No! What have you done?’

A piercing howl from deep inside her shattered the cool, still air of the dawn.

Chapter One

Alexandra

1991, A market town in the heart of rural mid-Wales
The sky was lead-grey, heavy with blue-black rain clouds threatening a downpour. The dreariness of the day reflected my mood as I turned the Mini into the cul-de-sac. A shiny red two-seater was parked in the drive behind my father’s Audi. I pulled up alongside the kerb, took a deep breath, trying to avoid a downpour of my own, and entered the house. There was laughter coming from the kitchen.

‘What’s she doing here?’

My father and his friend turned to face me. His mouth gaped open.

‘Alexandra. Apologise, straight away. Sally, I’m very sorry. She has no right to speak to you like that.’

‘It’s all right, Richard. Alexandra’s upset. I’ll go now. The food’s almost done, anyway. You just need to serve it straight from the oven once the timer rings. Shall I call Claire down on my way out?’

I glared at the woman who stood there taking off Mam’s apron. My heart quickened. Mam? My mind was playing tricks on me. It wasn’t Mam, was it? She should be the one standing there, greeting me, cooking dinner. Not her. I struggled to breathe. How dare she? How dare he?

My father accompanied Sally outside, and I heard the throaty roar of the sports car signal that she’d gone. I braced myself for the row that would ensue, but I wasn’t being unreasonable, was I?

Claire entered the kitchen first. She was four years younger than me, tall and slim with long auburn hair and sage-green eyes. She took after my father’s side of the family. He idolised her.

‘What was all that about and where’s Sally?’ she said.

By then, my father had joined us and they both stared at me. ‘Well?’

‘That woman’s here all the time, wheedling her way in. She’s even taken to wearing Mam’s things.’ I twisted the cotton apron into a ball in my hands and heard my voice rise.

Claire moved to switch off the timer and reached for the oven gloves…

***

 ‘Her Mother’s Secret’ is available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=her+mother+s+secret+jan+baynham&ref=nb_sb_noss

Bio

After retiring from a career in teaching and advisory education, Jan joined a small writing group in a local library where she wrote her first piece of fiction.  From then on, she was hooked! She soon went on to take a writing class at the local university and began to submit short stories for publication to a wider audience. Her stories and flash fiction pieces have been longlisted and shortlisted in competitions and several appear in anthologies both online and in print. In October 2019, her first collection of stories was published.  Her stories started getting longer and longer so that, following a novel writing course, she began to write her first full-length novel. She loves being able to explore her characters in further depth and delve into their stories.

Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Cardiff with her husband. Having joined the Romantic Novelists Association in 2016, she values the friendship and support from other members and regularly attends conferences, workshops, talks and get togethers. She is co-organiser of her local RNA Chapter and a member of the Society of Authors.

You may find out more about Jan here:

Twitter: @JanBaynham  https://twitter.com/JanBaynham

Facebook: Jan Baynham Writer  https://www.facebook.com/JanBayLit/

Blog: www.janbaynham.blogspot.co.uk

***

Many thanks Jan,

Happy reading everyone.

Jenny x

 

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