I’ve always liked the name Emma for some reason that I can’t explain as I don’t think I’ve ever actually known an Emma. To me, it has a sound of someone in her thirties, and it has a literary pedigree from Jane Austen. Not that Emma Hawkins is much like Emma Woodhouse at first sight, though there are perhaps a few similarities. They can both be considered attractive and high-sprited and both had sadness in childhood with the death of their mothers. Hopefully mine is a bit more likeable.

At this point I should post a photograph of her, but of course I won’t. Your imagination is important and although I have a picture of her in my writing den, I wouldn’t want to spoil the image you have built up from reading the book (as I hope you will).

To me Hawkins is a Cornish surname, but Emma comes from Thame near Oxford where she grew up living with her Aunt Hazel and Uncle Jack after the death of her own mother, Linda. Of course, there’s a story there which will unfold over the next book or two hopefully. Suffice to say, the events of her childhood have influenced her views of life and men in particular, and she has a close bond with friends from schooldays and a strong moral compass.

More to come about Emma. She has a few stories to tell…