In Darkest Night, detective Gaby Darin focuses on a case along West Shore
SETTING THE SCENE Jenny O’Brien has used North Wales as the backdrop for her popular crime fiction series. Here she explains how she views the region through an author’s lens…
Wales has a long history of storytelling, which goes back centuries. From folk tales told around the fire to the poetry of Dylan Thomas and Hedd Wyn. Even Roald Dahl, from strong Norwegian roots, hailed from Cardiff. But with such a diverse landscape and culture, it’s hardly surprising that Welsh writers excel in their craft. Wales: the country that has everything to inspire. Sea and mountains. Coalfields and caves. Cities and slate mines. A veritable breeding ground of inspiration for the budding wordsmith. There is only one problem. I’m not Welsh. Actually, that’s not quite true. With a great grandmother
‘Lost Souls’ sees the return of detective Gaby Darin as 10-yearold Ellie Fry goes missing from her home in Colwyn Bay
that hailed from Pembroke Dock, I am reliably informed, via a quick Google search, that I am an eighth Welsh. However, this small percentage is important not least because it is the
One of my first memories is of sitting on Llandudno beach,
reason for my long association with the country.
my trusty red bucket in one hand and my blue spade in the
CONWY HAS ALWAYS FASCINATED ME. THE MIXTURE OF EDWARD 1’S CASTLE TOWERING OVER THE MEDIEVAL WALLED TOWN WITH THE RIVER IN THE BACKGROUND. THE ARTISAN SHOPS, CAFÉS AND BAKERIES STRADDLING THE STREETS. THE CASTLE IS A REAL JEWEL IN WALES’S CROWN
other. We started visiting when I was a baby and continued the tradition right up to when my parents moved from Dublin to North Wales full time when I was seventeen. In those days, I was more interested in the action in the amusement arcade that bracketed the pier than in the culture and scenery: the lens of a teenager is very different to that of an adult. Conwy has always fascinated me. The mixture of Edward 1’s castle towering over the medieval walled town with the river in the background. The artisan shops, cafés and bakeries straddling the streets. The castle is a real jewel in Wales’s crown. The perfect size for a wander before strolling down to the shops for a browse, closely followed by a meal in one of the many bars and restaurants. But there is far more to this perfect little town than fabulous scenery and epicurean delights.
NWM 2021 Page 11
