How My Love of Vintage Inspires my Writing
For as long as I can remember I have been passionate about vintage.
As a young girl, this was sometimes more out of necessity because of lack of funds, than a desire to be environmentally mindful, but on other occasions my enthusiasm was the result falling in love with something which had already served a purpose or been cherished by someone long before me.
Of course, when I was growing up in the eighties, wandering around car boot sales and local auction houses looking for treasures, the term vintage hadn’t even been coined. Things were second-hand, damaged, redundant and sometimes, knackered. But as far as I was concerned, that didn’t matter. If I set my sights on something, I had to have it and I would take it to my heart as if it had cost a king’s ransom rather than a couple of quid.
Early finds included a Victorian postcard album, complete with cards, tiny embroidered brooches, books (of course) battered, poetry mostly and all hardbacks and a still boxed Conway Stewart pen with the paperwork still inside.
My mum was, and still is, always on the lookout for larger pieces. She’s never happier than when she’s sanding off layers of varnish and applying a layer of beeswax to a piece of furniture. I still have the beautiful washstand she gave a new lease of to, only now it is in my sitting room rather than my bedroom. And there’s also a tiny wooden chair which my nan used to sit on to bath my mum and her brothers and sister when they were babies. There’s no way I would ever part with that! It’s had a fresh lick of paint and a cushion knitted by Mum, sits on the seat. It’s far too small to be practical, but it’s part of our history.
Those early experiences of seeking out something special and subsequently appreciating the history behind them, has stayed with me into adulthood and I still get a buzz when I spot something out of the ordinary, or indeed something which fascinates me but has been overlooked by someone else.
This year, I have taken my so-called treasure hunts to the next level as I’ve tried not to buy anything new for the house. Surely the world must be full of enough ‘stuff’ by now to keep re-using and re-purposing a lot of it, right? So, when my daughter accidentally broke the gravy boat, I went to the village charity shop and found an old Ironstone beauty, featuring a pretty pastoral scene for less than £1. It’s much more attractive than the plain white one we had before and I’m fascinated to think of all the meals it has been used for, all the Christmases and Sunday roasts it has enjoyed.
I also have a lovely collection of little glazed jugs, various mugs, all manner of kitchenware, more books, paintings and trinket pots which all have a story behind them, some of which I know (there was the lady who sold me her rose embellished hostess/tea trolley and told me how her daughter used to love playing café’s with it) and some I don’t, but can well imagine.
But how does that inspire my writing? Does it actually translate into my writing?
Yes, as it turns out, it does, and to more of an extent than I realised when I took up the offer to write this post.
Thinking back over the nine books I have had published so far, they all to some extent feature a love of vintage and a make do and mend ethos. In my very first book, The Cherry Tree Café, both Lizzie and Jemma are working to a tight budget to launch their dream. The café tables and chairs are the all second-hand and Lizzie has little that is brand new in her flat. Some of her most treasured things once belonged to her grandmother.
In Summer at Skylark Farm, an entire bungalow is decorated using items from the fifties in a very Larkin style. Coming Home to Cuckoo Cottage is all about creating a business out of vintage caravans and in some of the books my very own treasures not only inspire, they also feature.
In Sleigh Rides and Silver Bells there’s an important scene which involves the ownership of beloved Wynthorpe Hall. It is no coincidence that the pen used to sign some extremely important paperwork is very much like my own Conway Stewart stunner and in my current release, The Christmas Wish List, Dolly’s little cottage in Wynbridge is packed full of things she has spent a lifetime collecting. Many of my plots are not only packed full of ‘vintage’ things I now realise, but also items which have been handed down or along from one person to the next.
As you may have realised, I am in no way what you could call a materialistic person. The latest designer bag or top of the range car holds absolutely no charm for me, however I do have a deeply ingrained passion for the emotional value of everyday things, whether that might be an old pen, a gravy boat or a hastily written postcard. And, as writing this post has made me realise, somewhere along the line, those much-loved bits and pieces have found a way of cropping up in my writing. They might have a huge role to play, or they might be quietly sitting in the background, but one thing you can be certain of, is that they will always be there.
—
Heidi Swain Author Bio
Although passionate about writing from an early age, Heidi Swain gained a degree in Literature, flirted briefly with a newspaper career, married and had two children before she plucked up the courage to join a creative writing class and take her literary ambitions seriously.
A lover of vintage paraphernalia and the odd bottle of fizz, she now writes feel good fiction with heart for Simon and Schuster.
Her debut novel, The Chery Tree Café was published in July 2015 and since then she has had a further eight books published, becoming a Sunday Times Bestseller in 2017. She is currently celebrating the release of her 2019 Christmas title, The Christmas Wish List, while working on The Secret Seaside Escape which will publish in 2020.
Heidi is represented by Amanda Preston and lives in Norfolk with her family and a mischievous cat called Storm.
Find out more about her:
Website: http://www.heidiswain.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Heidi_Swain
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriterHeidiJoSwain?ref=hl
The Christmas Wish List
After being let go from her job in a swanky hotel just weeks before Christmas, Hattie is feeling lost. Even more so when her high-flying boyfriend announces he’s landed his dream job in Abu Dhabi and asks her to move with him. Luckily, Hattie’s long-time friend Dolly is on hand to help and invites Hattie to spend one last holiday in the small, festive town of Wynbridge, determined to give her a Christmas to remember . . .
Upon Hattie’s arrival, holiday preparations are in full swing. But for Hattie, whose Christmas cheer has long since run out, it’ll take more than mince pies and mistletoe to open her heart to the season once more. Relishing the task of reigniting Hattie’s Christmas spirit, Dolly suggests they create a wish list of all the things the season can offer, and with the helpful hands of Wynbridge’s resident handyman, Beamish, Hattie finds her frosty exterior is starting to thaw.
As Wynbridge prepares for its most spectacular Christmas yet, will Hattie leave snowy England behind for life in a sunnier clime, or will she in fact realise that her heart’s desire lies much closer to home?
Buying link to Amazon
Category: On Writing
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
