Features
THE HOUSES ON THE GREEN by Eileen Simkiss
Local author, Eileen Watson, writing as Eileen Simkiss, launched her
debut novel on 20th February at Stockport Art Gallery where a fifties
style afternoon tea, to fifties music, was served.
The Houses on the Green tells the story of a small community living in
terraced property in the Ardwick area of Manchester and is set in the
fifties. Their homes lie on the edge of a clearance area and have been
subject to a compulsory purchase order.
The owner of the five properties, an ex-army officer, leads the fight to
save their homes. He is backed by the other residents; a young single
mother, a Jewish couple who fled Austria just before Hitler entered
Vienna, a hard working secretary in the city centre and a rather
slow-witted young man coping alone after the death of his parents.
They take the fight to the Town Hall, where they encounter a planning
officer who has old scores to settle. Each of the characters brings
their own strengths to the conflict, involving a press campaign, and
enlisting support from university and museum authorities. Finally, they
organise a petition and a five day demonstration outside the Town Hall
and gain the support of a large section of the city.
The authorities are under pressure from the business community and their
reputation with the general public has plummeted.
The novel touches on a number of important themes; the conflicts between
tradition and expedience, the eternal strife between authority and the
individual and not least, the personal development of the characters and
the benefit of community spirit.
Eileen started the novel when she was attending a writing course and
wrote two thirds of the book but was struggling for an ending. It was
temporarily shelved as the result of a house move and finally took up
residence in a box under the bed where it stayed for several years.
Recently, she enrolled for a course of creative writing at Stockport
College and with encouragement from the tutor, and the rest of the
class, completed the work. Three months later it was finished.
In the present climate publishers are mainly concentrating on well
established authors and celebrity biographies and it is more difficult
than ever for a first time author to get published. Eileen decided to
self publish. The process has been a revelation in itself and could only
have been achieved with the help of a friend, who tackled the technical
complexities involved in putting the package together.
Eileen said: 'There have been trials and tribulations along the way; not
to mention a few tears and a few more grey hairs. I've had to tackle
technology I never knew existed.'
For more information on Eileen and the book
see site reference www.thehousesonthegreen.com
Brian Evans interviews Eileen podcast
click here