The A-Z of Black Eyed Boy. P is for ... Prince.

I chose ‘Prince’ because I enjoyed writing the scenes between Emily and Mrs Bishop very much. They were often full of amusement as the knowing, mischievous old lady and her new teenage friend discuss her love life. Mrs Bishop is adamant that there is a special person waiting somewhere in the wings for Emily. She refers to him as Emily’s prince, which makes Emily cringe. Emily is a cynical young girl. She doesn’t have any beliefs, and she finds this soulmate talk ridiculous. Of course, Mrs Bishop is indeed correct, which only adds to the humour further down the line. Though, bless her, Mrs Bishop manages not to quite say I told you so.

Here is an excerpt from Black Eyed Boy, the first time that Emily’s prince is referred to:

“You’re a pretty girl, you must get a lot of attention with all that long red hair.”

“All it brings me is ginger jokes,” I sighed.

“You haven’t met him yet then,” she said, more to herself than to me.

“Met who?” I asked, rather confused by the sudden turn in the conversation.

“Your prince,” she said, beaming.

I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t believe in fairy tales,” I stated.

“That’s because you haven’t met him. You’ll believe in them once you do.”

“I’m not really the gushing type. Most of the boys at school are utter morons.”

She laughed at that, tapping her knees and rocking back in her chair with amusement.

“What about all the tourist boys?”

“What’s the point? They’re gone after a week,” I scoffed.

“We’ll see,” she said with a wink.

I shook my head at her. She’d got me all wrong. I braced myself, bid her goodbye and finally returned home.

Black Eyed Boy

The A-Z of Black Eyed Boy. O is for ... Orphans.

It was such a sad theme to write about. To be a young orphan; to lose both of your parents before you are old enough to fully support yourself must be an unbelievably harrowing experience. To lose one parent, at any age, must be difficult enough. But, both of them. Such heartbreak. It’s strange. I wrote Black Eyed Boy and thought hard about how that must feel; to be so alone in this big wide world. In a way, I could feel the experience in a very real sense.

I just went to Wikipedia, to visit the page about orphans and I understand now, how I was able to sympathise and empathise with several of my orphaned characters.

Here is the Wikipedia definition:

An orphan (from the Greek ὀρφανός orfanos^[1]) is a child whose parents are dead or have abandoned them permanently.

My parents are alive. But I don’t see them. They have never met my children. And this has been the case for a long, long time. According to Wikipedia, I am a sort of orphan too. No wonder I was able to climb into Emily’s mind (and those of Dylan and Nancy).

The character of Emily can’t fathom how this collection of poor, lonely orphaned souls appear to forge together. They are travellers; going where they wish to go, when they wish to go there. There are two adults: Siobhan and Warren. They look after a huge amount of young orphans, and a few older ones too who prefer to stay close to their large, adopted family.

Here is an excerpt from Black Eyed Boy:

The woman went on ahead as Nancy and I held hands and walked slowly behind.

“Who’s that?” I asked her.

“That’s Siobhan. She’s the group mother.”

“Of all of you?” I asked, wondering how anyone could watch over so many children.

“Yes, and she makes the best stew in the whole wide world. Can you smell it?”

Nancy’s little nose sniffed the air and the homely smell wafted down to us from the camp fire, where many of the children had gathered. It did smell good. They all played a part; some handed around bowls and spoons, others cut chunks of crusty bread, others poured drinks into mismatched chipped mugs. There was a wonderful family feeling amongst them which I admired immensely. It was a cherished, wondrous thing that I had never personally experienced, even though my family were related to me by blood. These people had somehow found one another, joined together and had become something amazing. I felt happy that Dylan had this, especially after what he must have gone through after losing both his parents.

The fact that they are orphans is an integral part of the secrets and mysteries of the novel. If you want to know more, well, then you’ll just have to read the book.

Buy Your Copy Of Black Eyed Boy Here

The A-Z of Black Eyed Boy. N is for ... Nancy.

Nancy is another important character in Black Eyed Boy. We meet her further along the story, once Emily and Dylan are enjoying the first days of their relationship. She is a little girl, one of the many orphan gypsy travellers. She takes a keen interest in Emily and they become incredibly fond of one another.

Another part of the mysterious puzzle presents itself when Emily learns that Nancy is a highly intuitive child; she appears to have the ability to dream about things just before they happen. Nancy has a huge role in the sequel, Green Eyed Girl. I don’t wish to give anything away at this stage, but much of the story revolves around the little girl and her capacity to know about events before they actually happen.

Nancy is a sweet child, partly made up of aspects of both of my daughters. She is a welcoming, sweet and friendly character; one that increases with importance as the trilogy continues.

Here is an excerpt, featuring Nancy:

I walked quickly with a determined long stride; I didn’t have the patience to admire the view or to amble along. I was almost on the verge of running. I saw Nancy playing on the grass, all alone, but quiet and content.

“I knew you’d come today,” she said, looking up at me.

“Did you?”

“Yes, come on,” she said, getting up and pulling me towards the camp site with her tiny hand.

There were a few of them congregated on the field.

“Dylan isn’t here yet,” said Nancy.

I was so disappointed that I thought my heart might crumble. I hadn’t seen him for a while and I loathed having to wait even one more second.

“When will he be back?” I asked, desperate.

“Soon,” answered Nancy.

I looked into her eyes, the same hypnotic dark ones as Dylan had. If I had to wait for Dylan then I supposed that she was a pretty good substitute. She was such a sweet little thing. I sensed the others watching me, but I didn’t have the confidence to go over and introduce myself; I barely had the energy to stand.

“Will you sit with me a while?” I asked, aware at what an odd request that was, asking a favour from such a young child.

“Of course,” she smiled sweetly. “I was sad too, when my mummy died.”

I couldn’t believe that she’d said that. I looked at her, scanning her face, waiting for more words, but they didn’t come. How did she know about Mum?

Black Eyed Boy

The A-Z of Black Eyed Boy. M is for ... Mrs Bishop.

Mrs Bishop. Everyone who has read Black Eyed Boy has loved this warm-hearted, benevolent character. She is Emily’s neighbour and she arrives in the story quickly.

Here are a couple of Amazon book reviews that mention the sweet old lady:

“A final note must be reserved for Emily's caring and insightful neighbour Mrs Bishop. I loved her so much! What a wonderful, warm periphery character and a reminder to all readers and writers of the importance of a varied cast to add depth to a novel.”

“There is also a wonderful array of background characters, my personal fav, being Mrs Bishop.”

I have to agree. There is just so much to love about her. I thought about all of the most compassionate and sincere people that I have ever met. Some people have a way of making you feel instantly better and at ease. It might be a gentle touch. It might be a nodding glance of sympathy, or a small but kindly act. Mrs Bishop offers all of these things to Emily; a young girl experiencing some of the most difficult and harrowing moments that life can throw at an individual. She comes to need Mrs Bishop and that’s a hard thing for Emily to even admit to herself as she has always been stubbornly independent.

One of the aspects of Mrs Bishop that I love the most is the language that she uses. She frequently refers to Emily as ‘poppet’, ‘petal’ and ‘dear’. Being from Yorkshire (we tend to use ‘love’ and ‘duck’ here), I find this way of speaking rather endearing and comforting. There is an immediate high level of friendliness and familiarity.

I also admire the way that she is determined to look after Emily, despite the young girl constantly attempting to refuse her care. There is always a cup of tea on the go and some food cooking whether she likes it or not.

There is a lot more to this loveable and comical (she has a wonderful sense of humour) woman than meets the eye though, and Emily knows this. There is a secret and Mrs Bishop knows what it is. This is a huge part of the book. Emily knows that there is something else happening and she won’t stop until she figures out what it is. When the story opens up and Emily discovers the truth, Mrs Bishop has a large and important role to play.

I can promise a lot more of Mrs Bishop in the sequel, Green Eyed Girl. More news on that when I have it.

Here is an excerpt from Black Eyed Boy:

Mrs Bishop walked in with several shopping bags.

“I need to go home,” I said.

“At least have some breakfast first, just so I know you’ve eaten something, even if it’s just a slice of toast.” She was already busy, not taking no for an answer and pouring fruit juice into a tall glass.

“Thank you for last night,” I said.

“You can stay here whenever you like, my lovely. Would you like a nice fried egg?”

I was about to decline, but she cracked the egg and popped it into the frying pan before I had the chance. I smiled to myself and wished that I had taken the time to get to know her sooner. She was very sweet, and so very determined to take care of me. I must admit, the smell of the hot toast and the yolky egg stirred my appetite. I got up and helped her set the table. We ate in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. I watched the breeze outside swaying the treetops and the long grasses of the field.

“That was lovely,” I said, pushing away the now clean plate.

She stroked my long fringe out of my eyes and playfully nipped my cheek.

“You look better already, you’ve got a bit of colour back in your face. What are your plans for today?”

Black Eyed Boy

The A-Z of Black Eyed Boy. L is for ... Loneliness.

Emily lives with her parents. All three of them inhabit the same house, but they are all so private and solitary. They stopped being a family long ago and have since retreated into their own self-contained bubbles. Emily talks of feeling like a ghost in her own home. And as we read on, we can understand why she feels this way. There is very little communication, especially between Emily and her mother. The only contact she has with her father are bursts of anger and recriminations. It’s a lonely world for Emily. She has her best friend, Billy, but she refuses to rely on him or let him help her most of the time.

I think this is partly why she truly comes alive when she meets Dylan. She has trouble believing that this remarkable, handsome and amusing boy wishes to spend time with her. She compares herself to the other local girls; deeming them probably more interesting and fun than she is. Emily is used to spending time alone, often hiding and avoiding her parents.

She often fantasises about what it would have been like to have been part of a different family, and this causes a painful knot of sadness and guilt inside her. Dylan changes her life so rapidly. She goes from haunting her house in silence to wanting to spend every waking moment with her new, mysterious boyfriend. He brings her hope and he makes her feel so much better about herself.

Here’s an excerpt from Black Eyed Boy:

There were plenty of people nearby taking photographs of the old historic church. I watched a cute family pose on a bench, three little blonde girls with curly hair, they all shared the same face as their mother. The father captured the moment with his camera and they descended the stairs with lively chatter.

I felt a little knot inside me. It was always there, but sometimes it got tighter and gave me a stomach ache. I didn’t like that about myself, that envy could stir so easily and that I let it get the better of me. I hated that I felt sorry for myself. I knew full well that so many people had it worse than I did. I just wished that I was one of those cherubic little girls with the mum and the dad and the siblings, with the communication and sense of family that they had.

Black Eyed Boy

The A-Z of Black Eyed Boy. K is for ... Kissing.

I’m sure that our first kiss is something that we don’t ever forget. I loved writing Black Eyed Boy and being part of watching the teenage couple fall head-over-heels in love. It made me remember all of those times when I had a crush on someone and that intoxicating feeling of being in young love.

Emily, fifteen, has never been kissed. She falls hard for Dylan very quickly (I can’t say I blame her. Have you seen my cover?). And kissing his lips is all she can think about. She doesn’t have to daydream for too long though. I love their first kiss scene. I hope that you do too:

I never finished that sentence. Dylan cupped my face in his hands, turned my face towards his, and mid-way through my sentence he quite literally took the words from my mouth as he planted the softest kiss upon my lips. It was so soft that it was only just there at all. I felt his hot tongue slide in, so teasing, so slow, my body felt as though it was ablaze. I felt dizzy with my eyes closed but I didn’t dare to risk opening them and break the perfect spell. I was losing my head and all resolution, my name, and possibly my legs. I felt as if I was flying, soaring above myself in a cloud; I’d never known such intense delight. There was a pressure building inside me that I couldn’t contain even if I’d wanted to.

And with that, he pulled away.

And as I opened my eyes, he had gone.

*MWAH*

Meet kissable Dylan

The A-Z of Black Eyed Boy. J is for ... Jet.

J is for Jet. A beautiful black gemstone frequently found in Whitby and the surrounding area. There are several jewellery boutiques dotted about the town, dedicated to the crafting of intricate items, all made using the black stone of Whitby Jet, the fossilised driftwood of the Monkey Puzzle tree from the Jurassic period, approximately 182 million years ago.

Whitby jet was a popular material for jewellery in Roman Britain from the third century onward. It was used in rings, hair pins, beads, bracelets, bangles, necklaces and pendants. It was later popularised by Queen Victoria, when she introduced the wearing of Jet into court circles, as she had searched for appropriate black mourning jewellery after the death of her husband, Albert, in 1861.

I couldn’t set a book in Whitby and not include Jet somewhere in there. It is, of course, also the same colour as Dylan’s eyes.

Here is an excerpt:

I let him take the lead and ambled along beside him. He spent a long time looking into the shop windows.

“Whitby Jet,” he mused, leaning in to take a look at the intricate jewellery through the glass.

I looked at what he was admiring. It was a set of delicate rings, each with a differently-shaped black jet stone.

“It reminds me of your eyes,” I said.

He looked down at my hand and saw that I was still wearing the butterfly ring that he had won for me in the arcades.

“It would be nice to replace that one with something like this,” he said, pointing to a pretty silver ring with an oval stone.

Black Eyed Boy