Christmas novella set in Shropshire

Written by Katharine E Smith, who is already the author of 16 novels, it is set in a long barrow which is based on the Soulton Long Barrow in north Shropshire, and reflects her own experiences of bereavement.

Soulton Long Barrow is believed to be Shropshire’s first and only contemporary barrow to have been built in 5,000 years. Crafted by hand, it provides a final resting place for cremation ashes.

Katharine, from Wem, said: "My parents moved to Shrewsbury in 2015, and this is really where my attachment to the long barrow has come from as my mum became ill and died in 2020, and was cared for in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and by the Severn Hospice.

"I’d heard about the long barrow long before this and had been meaning to visit anyway but I first went to an open day there just a few days before my mum died. It really struck me as a special place, and somewhere very peaceful, to spend time.

"It was also around this time, 2020, that Tim Ashton, whose family own Soulton Hall and the land that the long barrow is on, threw himself into supporting both the local community and the arts world, by building an amphitheatre next to the long barrow, and hosting live open-air theatre, so the long barrow became a place to go and actually do things while lots of other places were closed.

"Tim has read the first draft of First Christmas and is very supportive of it, which I really appreciate. The long barrow is a place of great importance to the people who have niches there, and whose loved ones’ ashes are kept there.

"I was fortunate enough to be allowed to place one of the stones in the second chamber of the long barrow, and this stone has my initials on it, though this can’t be seen from within the barrow itself. I love taking my dogs walking around the barrow, and going to the solstice events which are held there.

"First Christmas is narrated by Ruth, who is a fictional character who has died and whose ashes are kept in the long barrow. This short book tells the tale of the first Christmas day after she has died and of her family and others coming to visit.

"It is the introduction to all these new characters, and I am intending to write a full series about them, all told by Ruth, and set in Shropshire.

"I have wanted to write about the long barrow, and also to write about Shropshire, for some time, and I’ve been waiting for the right idea to form. I decided I’d like to write something for Christmas and all these elements came together."

Katharine, who runs a small independent publishing house called Heddon Publishing, says the book will be on general release on Kindle and in paperback from November 25.