Our first fiction event as part of the Birlinn Virtual Book Festival took place on Thurs 7th May to celebrate the launch of Jenny Lecoat‘s stunning debut novel Hedy’s War.

We were thrilled to host the launch in partnership with the lovely team at Jersey Festival of Words. The event was also part of Jersey’s Liberation 75 celebrations which mark the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of the Channel Islands.

If you missed it, you can still watch the exclusive video below of Jenny Lecoat in conversation with Simon MacDonald from the Jersey Festival of Words, followed by a short sample of the Twitter Q&A that took place during the launch.

Polygon: What do you hope readers will take away from Hedy’s War?
I hope it will give them a fresh perspective on a part of British history they perhaps didn’t know too much about.

Polygon: Did you feel restricted by the existing historical material when writing?
I tried to use the known facts of the story, in combination with my own research on the Occupation, plus imagination to fill in the gaps.

Polygon: Are there any fiction writers that inspired or influenced your writing?
Always try to be original of course, but read Anna Hope’s ‘Wake’ a couple of years ago and realised that simplicity and emotion is what makes a good story.

Polygon: Are there any specific books that you took inspiration from or that you found informative when writing Hedy’s War?
Honestly, mainly a lot of history books about the Occupation. Dr Gilly Carr and Paul Sanders are particular experts in this field.