First Impressions : Literary Houses & Famous Authors

An informative and compelling journey exploring the former homes of some of the most inspiring and formidable British authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries – including Robert Louis Stevenson, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, The Bronte Sisters, Rudyard Kipling, Agatha Christie, Lewis Carroll, Elizabeth Gaskell, A.L. Rowse and Violet Clifton. The publication will include details of how you can also visit these amazing houses. From humble abodes, Pacific hideaways, island retreats, to grand hotels and ancestral stately homes. It will be a journey you will never forget!The decision to visit the former homes of some of myfavourite authors of the 19th and 20th centuries turnedinto, not just an exciting adventure, but also a spiritual experience. It iscertainly a journey I will never forget. It went way beyond my initialexpectations, and the reason I decided to create this book was not only mydesire to share my experiences, but also to encourage others to make thejourney for themselves.

 Visiting the homes of these extraordinary authors, alongwith other famous places associated with them, I began to realise that it wasnot just about old buildings or bricks and mortar. I started to allow myself toconnect with them on a deeper level, to the point where it became a quest tohave a moment of personal and spiritual connection in each of the homes andplaces I visited. After all, these were authors I had known all my life; thecharacters they created were like friends to me. They shaped my life and helpedto form my opinions about the world and the emotional journeys we all embarkupon. They also allowed me, through their work, to have a window through whichI could understand history.

 I often wonder if these authors know when a reader openstheir books. Do they see a glimmer of light wherever they are in eternity, thatlets them know they are still inspiring us? It would be nice to think thatsomehow, somewhere, their souls still connect with ours. They are the past, thepresent and most importantly the future. We can still learn so much from them.

I hope you enjoy the journey and, you never know, when visiting one of theseplaces, from the corner of your eye, you may see a fleeting shadow of themflicker by.