Theresa Howes
AUTHOR

Theresa Howes

Literature & Fiction
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Theresa Howes grew up in Shropshire and has a background as an actor. Her historical fiction has been long-listed for the Mslexia Novel Award, The Bath Novel Award, The Caledonia Novel Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. She lives in London with her husband and Claude, a larger than average cat. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys seeing how many more plants she can cram into her tiny London garden, walking, and putting the world to rights over a gin and tonic. Her debut novel, THE SECRETS WE KEEP was published in November 2022. Her second novel, THE FRENCH AFFAIR was published on 7th December 2023. Her third novel is scheduled to be published January 2025. You can find Theresa on Twitter under the handle @howes_theresa The Inspiration Behind My Novels THE SECRETS WE KEEP Stories form over time and in all sorts of ways. It was my love of early twentieth century art and my interest in the lives of the artists and writers who made their homes in the South of France that initially inspired the location for THE SECRETS WE KEEP. Like so many visitors who went before me, I was seduced by the landscape and the weather; not only the blue summer skies and the nurturing heat, but the springtime snow and the relentless winds. Whatever you think about the Cote d’Azur, it will always surprise you. The more I explored the small coastal towns, the more I began to wonder about the history that isn’t so obvious today. Think of the South of France and you probably think of Picasso and Matisse, Brigitte Bardot and the Cannes Film Festival. But what else is there? The war memorial in Nice, carved into the rock face, overlooking the sea, dedicated to the people lost in both world wars made me consider the darker history that lay beneath the sunshine and the glamour. It wasn’t until I started digging deeper into the history of the places I visited that I learned the Cote d’Azur had suffered under enemy occupation during World War II. This started me thinking about the challenges faced by the people living in a place known for its natural beauty, culture and high life, who were suddenly forced to endure the daily cruelties of war. It wasn’t the rich and famous who concerned me, because many of those had the means to escape. It was the ordinary people, living ordinary lives who interested me; the ones who had no choice but to dig in and fight, using whatever means they could. This was the starting point for my story; people like you and me, battling to survive dire circumstances. Slowly, the character of Marguerite began to emerge; an unknown artist escaping her past and living a quiet life, employing whatever skills she had to fight the war. And then came Etienne, a priest; his life dictated by his duty to God, welcoming the enemy into his church, because it wasn’t his place to refuse them. It was the secrets these characters kept hidden that caught my imagination; the subterfuges they would be driven to employ, not only to survive but to defeat the enemy. When no one is who they seem, who can you trust? And is it possible to find happiness in the midst of the terror? What would my characters be prepared to do to protect those they loved? What risks were they prepared to take? And what would they sacrifice to win the war? It was the answers to these questions, inspired by the impossible choices real people were forced to make, that gave me the inspiration for Marguerite and Etienne’s story. Ultimately, this work of fiction is a tribute to the people who stood up to tyranny during World War II and to the sacrifices they made. I am in awe of their courage and grateful for the following decades of peace and stability that was their enduring gift to us. THE FRENCH AFFAIR Wars are fought and won on many fronts and in any number of ways. When I came to write THE FRENCH AFFAIR I wanted to consider once again the roles women played in World War II. Perhaps the biggest asset women had was the way they were, and often continue to be, underestimated by men. This idea was the starting point for the development of my characters. It wouldn’t be difficult for a female agent to present herself as a bored wife, embarking on an affair with a senior civil servant, while her husband was away reporting on the war. Her victim had to be a man vain enough and naive enough to think she wanted him simply for himself and not for his secrets. In France, no one would suspect that the suitcase carried by a girl, dressed in a school uniform, contained wireless equipment, or that the girl in question had the intelligence and courage to transmit messages to her spy masters in Britain from enemy occupied territory. And who would suspect a travelling hairdresser, clipping along in high heels and a tight skirt, of being a messenger for the Resistance? Writing this from my comfortable armchair, I can only imagine the courage of the women who carried out similar tasks, and remain forever in awe of them. Their bravery is even more inspiring when you consider this kind of covert work was still in its early days. This was a completely new kind of warfare, where lessons were learned on the job, because nobody really knew how to prepare agents for the field. Women and men were sent into enemy occupied territory not knowing what they might encounter, relying on their wits to survive and the training that might or might not prove useful. It was this that led me to consider how a woman, wholly unprepared to work as an assassin, would set about fulfilling her mission without laying herself open to suspicion. Then I considered the risks, the lying and the subterfuge that are a consequence of any murder, and the toll it takes on the perpetrator, which brings us back to the personal sacrifices that were made by so many people to win the war. THE FRENCH AFFAIR is a work of fiction. I’ve taken the history of the war and the locations, and used them as a jumping off point for my imagination. I have, however, tried to remain true to the spirit of the times and the places in which the story takes place. This novel is my tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives and lost loved ones during the battle to win the freedoms we enjoy today.
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