So, those ideas stayed just as ideas for a couple of years. Then, one sunny afternoon overlooking Bassenthwaite Lake with my mum, in a 19^th century hotel I’d got a last-minute deal on, the ideas began to grow. The hotel had a window seat, and anyone who knows me will know I am a total sucker for a window seat. I sat myself in that window, warmed by the late afternoon sun, and jotted down what is now the first few lines of Lily’s opening chapter in Sisters of Shadow. I’ve just scrolled back through my Instagram and found the exact date of that inspiration breakthrough: 6^th of July 2015. Almost 6 years ago to the day, at the time of writing this note to you, dear reader.

So, I began to write. Around university commitments, through my master’s degree, in the back of the campervan I bought with my partner, in a tiny cabin without any electricity in northern Norway, to now, around my (very understanding) full-time job, in the garden of my own little miracle house in the countryside. The one constant has been this story, these characters.

You may recognise some of the landscape inspirations in the book. The lighthouse on the windswept island came to me because I’ve always been obsessed with the idea of living in a lightkeeper’s cottage. That idea developed into something that vaguely resembles the stunning, completely mystical Godrevy Lighthouse in Cornwall, that I stumbled across while holidaying there. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it in the distance; there it was, Kelseth Lighthouse, in real life!

The village of Barley I mention a few times is a real-life village in my home county of Lancashire, and sits very close to Pendle Hill, famous for its witches. The heather-strewn moors and forests are taken straight from the countryside I grew up running wild across, but are also inspired by the bleak Yorkshire landscape made famous by the Brontës. I won’t mention just how many “inspiration trips” I took to Haworth, just to wander the cobbled streets or twirl in a pretty dress out on the moors.

So, that’s the story of this story. But the tale doesn’t end here. I can’t wait to show you where my beloved characters go next. There are new landscapes, new characters and there’s plenty of trouble on the horizon. I hope you’ll join me there!

Until then,

With love, light and a bunch of fresh wildflowers,

Katy

Sisters of Shadow: The Playlist

• The Mystic’s Dream by Loreena McKennitt
• Granuaile’s Dance by Celtic Woman
• Morrígan by Adrian von Ziegler
• Annabelle Lee by Sarah Jarosz
• Jenny of Oldstones by Florence + The Machine
• Smoke & Mirrors by Agnes Obel
• Moving by Rolf Løvland, Secret Garden
• An Historic Love by Trevor Morris
• Birdsong by Emma Langford
• Hard Road by Johnny Flynn
• Tha Mo Ghaol Air Àird a' Chuain by Julie Fowlis

Listen on Spotify right here!

Acknowledgments

First, I’d like to thank the amazing team at One More Chapter, who have made all of this magic happen. You made realising my dream the most enjoyable experience and it’s a genuine joy to be a part of the OMC family.