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Today, I am chatting with Susan Gray about her debut novel, Spanish House Secrets.
At the heart of the story is a rather extraordinary house, inspired by Susan's own childhood home — a Spanish-style hacienda that seemed curiously out of place in northeast England. From that real-life mystery grew a dual-timeline story spanning England and Spain, where the lives of several generations become entwined through love, loss, inheritance and long-held family secrets.
Susan joins me today to talk about the remarkable house that inspired the novel, bringing the past and present together, and how her own family history and love of travel found their way into the story.
But first, let's check out Spanish House Secrets
Spanish House Secrets weaves together mystery, romance, family secrets and dual timelines spanning England and Spain. What first inspired the story, and how did the idea of the Spanish house become the heart of the story?
My childhood home was a fascinating Spanish hacienda in northeast England. The house was unique in the area and felt ‘out of place’. My mother watched it being built in the 1920’s when she was a child, never dreaming it would become her home one day. However, the story behind its origins remained unknown, so when I started to write I took the house as my focus asking …who built it? why and what happened? My imagination took over as I penned this fictional tale.
Grace’s memories of her unusual childhood home set the story in motion, gradually uncovering events that began decades earlier. What interested you most about connecting the past and present through one house?
I love reading dual timeline stories. I created the character Grace - a reflective older lady, who interjects at various points in the narrative. Her childhood memories provide the invisible chord weaving throughout the story linking it to the present day. Doing this brought the house to life – it became one of the characters.
Simon’s unexpected inheritance changes the course of his life and leads him to create a replica of his Spanish home in England. What drew you to this fascinating premise?
The idea of receiving an unexpected inheritance intrigued me. I was trying to address the reason why this house came to be built in northeast England. I decided to create two versions of Simon…English Simon and Spanish Simon, with an identical house in each country.
The novel explores several interconnected lives, from Simon and Elise to Olivia and Grace. How did you approach balancing these different storylines while keeping them connected by the house and its secrets?
The house is the essence of the story…a common base. Consequently, each character needed to have a strong link to the house. As the story develops, the mystery behind its existence, both in Spain and England is explored. Both houses oozed with hidden secrets…and so the plot evolved, and Spanish House Secrets was created.
Spain plays an important role in the novel alongside northeast England. How have your own travels influenced the settings and atmosphere of the story?
I love to travel. It was an item on my ‘bucket list’ when I retired. I have travelled widely and have visited Spain many times. This enabled me to easily visualise Simon’s visit to Barcelona. Travel helps to absorb the atmosphere of a foreign country when using it in a story. Of course, my book was set a hundred years ago, so I was dependent on internet research as to how the landscape, technology, fashions, culture and lifestyle would be different in that era.
Family secrets, hidden identities, and unexpected discoveries lie at the heart of the novel. Why do you think these themes continue to captivate readers?
As in a recipe for a favourite cake, I liken these elements to the ingredients of a good story. All families have secrets, even if they belong to a former generation. I discovered a well-kept secret in my own family years ago…it intrigued me. Readers love a mystery... a question to be answered… a puzzle to be solved… secrets to be unearthed -these factors fuel their curiosity.
The story spans four decades, allowing readers to see how one generation’s choices affect the next. What did you enjoy most about exploring the lasting consequences of the past?
I love family history. I enjoy learning about my own predecessors – what were their occupations and what motivated them? I loved discovering how an incident perceived as a mistake, could shape a person’s character, leading them down a different pathway, and ultimately benefitting a future generation. I try to encapsulate these ideas in my writing.
You have said that you enjoy people- watching and often draw inspiration from those around you. Did any of the characters in Spanish House Secrets begin with an observation from real life?
Spanish House Secrets is set in the 1920’s. The women in Simon’s life are entrepreneurial and enter the business world…a great achievement in that era. This stems from a real-life observation from my paternal grandmother. She faced adversity as a young woman and put her skills to use by opening her own bakery.
As your debut novel, Spanish House Secrets marked the beginning of your writing journey. Looking back, what did writing this book teach you about storytelling and yourself as an author?
Writing Spanish House Secrets opened my eyes to the belief that I could become an author. As a youngster I loved to create stories and tell them to anyone who would listen! I was an only child and when travelling in my parents’ car, I made up stories in my head, to while away the time. I guess being a storyteller was always there. As an author, it became the conduit for expressing my imagination.
For readers discovering Spanish House Secrets for the first time, what do you hope they take away from this story of love, loss, family, and the secrets that can shape generations?
There are several underlying themes in this book. My hope is that readers will discover them and appreciate the value of family, the importance of truth, the destructive nature of jealousy and the power of forgiveness.
A huge thank you to Susan Gray for joining me today and sharing the story behind Spanish House Secrets.
There is something irresistible about an unusual old house and the possibility that its walls might be hiding stories from generations past. Knowing that Susan's novel grew from the unanswered questions surrounding her own childhood home makes its origins all the more fascinating.
With two countries, interconnected families and secrets waiting to be uncovered, Spanish House Secrets offers readers a story about the ways in which choices made in the past can continue to shape lives many years later.
If you enjoy dual-timeline fiction combining family mysteries, romance and secrets from the past, then Spanish House Secrets is certainly one to add to your reading list.
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See you on your next coffee break!
Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx