Bucks &amp; Oxon

Freya North has written a whopping 15 bestsellers throughout her 27 year career, founded and ran the Hertford Children’s Book Festival, been a judge of the Costa Book Awards and is an ambassador for Bowel Cancer UK. Phew – I’m worn out just typing that! Today she lives on a small farm in East Herts with her family, dogs, horses and sheep. 



Freya’s latest novel, The Unfinished Business of Eadie Brown, described as ‘an ode to friendship. A love letter to youth’, is set in both a home counties Garden City and Manchester in the 1980s – and she&#8217;ll be talking about it at Blackwell&#8217;s Bookshop in Oxford next week (Tue 13 Feb).



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Eadie-browne-book-cover.jpg" alt="The Unfinished Business of Eadie Browne by Freya North" class="wp-image-82504" /></figure>



Has Hertfordshire always been home and if not, what drew you to the area?



I moved to a small farm near Essendon 14 years ago. Prior to that I was living in North London, but had always dreamed of living more rurally and having land. My kids were very little when we moved here – it was amazing watching them discover that they could roam and ramble and have adventures on their own. I used to say to them. &#8220;Go and play… and come back when you’re hungry&#8221;. This area is fantastic for its dark and star-studded night sky, the ancient woodlands and chalk streams, but also the accessibility to some lovely villages and towns.



Where do you get your inspiration from for your books? 



I don’t sit down and consciously plan what to write about. It’s as if the entire book pre-exists in the ether, before drifting down for me to write. With Eadie Browne, my son Felix was leaving for Uni and it jogged something in me – a real nostalgia for when I left home for Manchester in the late 1980s. I sat up in the loft with a box of old letters and photos recharging my memories about what it truly felt like during such a seismic period of my life. My character, Eadie Browne, lives in a fictitious Garden City – I became fascinated by the visionary ethos behind the Garden City movement when my kids got parts in Glyn Maxwell’s play, City of Tomorrow, which was commissioned to celebrate the centenary of Welwyn Garden City. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/Welwyn-Garden-City-Fountain-KHL-1000x667.jpg" alt="Welwyn-Garden-City-Fountain-KHL" class="wp-image-80544" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Welwyn Garden City</figcaption></figure>



Where do you write? 



I often write from the WGC Central Library at Campus West – I’m the one with the coffee saying ‘Shhh!!!!’ to all the chattery students! I love working from there, surrounded by books and friendly librarians. But once my novel is truly underway I could write in the middle of a traffic roundabout with a brass band playing and I wouldn’t notice, I’m in another world entirely.



What sets you up for the day?



My day starts early, by necessity as I have the horses to see to, the dogs to walk, the sheep to check. If I’m going to the library to work, a coffee from the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/hertscoffeelab/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Herts Coffee Lab</a>&nbsp;(oat, flat white – and, oh go one then, a cinnamon bun) sets me up perfectly.



<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/at-home-with-Nathan.jpg" alt="Freya North with her horse" class="wp-image-82495" style="aspect-ratio:1.4970059880239521;width:640px;height:auto" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Freya at home with her horse, Nathan</figcaption></figure>



Where do you go to get some ‘me-time’?&nbsp;



I go out on my road bike and have favourite circular routes from 20k – 70k. It’s so lovely riding through nearby villages. When I find a rhythm and my legs feel good, ideas for books flow beautifully. If I’m stuck with my writing, then going for a ride is precisely the change of scene that I need. Every Tuesday, I do ceramics in the evening with three pals. I’m not a particularly good ceramicist, but for me, it’s the process, working with clay – resting one side of my brain and firing up the other – and being in great company.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Freya-north-cycling-kit.jpg" alt="Freya North cycling" class="wp-image-82497" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Freya in her lycra, ready to hit the road!</figcaption></figure>



Where would you go for a lunch date with a friend?&nbsp;



Bike rides are only REAL bike rides if they involve a delicious pitstop! The <a href="http://westmilltearoom.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Westmill Tea Rooms</a> is one such place. I also love <a href="https://crumbsbakery.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Crumbs</a> in Watton-at-Stone where Maria, the owner, is legendary for her exquisite cakes and amazing bread. <a href="https://protoartisanbakery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Proto Artisan Bakery</a> in Ware is one of my favourite places to ‘grab and go’. However, for a more leisurely sit-down lunch, I like <a href="https://www.thecowperarmscolegreen.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Cowper Arms</a> in Letty Green – and if I’m poshing it up, the <a href="https://ivycollection.com/restaurants/the-ivy-st-albans-brasserie/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ivy Brasserie</a> in St Albans.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Crumbs-watton-at-stone.jpg" alt="crumbs watton-at-stone" class="wp-image-82500" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Crumbs is the perfect pit stop</figcaption></figure>



Where’s good near you for some retail therapy?&nbsp;



Well, retail therapy for me is buying things for my horses – whether it’s a snazzy diamante browband or luxurious rug (while my own Wellies have holes in them…!). If I am going to treat myself though, I love <a href="https://www.rubyroomlifestyle.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ruby Room</a> in Hertford. Of course, for me, the items I tend to buy most regularly are books – and we to have one of the best indie bookshops, <a href="https://www.davids-bookshops.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">David’s</a> in Letchworth, on our doorstep.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/01/Davids-bookshop.jpg" alt="David's bookshop letchworth" class="wp-image-82502" /></figure>



You’re going out for the evening – where’s your favourite place to go?



I don’t go out all that much, however, I’m really looking forward to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hertfordtheatre.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Hertford Theatre</a>&nbsp;reopening. It’s going to be truly fabulous and in the past I really enjoyed going to see plays films and bands there. The team are great – we worked together for events at the Hertford Children’s Book Festival and I’m really hoping we can do something similar when the venue reopens.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/herts/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/Hertford-Theatre-redevelopment-1.png" alt="Hertford theatre new development" class="wp-image-67184" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The planned Hertford Theatre redevelopment</figcaption></figure>



Freya’s new book, The Unfinished Business of Eadie Brown is available to <a href="https://freyanorth.com/">pre-order here</a>. She’ll be talking about it at Blackwell&#8217;s Bookshop in Oxford on Tue 13 Feb. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/freya-north-the-unfinished-business-of-eadie-brown-with-lucy-atkins-tickets-765303662857" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Click here to book</a>.

Muddy meets: bestselling author, Freya North

You may also like