It's no secret that I love Gilli Allan's latest story Buried Treasure - so much that when I finished reading it, I immediately began reading it again. When Gilli told me she was preparing to release a print copy and working on a new cover for it, I thought I would burst with curiosity; covers are such tricky things and every author knows the crucial value of finding exactly the right one. I think Gilli has succeeded, and furthermore, has made my week by allowing me to reveal it here. She also agreed to share a few words about the pain and pleasures of writing. Over to Gilli.
Writing - the pain and the joy, by Gilli Allan
It had been
too long since I wrote something new.
There were always other things to do, and I’m not one of those lucky authors
who brim with new plot ideas and can’t wait to get them down. What I need to
confess here is I that actually hate writing. Up until
that precious moment when I cease trying to tell my story where to go, and it begins to tell me, beginning a new book is like carving a
lump of granite with a teaspoon. The
urge to create, however, is quite another thing. This becomes increasingly demanding even when
I don’t know what I want to
create.
And so it
was with BURIED TREASURE, except I just called it “New Book”, nor did it have a
plot, characters or location, but I trusted in the fact that once I actually
began, the scenario would spring into focus, the characters come to life and
the plot would gradually unknot and spool out in front of me.
There are
always personal elements in my stories– something I’ve experienced, or events I’ve
heard about or seen. So, in order to come up with my background theme I began
by reflecting on subjects I already had an interest in or an understanding
of. This gave me my initial building
blocks.
I’ve always
had a fascination with archaeology, probably stemming from the fact that my great uncle Sydney Ford uncovered a hoard of silver Roman table-ware
on his Suffolk farm. Known as the Mildenhall Treasure it is now one of the most
famous UK discoveries housed in the British Museum. http://gilliallan.blogspot.com/2020/06/my-connection-to-mildenhall-treasure.html
And before the current crisis, I have
been involved for more than a decade in the organisation of biannual
conferences held at Queens’ College, Cambridge.
If I made my hero an academic
archaeologist, and my heroine an events & conference planner, and the back
drop for a proportion of the story a university college in Cambridge, I could
use my own experience to flesh out the detail and then trust, once set loose in
this world I’d created, my imagination would do the rest. After all, I already had another ingredient –
a historian and archaeologist I could call on to advise on the plausibility of my
plot, and to assure me I’d made no howling errors - my son, Thomas Williams,
author of ‘Viking Britain’ and ‘Viking London’. What could go wrong? This book was going to be easy-peasy.
In reality, BURIED TREASURE was probably
the most difficult book I have ever attempted.
I won’t go into the whys and wherefores; it would take too long and bore
you to death. But it became a total joy
when I realised how to navigate the maze, iron out the wrinkles, and unravel
the knots. (Apologies for the mixed
metaphors!)
I am sure you will agree that when
something has been a struggle, you love it even more. For those of us who have
given birth…..! Need I say more? And it is a proud and thrilling moment, but also
sad, to release your book into the world and wave it goodbye. All you can do is
wish it well.
*****
So true, Gilli. It's exactly a year since I read Buried Treasure, but I remember it vividly and think about it often. In case you need any further incentive to read this haunting story, this was my 5 star review:
I was delighted to receive an early copy of Gilli Allan’s
latest story, since I have read her other books and have the highest regard for
this talented author. The title
intrigued me from the outset; who hasn’t at some time in their life dreamed of
finding buried treasure? I know I have,
and found this treasure of a story deeply satisfying.
The story concerns two very different people, and two
diverse ‘treasure’ hunts. For university
lecturer Theo, his quest relates to evidence he needs to find of an ancient
civilisation on the site of a proposed new supermarket near his university
campus, in order to prevent its construction on a possibly sacred site. Events and conference planner Jane’s treasure
is much closer to home. Her great uncle
Alf uncovered the haul while ploughing one of his fields with his son during
World War II. Sadly, the find was
confiscated by the government and placed in the British Museum without
recompense, but, according to family rumour, one special artefact was missed,
and subsequently secreted away. In the
fullness of time, Jane will inherit this, and her curiosity about it is as immense
as the moral dilemma it will create if and when it comes into her possession.
You might expect this common ground between the two would
lay the groundwork for a promising relationship, but nothing could be further
from the truth. Jane sees Theo as an
‘upper class fogey’, a ‘brain on legs’, while a typical ‘Essex girl’ is at the
forefront of Theo’s mind whenever he considers Jane. But there is a far more powerful area of common
ground between them, if only each could break down the barriers to discover
it. Both characters have been damaged by
their pasts, far more so than each realises.
This richly-drawn pair drive the action of the story and I
would defy any reader not to empathise with them and become engrossed in their
personal histories. There are several
other colourful supporting characters, all adding depth and interest as well as
helping to reveal more about these two, but it is Jane and Theo who will stay
in your mind long after you’ve finished reading.
I don’t want to give away too much of the story because you
owe yourself the pleasure of reading this and discovering it for yourself. And I promise you will not be
disappointed. It is a very satisfying
romance, to be sure, but as always with Gilli Allan’s stories, Buried
Treasure is about so much more than the relationship between two people. Parental relationships, sibling, marital,
workplace and that all-important relationship with oneself all come under
compelling scrutiny. The writing is
intelligent and honest, and made all the more interesting by the author’s
knowledge and evident love of archaeology, which gives the story that extra
credibility. I wholeheartedly recommend Buried
Treasure as a must-read this summer.
Buried Treasure - Blurb
Jane thinks he sees her as shallow and ill-educated. Theo
thinks she sees him as a snob, stuffy and out of touch.
Within the ancient precincts of the university the first
encounter between the conference planner and the academic is accidental and
unpromising. Just as well there’s no reason for them ever to meet again. But
behind the armour they’ve each constructed from old scars, they’ve more in
common than divides them. Both have an archaeological puzzle they are driven to
solve. As their stories intertwine, their quest to uncover the past unearths
more than expected.
About Gilli Allan
Gilli began to write in childhood - a hobby pursued
throughout her teenage. Writing was only abandoned when she left home, and real
life supplanted the imaginary kind.
After a few false starts she worked longest and most happily
as an illustrator in advertising and only began writing again when she became a
mother.
Living in Gloucestershire with her husband Geoff, Gilli is
still a keen artist. She draws and paints and has now moved into book
illustration.
All of her recent books TORN, LIFE CLASS, FLY or FALL and
BURIED TREASURE have gained ‘Chill with a Book’ awards.
Following in the family tradition, her son, historian Thomas
Williams, is now also a writer.
BURIED
TREASURE LINKS:
Find Gilli’s other books TORN, LIFE CLASS and FLY or FALL at
Contact Gilli at
