Behind the scenes at Bramblewick
Bramblewick is a pretty little village, nestling on the North York Moors. Travel over the stone bridge which crosses the beck that runs down from the moors and alongside the village, and you’ll find beautiful cottages, an ancient church, and a variety of small businesses, including a teashop/bakery called Spill the Beans, where owner Nell will serve you the best pumpkin spice latte and your choice of delicious cake. There’s a busy pub called The Bay Horse, and you’ll also find the village medical practice, which is a branch surgery of the main practice in the local market town of Helmston. At the Bramblewick surgery, you’ll meet receptionists Anna and Holly, GPs Connor and Riley, and practice nurse, Rachel, who’s returned to the village and her family home of Folly Farm.
Bramblewick is surrounded by various moorland villages, such as Hasedale, Newarth, Moreton Cross, and Farthingdale, and it’s just a short drive to the coastal delights of Kearton Bay and Whitby. It’s also completely fictional, as are all the places I’ve just listed (except Whitby, obviously) but each one of them features in various books of mine, and Bramblewick is the main setting for six of them – New Doctor at Chestnut House, Christmas at the Country Practice, Fresh Starts at Folly Farm, A Merry Bramblewick Christmas, Summer at the Country Practice, and Christmas at Cuckoo Nest Cottage.
Bramblewick began life as an idea for a People’s Friend pocket novel. I’d already been lucky enough to have one published - All Because of Baxter (later reworked and published by me as Baxter’s Christmas Wish) - and wanted to see if I could strike it lucky twice. My idea was for a new doctor to arrive in a moorland village, and how his ways would impact the staff of the surgery and the villagers.
At the time of writing what was then called The Doctor’s Daughter, I was working in a doctor’s surgery myself, so had a good idea of what went on behind the scenes. It was all very useful when it came to filling in the details of the staff’s working day, although the surgery I worked at was far, far bigger and busier than the one at Bramblewick.
Bramblewick itself got its name when I spotted a business in Robin Hood’s Bay by that name. I thought it sounded really cute, and then I discovered it was the name given to a fictionalised version of Robin Hood’s Bay by the novelist Leo Walmsley.
It started as the village where Dr Flynn Pennington-Rhys of the Kearton Bay novels used to work and live, before moving to the Bay, and at the time I planned only to use it for a brief visit by Flynn and Rose in A Kiss from a Rose. But the idea of this pretty village kept nagging at me, until eventually I decided to make it the star of my pocket novel.
The People’s Friend accepted the story and it was published under the title, Surrender to Love. Later, I published it myself as New Doctor at Chestnut House, then Ulverscroft published it in large print format under its original title The Doctor’s Daughter. Quite a lot of titles and covers for my little book, but the story remained essentially the same. What would happen when a new GP arrived in a country village to start work at a small practice where everyone expected things to be done in a certain way? And how would Dr Connor Blake feel, working in the very surgery where the daughter of his late, much-loved predecessor is his receptionist? Especially when he’s now moved into her old home, too!
I thought that was that, but Bramblewick kept nudging me, and I knew there was potential for a sequel. Later that same year, I wrote and published Christmas at the Country Practice - the story of cafe owner and baker, Nell, and her unrequited love for gorgeous new Highlander GP, Riley MacDonald. It did so well it amazed me, and until very recently, it was my highest charting book. Only Snowflakes and Surprises in Tuppenny Bridge has climbed higher!
After that, the ideas came thick and fast: a disillusioned actor and a traumatised practice nurse, learning to heal themselves and each other by rescuing and caring for animals; two teachers thrown together while staging the school Christmas play, but with one big issue that could tear them apart forever; GP Abbie and teacher Jackson, who couldn’t be more different, yet find that working on Abbie’s home together over the summer makes them realise it’s not only houses that need tender loving care; and poor, confused Holly who’s losing a battle she didn’t even know she was fighting, until newcomer Lewis gives her the clarity she so desperately needs.
Over the course of three years I wrote and published a total of six Bramblewick books. The first four were also published in large print by Ulverscroft. Unfortunately, the final two in the series were too long for them so they’re not available in that format, which is a shame.
Bramblewick continues to be one of my most popular series, and it always amazes me when I think of its humble beginnings and how it started off as a simple idea because I wanted to see if I could get a second pocket novel published. I totally fell in love with Bramblewick, and it seems readers did too. It just shows you that you can never tell what will prove to be a hit!
The Bramblewick books are all available in Kindle Unlimited, including a six book collection, and they’re available in paperback, too. Visit my series page for more information. Happy reading!
