by Deborah Carr
I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I’ve loved writing them.
Thank you,
Deborah
Acknowledgements
To the entire team at HarperCollins/One More Chapter who help make the experience of writing a book a very special one. I’d especially like to thank Charlotte Ledger, Editorial Director and huge supporter of her authors, I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to be one of them. It was Charlotte’s idea that I write the Mrs Boots series inspired by Florence Boot and her incredible life, and I’m forever grateful that she did.
Being able to work with a brilliant editor can make all the difference to a book. I was lucky enough to write Mrs Boots and Mrs Boot of Pelham Street with the help of the brilliant, hard-working Emily Ruston. These books would not be the books they are now without her support and wonderful suggestions.
I’d also like to thank my copyeditor, Lydia Mason; proofreader, Tony Russell; and Bethan Morgan, Assistant Editor, for all their hard work.
Thanks also to my agent Kate Nash for sending me copies of the various censuses mentioning Boots family members.
I’m delighted to have met Allison Barrington, Florence and Jesse Boot’s great-granddaughter and Dorothy Boot’s grand-daughter while researching these books. Allison, together with her daughter, Heidi Lewis, and granddaughter, Lara Lewis, have been very kind meeting me, sharing their personal photos of Florence and Jesse, and private family anecdotes. Even if I am unable to use all of them in the books, they have helped me visualise Florence and Jesse’s life together so much better.
Thanks to Claire Fenby, Digital Marketing and Publicity Assistant at One More Chapter, for accompanying me to the Boots Archive last April and helping make the day so enjoyable and memorable.
At the Boots Nottingham Archive, I had an unforgettable day being surrounded by many fascinating documents. I read letters written by Florence to her Dear Girls, saw silk scrolls that she had made to gift to her female employees, and so much more. For this I must thank Sophie Clapp and Judith Wright, Boots Archivists, for their wonderful welcome and hard work arranging everything that day.
I’d also like to thank Michele Leerson at Jersey Archive for connecting me to Allison Barrington and her family and for helping me with research about Florence’s life. Also, Toni Wolstenholme, Linda Romeril, and Stuart Nicolle from the Jersey Archive for their assistance with my research.
I wouldn’t have the amount of free time I enjoy now to focus on my writing without my biggest supporter, my wonderful husband, Robert.
I’d also like to thank my son James, who, as well as the rest of my extended family, allows me to regale new stories about Florence’s fascinating life as I find them.
Also, to my fellow Blonde Plotters, Kelly Clayton and Gwyn Garfield-Bennett, two great friends who are always there to encourage me.
Finally, to you, dear reader. Thank you for choosing to read Mrs Boots of Pelham Street. I hope you enjoy getting to know more about Florence and Jesse’s lives as much as I did.
About the Author
Deborah Carr lives on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands with her husband, two children, and three rescue dogs. She became interested in books set in WW1 when researching her grandfather’s time as a cavalryman in the 17th 21st Lancers.
She is part of ‘The Blonde Plotters’ writing group and was Deputy Editor on the online review site, Novelicious.com. Her debut historical romance, Broken Faces, is set in WW1 and was runner-up in the 2012 Good Housekeeping Novel Writing Competition and given a ‘special commendation’ in the Harry Bowling Prize that year. The Poppy Field is her second historical novel and a USA Today bestseller.
@DebsCarr
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deborahcarr.org
Also by Deborah Carr
The Mrs Boots Series
Mrs Boots
Standalones
The Poppy Field
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