Dear Reader,
The stage was set.
A Queen Anne townhouse where Dr Johnson wrote the dictionary. He leant his roof to any who needed it, especially women writers who lacked support or security. Dr Johnson was a famous wit at salons hosted by Bluestockings, trailblazing women intellectuals who redefined Britain. Tea was the social centre piece of these literary soirees, and also a more intimate ritual between Johnson and the blind poet Anna Williams, who lived with him, and would wait up to share a cup after he returned from late night debates in coffee houses and pubs.
To launch A Wild & True Relation, we would host a salon in Anna’s room, under the gaze of her portrait, painted by Frances Reynolds, overlooked sister of Sir Joshua Reynolds, first President of the RA. On the opposite wall, poet and translator Elizabeth Carter smiled knowingly down on us – who could, as Johnson said, ‘make a pudding, as well as translate Epictetus from the Greek, and work a handkerchief as well as compose a poem.’
We had Devonshire tea and fudge, conjuring the setting of the novel. Adam Vaughn created themed cocktails. For those inclined to try this at home:
Wild: Devon’s Luscombe Sicilian lemonade, hedgerow bramble syrup, rosemary and soda.
True: Plymouth gin, orgeat, lemon, smoked salt, soda and a tea rum tincture that turned the drink blue when stirred, not shaken…
Guests chose between ‘Wild’ and ‘True’ badges. (Which would you pick? So far it’s about even…)
The musician, composer and physicist John Matthias – who has collaborated with Radiohead, Coldcut, Stanley Donwood and, well, me, on ‘Unlocking the Cage’, our recent project highlighting lost women writers – wrote two original pieces for the night, ‘Be a Man’ (inspired by the first chapter) and ‘Molly’s theme’.
I had my readings prepared. The doors opened. The house filled with laughter and conversation. John’s bow touched the strings. And then something happened.
Dr Johnson defined the word ‘invocation’ as:
1. The act of calling upon in prayer.
2. The form of calling for the assistance or presence of any being.
We’d mixed the ingredients into the cauldron of the house, and the walls crackled in response. Dr Johnson was there, defining words on scraps of paper with the help of his servant and heir Francis Barber, who grew up in the house after being freed from enslavement. Anna Williams was there, stirring tea and composing in the dark of night. Elizabeth Carter was there, making the public literary sphere a respectable place for women. The whole eighteenth century rose up and vibrated in the air.
At least, that’s how it felt to me as I stood in the wake of John’s music, after fighting back tears, because how often do you hear your characters who you’ve lived with for nearly half your life transformed into music, and how much do you not want your mascara to run in front of sixty people? I’d rehearsed, I’d timed myself, I’d wondered and worried. I stepped forward and forgot all that. Something was rising and I was in its arms. The book was buoyed on its waves. After fourteen years, A Wild & True Relation was launched. I enjoyed every second.
I want to thank everyone who came. It was particularly lovely to have a Double O-Wild and True audience crossover! An especially big thanks to AV; John; Dr Johnson’s House; my editor Rose Tomaszewska and the whole Virago team, particularly Sarah Savitt, Niamh Anderson and Celeste Ward-Best; and my amazing agent Sue Armstrong, without whom literally none of this would be happening. And a huge, heartfelt thank you to my family, who kept the story alive through difficult times.
It’s an incredible feeling to now hold the book in my hands. For those new to the newsletter, here’s a little about the novel. A literary historical feminist smuggling adventure, A Wild & True Relation opens on the night of the Great Storm in Devon in 1703. Smuggling captain Tom West comes ashore in a rage, believing his lover Grace has betrayed him to the Revenue. Following a confrontation, Tom leaves with Grace’s daughter Molly, who he raises as a boy aboard his ship under the name Orlando. What follows is Molly’s quest for justice and identity, interleaved with sections featuring real historical figures who visited or lived in Devon, who come together to solve the mystery of Molly’s life, from Dr Johnson and Hester Thrale to George Eliot and Charles Dickens. The novel explores genre and gender in what I hope is a thought-provoking and thrilling adventure.
After signing copies of A Wild & True Relation around London, there was one more journey to make for the ritual to be complete. Paid subscribers can read about our Devon adventure below…
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