Kate Lord Brown conjures the Devon countryside through the eyes of an American soldier.
Every summer has its winter, every spring must have its fall. Knowing that this – this perfect Saturday would soon be gone only made it sweeter. The past, and home, were too hard to think about; the future an unknown. Staff Sergeant Salinger walked alone through the wide Devon fields of wheat beside the Exe from his billet on the hill at Howden House, the acid green spring grass rain fresh beneath a charcoal sky. It would rain again in a moment, no doubt about it – but for now the trees were singing, blackbirds heralding the day. The fields undulated, a live rich pelt beneath the hand of the wind. Even the air was sweet. New arrivals found themselves sleep drugged for days like Tennyson’s lotus eaters.
Kate Lord Brown’s latest novel is The Golden Hour. She holds a MA Dist from the Manchester Writing School. Her work is published in nine languages, and the books are bestsellers in the UK, Canada, and several European countries. After many years overseas, Kate returned to the wild and beautiful south-west of England, where she grew up. J D Salinger’s ‘Esme’ is set in her home town, where he was posted during WW2.
Follow her on @katelordbrown
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