Angela Locke

Angela Locke was born in Suffolk but now lives in the Lake District in the North of England, close to the Scottish borders, looking out at the Cumbrian fells. Here she writes, and teaches Creative Writing and organises Maryport Literary Festival.

Angela also runs international Writing Retreats on the Isle of Iona and at Rydal Hall in the Lake District. Many of Angela’s books feature the Lake District, including her latest novel ‘Dreams of the Blue Poppy’ which begins in Cumbria and moves to the wilds of Tibet.

Her latest travel book ‘On Juniper Mountain’ about trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas, details the life-changing experiences which led her to found The Juniper Trust, an education and health charity which now works across the world. Her latest novel, ‘Tamarisk: Love and War in France’ is due for publication on May 31st 2024. It is a departure from the Lake District and is set in France during and after WW2. It has taken her 43 years to write, with extensive research. Angela has spent a great deal of time in France which she loves, and where she used to have a house in Normandy. The book is based on extensive interviews and research in the UK and France.

The theme of the destruction and dislocation of war and how healing may come after is very relevant at the moment. The cover is particularly striking, with a b/w picture of the Normandy beaches draped in barbed wire, and the intense colour of the flowering Tamarisk bush set in the side of the front cover.

The Tamarisk is notable for its ability to survive destruction, fire and of course war. It grows close to the Normandy beaches, where the farm ‘Le Tamaris’, the setting for much of the book, is situated. Publication will be one week before the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings on June 6th, which also feature in the book, as does the important work of the Resistance beforehand.