Interview with Kathleen McGurl on the release of 'The Girl From Bletchley Park'!
Interview with Kathleen McGurl: The Girl From Bletchley Park
Released on Nov 3, 2021!
What inspired you to write your latest timeslip novel The Girl From Bletchley Park?
I’ve always been interested in the story of Bletchley Park and I’d picked up a couple of discounted books about it and the people who worked there. And in our loft we have a couple of old Box Brownie cameras – I think one was my mum’s and not sure where the other one came from. One day I was idly thinking, what if there was an undeveloped film in one of them? And what if when developed it hinted at long held family secrets? Those were the starting points for this book!
Could you please give us an overview and/or the themes present in this story?
The historical story follows 18 year old Pam, who in 1943 defers her place at Oxford university to take up a job at Bletchley Park, on the code-breaking operation. She meets two young men who both fall in love with her, but one of them is harbouring secrets. In the present day, Pam’s granddaughter Julia is struggling to keep running her business while her husband grows more and more distant and her teenage sons aren’t helping much. When she comes across photos that imply her grandmother worked at Bletchley Park it’s just the distraction she needs from her busy life.
The themes are betrayal, computing, women working in a man’s world, female empowerment. Sometimes choosing to do less is just as empowering as ‘having it all’.
What resources did you find most useful in your research for the historical thread of The Girl From Bletchley Park?
I think Tessa Dunlop’s book The Bletchley Girls was the most useful. The author interviewed surviving women who’d worked at Bletchley in various capacities and told their stories. Hearing at first-hand about what their day-to-day life was like there – the social events, the billets they stayed at, the daily work – was invaluable.
What were some of the challenges you faced with COVID-19 restrictions while writing The Girl from Bletchley Park?
Covid really got in the way. I wanted very much to take a trip to Bletchley Park and the Museum of Computing on the same site. But they were closed for much of the time while I was writing this book and I was unable to visit. So I had to rely on books and the internet to describe what it’s like there now.
Which character did you most relate to and which one was your hardest challenge?
I related a lot to Julia, working in the IT industry, building computer systems for retailers. I worked in IT for 30 years for a retail company! However, I never ran my own business as Julia does, and so writing this part of the book was also the hardest challenge.
What surprising fact(s) did you learn about Bletchley Park?
I found it fascinating that there was a well-established social life amongst the many people who worked there. They held dances and dancing lessons. They ice-skated on the lake when it froze over. They put on several plays and concerts. There was a chess club and lots more. I suppose I’d thought they would work their shifts then go back to their billets, and any social life would be external to Bletchley Park but that wasn’t the case at all.
Speak about the status of women in the 1940’s: including the jobs and education available to them?
I think we take for granted now that women can go to university, get a degree, and do any job a man does. But it was certainly much harder in the 1940s. Only a handful of Oxford colleges accepted women – I had Pam apply to Somerville which was women-only at that time. The war opened up jobs available to women – with men away fighting, women had to take on many more roles. Of course, they were reluctant to stop doing them when the war was over, as they’d proved they could do them just as well as men!
The search for truth is always a part of your characters’ journeys. Can you share a little of Pamela’s and Julia’s quests?
That’s a tricky question to answer without giving away spoilers! Julia is trying to find out more about her grandmother’s role at Bletchley Park, but also needs to uncover the secrets her husband and business partner are hiding from her. Pam needs to find out whether the man she loves is everything he appears to be, or not.
Many of us love to research our ancestors: who they became, their obstacles, their accomplishments. Do you think it helped Julia to gather this information to know who she is? If so, in what way has it helped her to make decisions and deal with her current problems?
Yes, I think it did help and inspire her. Knowing her grandmother had taken on such an important role during the war and yet had kept it secret all her life, helped Julia realise she could also be her own woman and take some difficult decisions that changed her life completely.
You dedicated your current book to all the health care workers who have kept us going throughout the pandemic. So, this question may be an easy one. If you had the power to cure a disease of your choosing, what would it be?
Ah you’ve set it up nicely for me! A couple of years ago I’d have said cancer. But now I’m going to say Covid, so we can all get back to living a full and free life again.
What work of fiction have you recently read that moved you deeply and has been added to your favourites list?
I absolutely loved Gill Paul’s latest book, The Collector’s Daughter. It’s dual timeline, and tells the story of Lady Evelyn Herbert, who is among the first people to enter Tutankhamun’s tomb. Oh wow. If I’d thought of that as a topic for a novel I’d have given it a go, but I couldn’t have written a book as beautiful as Gill’s. I highly recommend it!
During writing sessions many authors find that certain foods help them over the humps and energise them. What three comfort foods do you turn to when you need a pick-me-up?
Just chocolate! And then more chocolate, followed by chocolate.
What is a typical writing day for Kathleen McGurl? Do you follow a certain ritual? Do you have any physical activities that get your creative juices flowing?
I don’t really have set times to write. I tend to have a slow start in the morning, and then do non-writing jobs or activities. Often I won’t sit down to write until about 3pm, and I’ll try to write 1500 words before dinner. If I start writing earlier I’ll easily faff the day away on social media – it works better for me to start later and have a limited time to achieve the same word count. If I’m feeling stuck, going out for a run (well, to be honest it’s more of a shuffle) helps.
What is your favourite quote (humorous or serious) at the moment?
I’m looking at a small wall plaque a friend made for me, that says “Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel”.
What beloved location connected to a book or author do you like to visit in the UK for quiet contemplation and inspiration? What makes it special to you?
I adore the Lake District. I suspect I have said that before! It’s associated with so many writers, from Beatrix Potter and Arthur C Ransome to the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge. I am at my happiest walking up a Lake District fell, and if you’ve read my book The Drowned Village you’ll know what being there has inspired!
Are you working on any new project that you can share a little about with your readers?
I’ve got two novels on the go at the moment. One’s in the editing process, and is based in the town where I live that was a hotbed of smuggling in the eighteenth century. The other I have written about a third of, is set in Dublin, 1916, so back to some Irish revolutionary history like my book The Forgotten Secret. Both should be published in 2022.
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Thanks Kathleen for being a guest on my website! We wish you much success on your newest release!
Drop by Kathleen McGurl’s website for more information on her writing and books.
