For only £1.99 or $2.99 for two weeks only on Amazon,
Janus Gateway to Heaven on Earth
will cost less than a price of a cup of coffee.
This novella is now available in paperback or as an e book.
All profits benefit the Alderney Museum.
Here’s a link to my latest newsletter. If you’d like to subscribe then please email me: dianajacksonauthor@gmail.com
Filed under Alderney, Book reading, Channel Islands, Family History, History of Alderney, Riduna
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.
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.
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 the 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 thy described therein.
Janus ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth is available in paperback on Amazon. It will soon be available to order from any good bookshop too.
Filed under Alderney, Author Diana Jackson, Channel Islands, Research, Riduna, Writing a novel
Here is the second part of the forward of JANUS ~ Gateway to Heaven on Earth
written by me, to explain why and how I have prepared the story for publication:
“On holiday, especially when the sun is shining, with a balmy breeze and blue skies, ambling around the island, or taking frequent dips in the ocean, it is easy to imagine that Alderney is ‘Heaven on Earth,’ my parents’ original title. I have added the Roman God Janus to be consistent with my Riduna Series which follow chronologically. Janus is said to be the Gateway to Heaven on Earth. The Celts have the phrase A Thin Place, between this world and the next. Alderney feels like that.
Dad was frustrated that they had not added conversation to bring the characters to life and so, on picking up their story years later, when both were suffering from dementia, I thought it would be something we could work on together to aid their memory. Dad found it quite hard and then events, especially the pandemic, took over. However, now that my parents have passed away, I wanted to publish it as a tribute to them, but also to the island we love so much. My amendments have been with a light touch, in respect to my late Mum and Dad. I did carry out some extra research where I felt necessary, but otherwise it is in my parents’ words, with a few edits here and there, as if a gentle sea breeze has blown through it, rather than the hurricane of a major re-write. One major change was the focus on Harriet’s cousin Hannah, rather than Harriet herself, whose ‘story’ is told in Riduna.“
Part 3 Cover reveal: Janus Gateway to Heaven on Earth by Patricia and Arthur Jackson COMING NEXT WEEK.
Filed under Alderney, Channel Islands, Family History, History of Alderney
MISSING Past and Present
Diana Jackson 