Inspiration for The Fifth Girl
I love where I live. Bath and North East Somerset has been my home for nearly twenty years and I can't imagine living anywhere else.
During the writing of any work of fiction some truth must sneak in and, for me, much of that truth came from the places that I love. Here are just a few that I've mentioned in the book, hopefully, once you've seen them too, you'll understand why.
Twenty minutes later, Rawls found himself walking beneath the famous arch over Bath’s York Street. Lost in thought, he barely noticed the Victorian carved statues of Roman emperors who turned their backs on the outside world and stared thoughtfully into the warm green waters of the Roman Baths below.
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‘Did you know that they’re all from Bath? Apparently, they may have joined that cult. The one in Coleford or somewhere, maybe Leigh-on-Mendip, somewhere like that – out in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know, but that’s what they’re saying.’ ‘Who’s saying?’ Rawls asked.
Like most of the larger homes in the area, it was built using the golden stone that gave Bath its chocolate box appeal to visitors.
Rawls looked out of the window. Around them green hills rolled lazily towards the horizon, and a handful of cows waited patiently beneath a tree for the rain to stop. They were only a fifteen-minute drive from Bath but somehow, here amongst the shades of patchwork green that made up the landscape,Rawls felt that he could breath again.
Eileen poked her head around the door. ‘What are you up to?’
Carmen managed a half-hearted smile. ‘Nothing really.’
‘Wanna come to Zumba?’
‘Ooh, Zumba eh, how can I resist?’ Carmen laughed.
Eileen grinned back. ‘Yeah, alright, I have to pop to Tesco after and I didn’t want to leave you all on your lonesome.’
‘Still, Zumba. I’m not an old lady.’
‘We’re not all old ladies, I’ll have you know, madam,’ Eileen said laughing, then added, ‘well some of us are – OK, most of us are.’
Quick note of thanks here to my lovely Zumba buddies who happily posed for me. They really are a fabulous lot!
Also, you know when you see a photo of yourself and you wonder why you didn't suck your stomach in and pout for the camera? Well that!
P.S. I'm the grinning loon on the end . . . oh and, as you can see, we're not all old ladies - although some of us are - well I am anyway.