When Elodie Peach joins our school's History department, her clear green eyes, joyous ways and swan-like neck enchant me as much as Anne Boleyn’s charms captivated Henry VIII five hundred years ago. Monday to Friday, I’m grumpy Mr Vaughan, Head of History. Zero personality, except when I’m teaching. So passionate about my field that my pupils bought me a highly inappropriate t-shirt last year. I HAVE A HARD-ON FOR REVISIONIST HISTORY, if you must know. It’s only on Saturdays, when I play Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace for over-exuberant tourists, that I allow myself to channel a bit of His Majesty’s swagger. There's something about wearing both a crown and a codpiece that makes me feel invincible. At school, I stay the hell away from that Peach woman. Because nothing good can come from my obsession. But it’s when I make her my Anne Boleyn on Saturdays that the sparks fly. [Please note this book contains themes of infertility]
Author
I like to change things up! I spent my 20s as a banker and my 30s bringing up small children and running my own fashion brand (Madderson London). Now, aged 43, I find myself writing, and I wonder why I didn’t do it sooner. I’ve always loved writing. My daughter Tilly has an old notebook of mine filled with half-finished stories and accompanying drawings. I’ve read for as long as I can remember, guzzling up books so quickly that my mum always protested that I couldn’t be reading them properly. You can see my original, dog-eared version of A Little Princess in my photo. Its protagonist, Sara Crewe, is one of my all-time favourite heroines (alongside Anne Shirley, naturally). I published my first book, Metamorphosis, in February 2020, right before lockdown happened. It’s a non-fiction book about escaping from our cocoons and living as a butterfly. As lockdown progressed, I found escapism in devouring lots of delicious chick-lit (for want of a better title) and I realised I had a few novels in me too. I have loved every single minute of writing them. I’ve published my books independently, and I love the freedom it provides. The world of independent publishing is fascinating and so empowering—I’m delighted to share more of my experiences of self-publishing if you’re interested.
