“I came across your book Riduna on Amazon, and I was captivated by how vividly you bring Alderney to life as both a setting and a character. Harriet and Edward’s intertwined journeys set against love, loss, and the pull between home and distant dreams promise a heartfelt and immersive historical tale.
I’d be glad to connect and hear what inspired you to tell this beautiful story of devotion and place.”
Patricia writes:
“It’s inspiring to see how Riduna began with such a strong local presence in the Channel Islands and southern England. That authentic sense of place gives the novel a rare depth that modern readers still crave.
I work with a network of active book clubs across both the UK and the US, helping authors like you connect with readers who love thoughtful, character-driven fiction. These clubs enjoy novels with emotional resonance, history, and a strong setting exactly what Riduna offers.”
It is flattering to read such emails but the dilemma is getting greater by the day. With A1 able to generate more and more seemingly authentic copy, can I tell the difference?
Resilience, survival and determination have been the backbone of my life and are reflected in my writing too. Believing in deep reciprocal love too.
Harriet in Riduna survived, just as I did. Gloria Gaynor’s song became an anthem for many of us and if anyone embodies resilience and survival in my writing, it is Dotin MISSING Past and Present, whosecontinued story I am editing at the moment. I was 20 when this song was released. Perfect timing.
If I were to choose a song that had the greatest impact on the way I see the world and its people, which certainly was released at an impressionable age for me at 13 years, it has to be Imagine by John Lennon. Wouldn’t it be great if we all aspired to these sentiments.
And finally, throughout my life I’m aware of my own failures and need for something greater than myself to lift me up and put me back together again. However much I am moved by John Lennon’s sentiments, my own faith has pulled me though time and time again and music has always been an integral part of this. The allegory of the Lord being the potter and me being the clay is a powerful and poignant one, which will always live with me.
Choosing a book title is a personal thing. Some authors know the title before they begin to write, in fact it appears miraculously as they are doing their research.
Others wait until they have written the first draft. On reading and editing it a title appears as being an obvious choice.
Then there are some novels which arrive at the publishers and one of the team, it could be the editor doesn’t like the chosen title and persuades the author to choose a different one.
Choosing Janus ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth
My parent’s original title of their novella was simply ‘Heaven on Earth’ so why did I think fit to amend it? Firstly it is a prequel to my Riduna Series, set from the late Victorian era through to WW1 and on to 1920. For both books in the series I chose names which reflected the setting but added an air of mystique.
Riduna, my first novel, is allegedly the ‘Roman’ name for the island of Alderney. Although some researchers have cast doubt over this more recently, Riduna was once seen on shop fronts and as the name for the local rugby team. In fact, folks from Alderney used to call themselves Ridunains.
included with permission
Ancasta, from my second book Ancasta ~ Guide me Swiftly Home, is the Goddess of the River Itchen, Southampton, from which this novel flows, before, during and after WW1.
Thus, when I decided to publish my parents’ novella, I thought it would be quite nice to continue the theme. Janus is said to be the ‘door’ or ‘gateway’ to another dimension. Since my parent’s little book was titled ‘Heaven on Earth’ I felt that Janus would be a perfect Gateway to the island life they described therein.
This is what Wikipedia says of JANUS:
“In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus (/ˈdʒeɪnəs/JAY-nəs; Latin: Ianvs [ˈi̯aːnʊs]) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways,[2] passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (Ianuarius).[3] According to ancient Roman farmers’ almanacs, Juno was mistaken as the tutelary deity of the month of January,[4] but Juno is the tutelary deity of the month of June.”
The paperback was released, appropriately, in January this year
Janus ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth is now available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon,
and can be ordered from any good bookshop too giving the ISBN:978-1-7393286-4-1
Wikipedia writes of JANUS:
“In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus (/ˈdʒeɪnəs/JAY-nəs; Latin: Ianvs[ˈi̯aːnʊs]) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways,[2] passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (Ianuarius).[3] According to ancient Roman farmers’ almanacs, Juno was mistaken as the tutelary deity of the month of January,[4] but Juno is the tutelary deity of the month of June.”
Diana Jackson 