A Letter from Jacqueline Winspear
My interest in the period from just before the Great War, 1914-1918, to the mid-1950’s, when WW2 rationing was finally ended in Britain—almost ten years after VJ Day—began as a childhood curiosity inspired by family stories. I observed my grandfather’s struggles with war wounds sustained during the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and I knew of my mother’s unhappy experiences as wartime evacuee in 1939.
However, it was not until I was in my late 30’s that I learned about my father’s wartime role as a boy message runner in wartime London. The image of my father as a boy, clutching an envelope or a piece of paper and running from place to place as searchlights scanned the sky and Luftwaffe bombers flew overhead remained with me. Now, years after I first heard that story, it inspired the character of Freddie Hackett, the boy runner who witnesses a murder while running a message for the Secret Service on a moonlit night in wartime London—only to come face to face with the killer—a Frenchman—when he delivers the message.
In preparation for writing The Consequences of Fear I've researched many books that are academic in nature, and I do not necessarily read the book from start to finish, but instead I tend to dip in to find the sections where I will find the specific information I’m seeking. I very rarely read fiction set in the time period I write about, as I do not want to be influenced by another writer’s creative voice.
—Jacqueline Winspear
Jacqueline Winspear is the creator of the New York Times and National Bestselling series featuring psychologist and investigator, Maisie Dobbs. Her first novel—Maisie Dobbs—received numerous awards nominations, including the Edgar Award for Best Novel and the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. It was a New York Times Notable Book and a Publisher’s Weekly Top Ten Pick. J The Consequences of Fear is her latest novel in the Maisie Dobbs series. Originally from the UK, Jacqueline now lives in northern California.