Elaine Ramsay
In 1959 as a young suburban girl from a strict, conventional home, I left school to work in a grand London Mayfair hair salon and found myself immediately engulfed in a completely alien culture. At first this new world overwhelmed me. But the staffroom was alive with witty banter and funny anecdotes and I soon came to feel a part of it all. I grew to understand the underlying cynicism that some of my fellow workers had – the fact that Society as a whole despised them. And I learned to recognise the differences between those brave enough to present themselves overtly – ‘take me as you find me’ – and those who lived a secret life in fear.
In those days I was a writer in spirit only – never active. Nor later when I had children and family to care for. I started to write when I retired, and the growing media coverage of LGBT matters by then, prompted my early memories and inspired me to write my novel, Violet Eyes. Homosexual practices were made legal in 1967 but it has taken decades for Society to respect and accept it. Even now it remains a contentious issue for some.
I originally started writing my novel, The Secret Of Whylder Wood, when walking my dogs in Ruislip Woods – especially Park Woods and Mad Bess Wood. Apparently Mad Bess was a (mythical?) wealthy landowner who stalked the Wood intent on catching poachers. I’ve used her character in the book, and named her Mad Maggie Minchin. Ruislip Woods is now an ongoing national nature reserve looked after by The Ruislip Woods Trust.
I have always believed the protection of woodland habitats to be important. I was inspired by writers like Richard Adams and William Horwood who used anthropomorphic animals and birds successfully to convey both the beauty and vulnerability of the UK’s flora and fauna. Since moving from Ruislip I’ve continued to dog walk in Leicestershire’s fields and woodlands with the occasional visit to Rutland Water which has earned itself a chapter in the book.
