Apparently in square mileage terms England is the size of Louisiana. Does that help my American friends visualise how big England is? Whether or not this fact about Louisiana is true it certainly reinforces one thing – everything that you find in England is in a very small space! Also our entire country is only as big as a single American state.

I live in the centre of England. It takes five hours or so to drive to the Lizard (The very bottom left point) and probably a similar amount of time to drive up the country to the border with Scotland in the North.

Within an hour of leaving my house I can hit London, Windsor Castle, Pinewood Studios (where they filmed Harry Potter and film James Bond) Stratford Upon Avon, Banbury… Within two I can be near Stonehenge or the sea. Within three I can be into Wales, or down to Dover and Battle (where the Battle of Hastings took place), or up into the Peak District and even Yorkshire.

We literally trip over history every time we step out of our door. My town is connected to the Civil War, Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn, the 7/7 bombings and it was where certain scenes in the Clockwork Orange were filmed. There are castles and manor houses within a slow Sunday drive and I think as a people we don’t appreciate what is outside our door.

My book, The Gallows Tree, is set in a very real village near me, and part of the authenticity of the story was actually to walk the same paths that Cody and Seb would have walked. I have an image in my head of the exact place that Cody saw the horse and the lovers and I have seen Seb’s manor house that he shares with his brothers…

I would love to share it with you too.

RJ XXXX

The Gallows Tree is available from Silver Publishing and all other ebook outlets.

https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/28/typefilter/book_authors/

My website is www.rjscott.co.uk and I love to hear from readers rj@rjscott.co.uk

Gallows Tree:

Cody Garret arrives in England to restore Mill Cottage, but he’s actually come to heal. What he doesn’t count on are Sebastian Toulson-Brown and the destinies woven into the story of the mill, including the sycamore trees that surround it.

Cody Garret is only just finding his way after an abusive relationship ended with his ex in prison. Coming to England to restore Mill Cottage is his way of running so he has time to heal. His goal is simple—hire a company to help make the mill cottage saleable then go back to the States.

What he doesn’t count on is meeting Sebastian Toulson-Brown, the brother of his contractor and the man who may be able to show him he can stop running.

But first Cody and Sebastian must deal with the ghosts of lost loves and the destinies that are woven into the story of the mill and the sycamore trees that stand on its land, one of which might be the gallows tree.