Take a Step Back in Time by Victoria Chatham

This month's question is: If the time machine were invented today, when would you want to visit and why? I had to think about this quite a bit because, although I write Regency romance, I would love to spend some time in the Edwardian era if I could spend that time as an upper-class lady. Take a look at How to Dress an Edwardian Lady here. If I had nothing else to do, I can just imagine taking the greatest pleasure in dressing up. But, just to give you a bit of a background, here is how the two eras came to be. 

Like the Regency, the Edwardian era was technically a relatively short period, the former spanning the years from 1811 to 1820, the latter the years 1901 to 1910, each being allied to the monarch of the time.

In 1811 King George III was considered unfit to rule and his son the Prince of Wales, became the Prince Regent. When his father died in 1820, he ascended the throne and ruled as George IV, followed by William IV and then Queen Victoria. On her death in 1901, her son Edward came to the throne as Edward VII until his death in 1910. The eras, however, tended to evolve and end a few years before and after the actual reigns of the monarchs who lent them their names so, for many, the Edwardian era was not considered at an end until the start of World War 1.

Television shows like Upstairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey solidified my interest in the clothes of the Edwardian era. Series like The Edwardian Country House and movies like Somewhere in Time starring the late Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, showed off the ladies’ costumes beautifully, especially their hats. The era of La Belle Epoque highlighted the balance, poise, and elegance of the super-rich who could afford to live the luxurious high life. The fabrics and styles leant themselves to the use of silks and satin for soft, feminine fashions with flowing skirts, ruffles and lots of lace. Fake fruit, fur, and feathers often decorated the wide-brimmed picture, or Merry Widow, hats held in place by a long hat-pin and it’s those hats that I envy the most. Take a look at the image on the cover of Envy the Wind and you will see what I mean. How pretty and feminine is this.

AVAILABLE HERE

For more about Anita Davison go here.

For more about Victoria Chatham go here.

What I Would Change by Anita Davison

One thing I would change which might have altered how things went in my life, is that I would have listened to those voices of my childhood that said I could, and should write. It wasn't a crowd of enthusiastic teachers and mentors, but the one or two spontaneous remarks I could sense were genuine. [My schoolteachers barely knew I existed – when I achieved top marks in an English Language exam, my teacher said, ‘Well that was a surprise’]

I should have asked those early voices why they thought so, or even how I could go about becoming a writer –  but I was brought up in an atmosphere of blending in, never drawing attention to yourself and where the words ‘not for the likes of us.’ still ring down the years.

It might sound like a cop out to say, ‘no one showed me how to do it’ but that’s how it was to feel something is achievable for others but not for me. I didn’t have much of a sense of self-worth, so I didn’t reach for the stars, only the nearest thing. The thought of ‘what if’ was always there, but I had no idea how to turn a spark of ambition that never quite grew into a flame, into a reality.

This was, of course, in the pre-internet days when libraries were sanctums of yellow-paged hardbacks and indexed file cards guarded by stern matrons who believed silence must be maintained at all costs, especially against questions from schoolgirls – so where to start? No, I didn't live in medieval times but compared to today it might seem like it.

So I floundered, toyed, and touched the surface ever so lightly, but never jumped in.

I began writing late and purely to please myself and slowly learned during a process of criticism, editing and reading, that writing is a craft which begins with some talent, but can be acquired and needs to be honed by practice, reading, editing and more practice.

The more I write, the more I realise there is so much more I don’t know about writing – or even what good writing actually is. It's  also not how technically perfect you can turn out a piece of prose; it’s about how you communicate feelings and experiences in a unique voice with which readers can connect.

Photographs of youthful, bright eyed young women bringing out chart-topping novels are everywhere, and although thrilled for them – and I truly am - I cannot help a stir of envy of the many years they have ahead of them to write, inspire and be inspired as their careers and reputations grow.

Or maybe it was meant to take this long to find out these things, that I’m simply a [very] late developer? In which case – regret is pointless.

Envy the Wind - A story about Prince Edward Island in 1905

Scheduled for release Summer 2018

The Woulfes of Loxsbeare Series

Anita's Contacts

BLOG: http://thedisorganisedauthor.blogspot.co.uk  
FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/anita.davison     TWITTER: @AnitaSDavison

A Holiday Recipe by Anita Davison

The winter holiday season in England begins after Bonfire Night on November 5th when thoughts turn to Christmas food.

A majority of my family don't like Christmas pudding, so I came up with this alternative which has become something of a tradition. It's made by the melting method, thus the mixture is thin and warm when it goes into the tin. If you are not accustomed to this it might seem strange but it works perfectly and shouldn't be baked in too hot an oven to prevent the top going crusty. Soft and moist is the byword for this cake which is almost a pudding.

Sticky Ginger Cake

Ingredients

225g Self Raising Flour
115g Butter
115g Light Muscovado Sugar
115g Black Treacle
115g Golden Syrup
250ml Semi skimmed Milk
1 large egg
25g cornflour
85g stem ginger - chopped
85g fresh ginger - peeled and finely grated
1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder [7g]
18cm diameter deep cake tin with base and sides lined with greaseproof paper -
this prevents not only sticking but keeps a soft surface to the cake.


Method:

1.   Combine flour, cornflour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon together
2.   Melt butter and brown sugar, syrup, treacle and milk together in a saucepan
      until smooth and warm but not hot.
3.   Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the liquid mix until smooth
4.   Fold in the beaten egg
5.   Pour mixture into cake tin
6.   Bake for 50 min - 1 hour at 160 Deg in a fan oven [170 Deg non-fan]
7.  When cool, decorate by dribbling thin royal icing mixture over the top and sprinkle with chopped
stem ginger.

This cake is great served warm with whipped cream as a dessert, but also superb cold with coffee.
The longer it's kept in an airtight tin, the more moist and sticky it becomes. Not that it's ever lasted more than 48 hours in my family, so I cannot confirm that statement.

Envy the Wind - A story about Prince Edward Island in 1905

Scheduled for release Summer 2018

The Woulfes of Loxsbeare Series

The Ghost Ship of Prince Edward Island by Anita Davison

Whilst doing research of the island for Envy The Wind, I came across a ghost story about a ship which has appeared since 1768 in the Northumberland Strait  the stretch of water which separates Prince Edward Island from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

This ghost ship doesn’t have a name, but is described as having ‘crisp white sails and a black shiny hull’ that are completely engulfed in flames. She is not always sighted in the same place or a specific time, although more often between September and November whe she is believed to be the forewarning of a north easterly storm.

The ship appears so real, that on occasion attempts have been made to rescue the crew. One of these occurred in Charlottetown Harbour around 1900, when a group of sailors reported they could see members of the crew running back and forth to avoid the flames. The sailors took out a rowboat and raced toward the ship which disappeared before they reached it. A thorough search was carried out by divers, but no shipwreck was found.

On occasion,  a large number of people witnessed the ship's appearance simultaneously, all saying it  was moving fast, even on nights when there was no wind. One sighting was described as follows: [paraphrased]

As it came nearer it seemed to lose speed and stopped opposite our house. We got up on the banks to watch but there was no sign of anyone on board and no dory on tow. About ten minutes after she stopped, smoke began to rise slowly over the deck. There were men who seemed to come up from below and run around the deck in every direction as flames spread across the deck. Men climbed the masts, but when they were halfway up, all the sails caught at the same time. The men were no longer visible as the ship was engulfed in flames. We watched it until the flames died and everything crumbled to the deck. The hull gradually sank lower in the water until it disappeared.

Ferries crossing the Strait between Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island before the Confederation Bridge was built, often encountered the phantom ship. A ferryboat captain reported sailing straight through the flames finding nothing, while another claimed to have seen “a burning vessel appeared aglow with fire and was moving fast.” 

In 1885, a group of rescuers attempted to help the burning ship were lost themselves, never to be heard from again – although this could be apocryphal as I couldn’t find any specific evidence of this event.

In January 2008, 17-year-old Mathieu Giguere claimed to have seen the ghost ship, describing it as a “bright white and gold ship” During some sightings, witnesses also claim to hear gunfire, or a ball of fire in the sky.

In 1905, a New Brunswick scientist William Francis Ganong suggested the nature of the light described in sightings could be a natural electrical phenomena on the surface of the sea which rises in columns, and resembled the flaming rigging of a ship. Another explanation is that the ship is a bank of fog reflecting moonlight, or the setting of the moon on the horizon. Not as romantic as a burning ghost ship, but at least it does not have its origins in an ancient disaster.

The stories of the sightings don’t vary much, even though the ship was viewed from both sides of the strait, the south coast of Prince Edward Island, the North coast of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as Caribou Island and Pictou Island.

Some feel this ship might be The Isabella, a schooner which set sail with a cargo of lumber in December 1868 and was lost at sea off Labrador. She was last seen by a lighthouse keeper on Amet Island during a violent storm off Nova Scotia, but no trace of her was ever found.

Other theories are she is an immigrant ship of Highland Scots, lost at sea while searching for new land, or a pirate ship sunk near Merigomish by a British warship during the Napoleonic War. One explanation is she was a pirate ship that pillaged a ship from England, then the crew got into a drunken brawl with another pirate ship over the spoils during which both ships caught fire and all hands were lost.

"There's a burst of flame and a flash of light
And there on the tide is a frightening sight
As a tall ship all aflame lights up the sky
Tales of the phantom ship, from truck to keel in flames
She sails the wide Northumberland Strait
No one knows her name.”

From "Tales of the Phantom Ship" a song by Lennie Gallant

In June 2014, Canada Post issued a stamp depicting the Northumberland Strait ghost ship, issued on Friday 13th as part of a series of Canadian ghost story stamps. 

Envy The Wind - A story of Prince Edward Island will be released in Summer 2018

Personally, I don't believe in ghosts, or the paranormal, and maybe the 'light phenomenon' explanation is feasible. However, islands in general often have romantic tales connected with the sea which are passed down through the years which add to their character.
After all, stranger things happen at sea.

I would Like to Thank . . . by Anita Davison

This month’s blog theme presented me with a tough question to answer. I never categorized my writing as a career, more something I felt compelled to do which was never intended to take me down any particular road. Comprising stories of places and times past was a way of exploring those days in a way which was realistic to me. I would create a family and work through the problems they faced which wouldn’t happen now. The more research I did, the more I came to understand that life in any time frame or location has always been a challenge, especially for women. Even royals could not always do what they wanted when they wished, and those who tried soon learned their mistakes, as in people like Charles I and Tsar Nicholas II who paid the ultimate price for stubbornness and vanity.

My family never understood my need to write, whether as a child, a teenager or a married woman with children. That I preferred to spend hours at my keyboard writing while they were out in the ‘real world’ while the dust gathered and the dinner overcooked.

I suppose the first person who ever told me I could write, was an online friend named Lisa Yarde, an excellent author herself who encouraged me to take a short story further. When I confided in her I was also writing an historical novel, she recommended I join the Historical Fiction Critique Group run by AnneMarie Brear.

That’s where it all began, and between them, Lisa and AnneMarie convinced me to submit my first novel to an Inde publisher. I would like to say it was all simple from then on, but nothing ever is. Publishers close their doors and sell out to other firms like any business, while authors and their books sink without trace without proper promotion. I have also been fortunate enough to find an agent who believed in me, so Kate Nash, you also deserve thanks for all your encouragement whenever I lost heart in my work.

My family do understand me – to a point – although I am convinced only writers can really understand other writers. Those hours of silent contemplation when composing a specific phrase or sentence to suit a scenario. The tunnel vision when flood, fire or earthquake can barely penetrate my concentration. And the editing - editing is something no one can appreciate or sympathize with. That set of fresh eyes on a manuscript that pick out weaknesses and inconsistencies I simply do not see.

‘The book’s done isn’t it? Why do you need to change anything?’

I cannot contemplate submitting a manuscript to my agent or a publisher without first putting it through my critique group - a small unit of writers who all know each other’s work and trust our judgement. If they tell me my storyline is confused or a character is weak, I know I have to change it – they never steer me wrong.

I would also like to thank Victoria Chatham, my writing partner for the Canadian Brides series. She has supported my synopsis for the story of Grace Mackinnon and agreed to everything thus far, no matter how sketchy I made it sound – which might change when we start picking through an actual manuscript, although I am confident we will work well together. Like her, I also appreciate the readers who spend the time to read my novels, and hopefully, enjoy them.

Places Everyone! - by Anita Davison

I have never tried to attribute my invented characters to real people before, which was an interesting exercise. My protagonist in Envy The Wind is young woman, whose rebellious side has been suppressed for most of her life by circumstances. When she finally breaks free, Grace discovers she is not quite so sure of herself in her strange surroundings, and that not everyone who is kind is sincere. Hard lessons for us all to learn in life.

Her romantic interest is a man who, like Grace, had a privileged upbringing, but he too has had to move away from the path prescribed for him into unknown emotional territory. He is attracted to Grace, not just physically, but because she has a vulnerable side which makes him immediately protective. He recognises her need to be content with her own choices before he makes his move, but his natural instinct to make decisions for her get in the way and cause a few misunderstandings.

So attraction, sparks and conflict – which actors could convey all those things on screen? Interesting.

Then there is the supporting cast – a feisty Irish girl who throws caution to the wind and travels thousands of miles for her ideal life, only to find she has to handle disappointment and begin again.

Then there is the villain of the story, a man unused to being thwarted so he plans his revenge. But then villains shouldn’t be all bad, so I had to guard against using a generic stereotype" and thus weakening my story. 

This is what I came up with in order of importance:

Grace - Shailene Woodley – American actress chosen purely on looks as her features possess a pure quality which I imagine would translate well to an Edwardian girl.

Andrew Jardine - Tom Burke - English actor better known to theatre goers though also played Athos in BBC’s The Three Musketeers and Dolokhov in War and Peace. Both this parents are well known actors and his godfather was the late and beloved Alan Rickman, another of my favourites. Tom isn’t your usual slick dreamboat, but he has an animal magnetism about him, his looks enhanced by a very sexy cleft lip, which if I was Grace, would find impossible to resist. 

Charles Keogh - Edward Norton – I first saw him in the film ‘The Illusionist’, or maybe not the first but it's the one which struck me the most. He has a chameleon quality in that he can portray both sympathetic and villainous characters to perfection.

Aoife - Rose Leslie – Scottish actress from Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey with the archetypal Celtic red hair and green eyes, but with a determined strength to her jaw when challenged.

John Cahill - Michael Kitchen - Mature English actor with a quiet, controlled speaking voice and a gentle manner which engenders trust from first meeting. Grace discovers she can rely on him to giver her unbiased advice when she reaches Canada. He's a man who has proved himself in life and has no agenda where Grace is concerned.

The Story Arc

When I started writing, as with most authors of my acquaintance, any conversation with either agents or publishers always included the phrase, ‘What is your story arc?’

Most authors, especially novice ones, have only a general idea in their head when they begin a story. A character, a place, and in the case of historical authors, an event on which the story pivots.

I tend to follow the craft rules more closely these days, and have to pay attention to the rule that ‘If it doesn’t move the story forward’ or is ‘an info dump’ it must go, although there is always a fascinating snippet or a piece of history which is difficult to ignore. 

Specifically, my story arc for Envy The Wind began with the era. I am writing a series of cosy mysteries set in the early years of the 20^th Century and have become fascinated with the time period so it was logical to set my Canadian story in 1905. This was a time of progress in all aspects of life from transportation, information gathering, telecoms, politics and a changing social time, especially women.

I wanted my character, Grace, to have determination and a sense of self who has to manage alone in a very different country. I won’t call it strange, as the population at this time was made up of third and fourth generation English, Scots, Irish etc, so for my character the country wouldn’t have seemed quite so alien.

However as a woman, Grace will face obstacles and local prejudice, to being firstly a woman alone, and then a businesswoman trying to make a living. These aspects will form the main conflict in her search for an independent life. Then there are factors like the extreme weather, the attitudes of society of the time and how she establishes friendships and handles opposition.

The main goal, which is synonymous of everyone in history, is to establish a happy life where Grace can make her own choices without having to make major compromises.

There will, of course, be unexpected bumps in the road. For example, a romantic element, unwanted attention from someone, maybe, a jealous rival, a close friendship, a misunderstanding which threatens that friendship, or a natural tragedy. All these things add to the character’s growth and keeps the reader turning pages to see what happens next. 

The last 30% of the story is where all misunderstandings are resolved, apologies are made, true feelings are revealed and the final solution is satisfactory to all parties.

Envy The Wind – will be released in Spring 2018, and isn’t a romance per se, rather the journey of a young woman determined to go her own way in a different society to the one we are in today. The main question is will she find what she is looking for by the end, or was she searching for the wrong things in the wrong place all along?

I am an inveterate plotter, partly because I am easily distracted and can go off on a tangent very easily, resulting in a disorganized plot which at times appears not to go anywhere.  Thus I set out every scene with a starting point and a goal so I know what my character will achieve by the end of the scene. This is not necessarily definitive, maybe the outcome is a misunderstanding, misplaced loyalty, confusion, even fear.

I cannot summarize my story arc without over simplifying or making it too detailed – also the novel isn’t finished yet, so maybe the story arc will change?  

SS Parisian

Nostalgia by Anita Davison

Nostalgia is defined in the dictionary a wistful desire to return in thought or fact to a past time in one's life, a home or homeland; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

I feel my venture into historical fiction writing began as ‘a wistful longing’ but more for a time I didn’t personally remember as much as one I immersed myself in voluntarily. I have never lived in Edwardian England but all the images, videos and stories I discovered and devoured with enthusiasm made me want to recreate in my stories.

The pleasant aspects are easy to incorporate, like the beautiful and feminine clothes, gentle manners and a respect for others which sometimes seems lacking in modern day life. Not so much the rudeness of strangers, but the fact a gentleman was expected to act in a certain way.

As a matter of course he would show respect to and be protective of a lady, any lady, not just a relative. He would always doff his hat, offer a seat, or escort a female onto a train etc. Putting aside the fact men regarded women as weak, unreliable creatures with little intellect, their outward behaviour was attractive.

The more cruel aspects of life in the early 20th Century are harder to incorporate into a story without the risk of alienating readers – In one of my books a character who had been universally loved by my readers was suddenly regarded as a heartless, misogynist, condemned for his adherence to the principles of the day.

Then again, an Edwardian man who accepts his wife wants a career and refuses to stay at home all day polishing the floors would have been considered weak and unmanly not to have control of his household. Women didn't run their own lives, even wealthy ones; a difficult view to portray and keep the characters identifiable to a 21st Century audience.

I'm sure I wouldn’t have been so keen to go back to 1900 when I was younger, but now the idea of spending my day in gentle pursuits, arranging dinners and flowers with a bit of embroidery and visits to my dressmaker, taken to and fro by a chauffeur appeals - provided I would be born into the right strata of society to achieve this.

Mind you, my dinner conversation would be frowned on as I would have been an ambassador for politicians like Keir Hardie who advocated a tax be put aside from wages for free schooling for working class children and pensions for the elderly – ideas ridiculed at the time by the ruling class. They would probably have had me bodily removed from Simpson’s dining room for such views – not the main one of course as women weren’t allowed in there – at all.

Perhaps the western world in 2017 is a better place to live after all, especially for women.

Interview with Anita Davison

Next up on the clopping block, errr, the witness stand, sorry - the interview chair is Anita Davison.

Tell us a little about yourself? Perhaps something not many people know?

I’m far too uninteresting – which is why I write. My characters live the lives and do the things I haven’t – and all in a different time.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

Growing up, I always found it easier to write how I felt than voice my thoughts to anyone. I was a different person on paper, a more thoughtful, considerate person. The letters of apology for bad behavior soon became stories, although I never aspired to be a writer, I wrote because it was a means of self-expression. It wasn’t until a friend read a few chapters of my first book that the idea was planted. Some years on, I summoned the courage to submit to an agent, and have several books to my name. Not a famous name but mine. 

How long does it take you (on average) to write a book?

About a year. I write historical fiction so the preparation time is spent mainly on social research, immersing myself in the era so I have some idea of what I am talking about before I begin the writing process. Every book I write is submitting to my critique group, who are brilliant at telling me whether or not my characters are credible or not.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

Chaotic. I try to set aside specific time in the day to write, but I have to be in the right frame of mind, and if not, complete rubbish comes through my fingers onto the keyboard which I end up deleting later. If I am in the wrong mood, I cannot get inside my main character’s head and turn into an unsympathetic listener and tell her to get a grip.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I have tried setting up a neat and tidy desk under a window with a calming view to create a productive working environment. Within half an hour I have graduated to my favourite squishy armchair, laptop open and a packet of Haribos at my side That and a cup of hot coffee and I am set for the day when time has no meaning.

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

I start off with a very clear idea of how my characters will react to certain situations. However when the writing begins they often don’t follow that path at all. Grace, my main character began as a rather shy late bloomer due to a restrictive childhood, but when she broke free of her controlling family, she developed a mind of her own and now I cannot control her! 

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

Writing is what I like to do most of all, but sometimes it’s relaxing to do something physical rather than cerebral – but not too physical – like baking! it’s therapeutic to produce something everyone enjoys without having to edit it four times.

What does your family think of your writing?

They are pretty ambivalent. About half of them have read my books, and then only one or maybe two, but I don’t get many comments. Maybe they don’t like them, as not everyone likes historical fiction, or maybe they think I’ll get big-headed if they complement me. I’ll settle for the second reason.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

The historical research fascinates me, and if I’m not careful I tend to get too enthusiastic and want to include everything. One of the things I didn’t realise about the early 20th Century, was that Edwardian women did not eat in public restaurants without a male escort. Partly because there was no such thing as public restrooms, which kept ladies at home for obvious reasons. 

In 1904, Simpsons of the Strand started to allow women into their upstairs dining room, but not the main one on the ground floor until 1984. 

How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

Envy the Wind will be No 12, although one remains unpublished. Which indicates it needs more work!

What is your favorite holiday and why?

Not trying to suck up or anything here, but my son was on a student foreign exchange program and spent a year at university in Ottawa, and met us in Montreal for Christmas. We all drove up to Mont Tremblant and holidayed in a cabin by the lake near St Jovite. We went horse riding in the snow on Christmas Eve, Snowmobiling on Christmas Day and Dog sledding on Boxing Day. Plus getting up every morning to watch the sun rise over the frozen lake as we drank our morning coffee. It was the best holiday – ever.

Open your most recent story to page 12 and tell us the fifth complete sentence on the page.

He had neither sought her opinion on the matter, nor had she ventured one to a man who had never been challenged either in business or in his home. 

What genres do you like to read?

Historical Fiction and Cosy Mysteries are favourites, but I do move beyond those occasionally as I review for blogs. 

What is the biggest surprise that you experienced after becoming a writer?

That just because your book is out there, you cannot sit back and expect it to sell without some sort of promotional campaign. I was also amazed to discover that Twitter actually works!

If you could have been the author of any book ever written, which book would you choose? Why?

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I loved the imagery the author conveyed with the black and white tents with a touch of red, each of which contained a degree of magic. The idea the circus existed for its own sake without apology or explanation and kept all its secrets.

What would the main character in your most recent book have to say about you?

Why does she keep putting me into situations where I need rescuing – it makes me look feeble and unintelligent. I’m not really as impulsive as she makes me look, I simply refuse to let people get away with murder and when the police won’t listen I have no choice but to show them myself.

Is there anything in your closet that your fans would be surprised by?

I was told to keep this interview PG so I ain’t saying!

If you had to write yourself as a heroine, what kind of heroine would you be? What would you be named?

I’d be a Marvel Comics superhero with exceptional powers. A telepath maybe so none of the villains could fool me and I would know everything about them in the first five minutes.

If you had to write yourself as a villain, what kind of villain would you be? What would you be named?

I don’t do villainy very well. I’m too empathetic with the victims so I dilute their suffering – I would order my henchman to issue punishment and after the first scream, say. ‘Oh, sorry, did that hurt. I didn’t mean it.’

If you could travel through time to visit a special time period or famous person, what or who would it be and why?

Edwardian London to absorb the atmosphere of all the places I describe in my books. I know what they looked like from photographs and old film reels, but to absorb the atmosphere of the city, the poor areas and the wealthy ones would bring an extra dimension to my stories. 

Well there you have it folks, the non-villain Anita Davison (which is good for us - writers can be downright diabolical so it's always best when they are on the side of good).  

Do you have any questions for our interviewee?  Leave them in the comments sections and she will get back to you.