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An Elford Childhood, Catherine Cavendish, Dark Observation, Doris Buttery, Elford, Flame Tree Press, Horror, New book, writing










My Greatest Influence BY Catherine Cavendish



Since I’ve been fortunate enough to be a published writer, I have met many others and once of the first things I discovered is that I wasn’t alone in having been the nerdy schoolgirl who used to inwardly cheer when our English teacher would set us an essay to write for homework. I especially hugged my inner creative embryo when we were given no clear parameters as to what that essay would centre on. Sometimes it would be a line from a poem which could be interpreted in a myriad of ways. On other occasions it would be an emotion we had to express – be it joy, sorrow or whatever. All around me, my fellow students would groan while I wanted to do that Mary Tyler Moore thing with my (ridiculously old fashioned) school hat.
For decades I believed I was the only one who ever felt like that. What a relief to discover I wasn’t.
I should have realised it really though because while there have been and still are a host of people I count as influences on me and on my writing, there is one who stands head and shoulders above the rest.

Her name was Doris May Buttery. She was born on 23rd October 1920 and passed away on 13th March 2018 – and Doris was my Mum. She loved to write.
When I was a little girl and, okay, I’ll say it first, that was a long time ago, one of my enduring memories is of Mum sitting at the dining room table, her pencil sharpened, lost in her own world as she busily transcribed memories of her childhood, growing up in a small Staffordshire village between the two world wars, onto sheets of lined foolscap paper.
While Mum wrote, I would play with my dolls or my cat, Penny. I would make up stories, read, let my imagination run free…
And day after day, once her chores were done, Mum would write. She had a small win on the Football Pools and used to it to pay for a creative writing course where she learned the art of short story writing. I still have at least some of those stories. They were fiction but always, somewhere, there lurked a grain of truth. Invariably set in the 1920s or 1930s there would be a character in there that I would later come to identify in her memoirs. Sometimes she would write about a scandal that I would later discover had actually taken place – although the names and some identifying details had all been changed.

I can’t remember exactly when she stopped writing. But for years, maybe a decade or more, the pencils and foolscap were put aside only for her to return one day and pick up where she left off. This became a pattern. Days and weeks of daily writing followed by months and years of none. From her childhood she moved onto recollections of the war years 1939-1945 when she served in the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) – the British women’s army of the time. Sadly, she didn’t get too far with these but the account of being a naive eighteen-year-old office girl joining up (against her father’s wishes) immediately casts the reader back to those far off years. Mum could certainly create atmosphere and a sense of time and place in her writing.
Meanwhile, I had caught the writing bug. Watching her may have been the catalyst, or perhaps it was simply because she enjoyed it. Some of those school essays of mine grew into short stories; one eventually morphed into a novel. Mum encouraged me while my father considered my desire – at around eight or nine years old – to purchase a portable typewriter as a complete waste of time and money. I bought my typewriter, selling a number of toys in order to do so. The rest, as they say, is history.
After Mum passed away, I found the folder I knew existed and opened it. There were Mum’s childhood memories. These eventually became a published book An Elford Childhood .

Mum never ventured down the path of supernatural, ghostly or scary stories. Nor did she attempt a crime story – although in her later years especially, crime fiction was by far her preferred genre. She did, however, tell me that she had always enjoyed a good spooky book when she was younger so maybe that’s where I get it from. I also enjoy crime – real or fictional and Agatha Christie was a shared passion of ours.
Mum left me a legacy of a love of reading and writing, history and cats. Wherever she is now, I hope she is enjoying a good book, with a cat purring on her lap, a notebook and pencil by her side and a nice cup of tea.
As for my latest? Well, I hope Mum would approve. There is an awful lot of her in one of my main characters – Vi – and then of course there’s her hero,Winston Churchill, those secret underground war rooms and…


Eligos is waiting…fulfil your destiny

1941. In the dark days of war-torn London, Violet works in Churchill’s subterranean top secret Cabinet War Rooms, where key decisions that will dictate Britain’s conduct of the war are made. Above, the people of London go about their daily business as best they can, unaware of the life that teems beneath their feet.
Night after night the bombs rain down, yet Violet has far more to fear than air raids. A mysterious man, a room only she can see, memories she can no longer trust, and a best friend who denies their shared past… Something or someone – is targeting her.
Dark Observation is available here:
Bookshop.org (where you can support your favourite local bookshop)
and at good bookshops everywhere (on the shelf or to order)

About The Author
Following a varied career in sales, advertising and career guidance, Catherine Cavendish is now the full-time author of a number of paranormal, ghostly and Gothic horror novels and novellas.
Her novels include: Dark Observation, In Darkness, Shadows Breathe, The Garden of Bewitchment. The Haunting of Henderson Close, The Devil’s Serenade, The Pendle Curse an Saving Grace Devine.
Her novellas include: The Darkest Veil, Linden Manor, Cold Revenge, Miss Abigail’s Room, The Demons of Cambian Street, Dark Avenging Angel, The Devil Inside Her, and The Second Wife
Her short stories appeared in a number of anthologies including Tomes of Terror, One of Us and Haunted Are These Houses.
She lives by the sea in Southport, England with her long-suffering husband, and a black cat called Serafina who has never forgotten that her species used to be worshipped in ancient Egypt. She sees no reason why that practice should not continue.
You can connect with Cat here:
Images:
Shutterstock
Nik Keevil and Flame Tree Studio
Author’s own
Great post. No recognition for the poor Gerbil author. So sad. Doris May Buttery was an interesting woman. She was a couple years older than my mom. “Dark Observations” sounds like a fascinating book.
xx Timothy, Cat has written a wonderful tribute. She was a few years older than my mum. That generation were something else. Great to see you.
The great depression and the war made our moms strong and independent.
They did indeed actually.
Thank you so much, Timothy. Mum’s generation lived through such momentous times and that must have had an effect. She always said that, in Elford, no one had much money but, as a child growing up there, she was totally unaware of being poor. She had good food, clothes, education, friends and a loving family
I think when everyone has nothing, you don’t notice it. Especially if you have what counts. xx
Wonderful inspiration by Catherine Cavendish — the roots of creation is specially your mom. Most interesting post,my dear ShehaneMoore!! Love your art of writing in amazing way.❤️🙏❤️
As you say, Cat has written the most beautiful tribute to her mum, It was such a pleasure to be able to host her today. Thank YOU, my friend for coming by and commenting xxxxxxxxxxxx
Thak you so much for your kind words, Aruna!
Welcome you with love!!❤🙏❤
Right back at you xxxxxxx
What a truly wonderful post, young Ms. S. Regards, The Old Fool aka Mike
Cat has written a marvelous tribute and I know she and her mum were very close so I found it quite moving when she sent it and I read it. Great to see you fresh from that visit from young Leslie! x
Thank you, Mike!
Lovely history here and a great tribute. This new book looks an engaging read for sure. Congrats to Cat. ❤ xx
It’s a lovely post. I truly enjoyed reading it. And I know Cat had her mum until a few years ago too. Got my copied ordered xxxxxfor coming by
My pleasure and wishing Cat much success xxx
xxxxxx SistahGoth.
Many thanks for your kind words and wishes, dg!
❤
Shehanne, you hosted a terrific tribute piece for a memorable woman — after your sublime hamsters intro.
I gagged them for it Dave. I wasn’t having them yinging all over it. That’s a great post you’ve got up. I need to go away and think of some protagonists here for you.
Thank you, Shehanne! 🙂 As always, you were an expert “gag” writer for the hamsters — completely comedic critter creations. 🙂
Lol..Cat is their number one enemy and has been for years, but they behaved x
Thanks, Dave. For once the hammies didn’t try and lynch me. Maybe they are growing kinder and mellower?????
I had them bound and gagged Cat. There was no way they were getting their teeth into this post. They will prob lynch me instead!
What a great start you had with a mom like that, Cat! Good luck on your newest installment. Write on!
xxxx Pam, how lovely to see you. Ins’t it a moving tribute?
I wish I had that kind of intel on my own mom. It would be so lovely. Have a great Sunday, Shey!😘🥰😍
I was thinking there just now how my mum liked to scribble away but she must ahve destroyed all her work cos I never found any of it.
Truly a loss!
Many thanks, Pam. I know I am so lucky that Mum chose to write it all down when it was still clear in her mind
I have also been writing ✍️ stuff down since my daughter was born. I hope my kids read it one day, Cat. The ramblings of their crazy 😜 mom!😂
Lol my lady Pam, you are anything but that!! xxxx
I very much enjoyed reading your post, Shehanne, and what you write concerning your exceptional mother.
Oh it was Catherine Cavendish who wrote the piece about her mum. BUT I am thrilled you enjoyed it because Cat was close to her mum and often talked about her. AND I could see why, when she sent me the blog. So many women of that time were like her, putting away their own things for so many reasons. Lovely to see you.
Thank you so much for hosting me, Shey. It was certainly another world entirely when Mum was growing up
I’m sorry for my mistake, Shehanne, and I very much agree with what you say here above:) Many thanks:)
Martina, don’t worry. We all live such busy lives, it’s just great you came here and enjoyed. I had put Cat’s title in big lettering at the start but WP was abso torture, whatever they’ve done in the last few weeks, when it was already bad enough. I had to keep binning the post and redoing it. When I finally got it all in place and tagged etc, I just hit publish, cos I thought if I touch this again and it goes that weird way I will punch a screen!!
Thank you, Marina. Glad you enjoyed reading this!
Sorry, I meant, thank you Martina!
Cat is was indeed and you’ve captured it in your piece here. An absolute pleasure to have you here. Of course I had to nip it past the dudes. BUT I think we both got out of that not too badly.
Something happened and I didn’t finish my comment. Must be the wodka. As I was saying it’s an honor to read the delightful history of Violet, Cat Cavendish’ mum. Cat, I can imagine how proud you are of your mother, how fortunate you are to have inherited her gift for writing and zest for life. She’s a beautiful lady and so are you. Thank you dearest Shey for sharing the amazing excerpts of lives of other talented writers. You know I admire you tremendously and appreciate you. The Hammies have stolen my heart too.
Congratulations on this wonderful narrative and passing along the good news on existing and upcoming books. Sending love!
xxxx
I was thrilled to host this post. It is such a special one and so many women of that time just sacrificed ‘whatever’ actually. Cat often talked about her mum while she still had her so again when it came in and I read it, I was moved. Like you I thought, what a beautiful lady, look at her with her whole life before her. I appreciate you and your amazing talent. So thank you, my friend for the lovely comment. I didn’t tell the hammies I had got Cat’s book… xx
She truly was a beautiful lady and in addition to a wonderful talent contributed so much to her country and in effect the world. Congratulations to Cat.
She did indeed. Cat has done her proud xxxx
Thank you so much, House of Heart for your kind comments.
I was my pleasure to read about your mom and you!
XXX Cat. This isn’t just from the house of heart, it is from the heart xxxxxxxxxxx
Cat – thank you for your extraordinary discussion about your mother. I am fascinated by her life and would love to read “An Elford Childhood” by your mother, Doris Buttery. I am unable to locate the book on this side of the pond (Canada). I am pre-ordering Dark Observation which will be released in Canada on September 13th!!! Shey – you have the very best interviews. And my dear dudes – you always, always give laughter to my day. P.S. Please write that book!
Alas Hamstah Dickens has eaten all the paper AGAIN! But I’ll have something soon. I’ve got Cat’s book on order. I’ve read all her books, so i can’t wait xxxxxxxx for coming by Rebecca and the lovely comment.
Thank you so much, Rebecca. I hope you enjoy Dark Observation!
Rebecca is epic when it comes to supporting writers. xxxx
I am looking forward to the read, Cat!!!
xxxxx Rebecca.Tomorrow is the big day.
Ok, I loved reading about Cat’s mama. That kind of attention and inspiration she gained from her mom seems well-cultivated by her own play and imagination. What a sweet mama-daughter connection! “Dark Observations” sounds intriguing for those who are into historical fiction and/or those trying to understand and feel out the experiences of this time period. Sounds like a “literary time travel” book. Naturally the dudes would be upset by Cat and cats… oh well….
Good on you, Shey!
Cat writes wonderful non slasher horror, which of course would make the dudes tremble in their boots if they hadn’t eaten them. Cat is actually their number one hamster enemy so obvi they were not for having this post. She’s done her mum more than proud. It is a wonderful piece she’s written here. Great to see you and thank you for coming by x
Thank you for your lovely comments, Ka Malana. Dark Observation is historical, suspense, dark fiction and horror (without flying body parts!). There are ghostly, creepy and occult scenes and I have done my best to capture the unique atmosphere of the secret underground war rooms in London.
You will have done it too if i know you x
Sounds really wonderful 😃
xxxx Ka
((Great) many thanks and all the best!!!
Thank you for reading. xxxx
Please, no problem, thank you very much!!! return !!!!!!!((*L*))
Thank you!
Please, no problem, thank you very much!!! return((*L*))
Hi Shey, Catherine’s book sounds fascinating. I have visited Winston Churchill’s underground war rooms in London. It was most educational. I really love the sound of the book about her mother’s childhood. I shall go over to Amazon and look for both.
xxx Robbie, that’s great. Truly. I don’t know much about the book on her mother’s childhood but I bet it is fascinating. I have read all of Cat’s books, we used to share the same publisher, way back. and I like the fact that they are not slasher horrors. Many have a historical background, like Henderson’s Close and the Pendle Witches, which appeals to me. Great to see and thank you for reading and commenting. x
The historical element appeals to me too. I just love stories about people’s childhoods, there is something fascinating to me about how different people grew up.
It’s fascinating, isn’t it?
Thank you so much, Robbie!
A moving post, and I wish Cat great success with her new book. It’s fascinating when we start to analyse what we inherit from our parents, and I love that your beautiful mother was so committed to her writing, Cat. What a precious gift she left you. And you escaped unharmed from the Hammies. Phew! xx
Thank you, Kate. Yes, I did escape this time. Not even a scratch! No doubt they will be cooking up something extra special for the next time I visit – if Shey will have me back!
Having taken one look at that post, I locked them up. End of. CAT, we will take next time as it comes. Kate, lovely to see you. I found the post very moving xxxxxxxx for coming by.
What a lovely guest post, Shey. I enjoyed getting to know Cat and was completely taken with her memories of her mother and her mom’s influence on her transformation into an author. Thanks so much for the introduction, and best of luck to Cat on her latest novel. ❤
That’s very kind, D. Many thanks!
Diana, thank you. Lovely to see you in the middle of your own book tour. I loved Cat’s from the heart post. Great to know more about her mum. xxx
Oh, yes, so lovely. A beautiful share from Cat.
I know. xx
Great post. Cat wrote a precious tribute to an interesting woman who was a year younger than my mother.
This new book looks fascinating.
Thank you, Luisa!
Thank you very much! You are a great writer 💙
Luisa, i so loved this post because Cat’s mum was born in the same year as my dad. My mum was two years younger. For me, looking at what they lived through, they were forged in steel. I found her post incredibly moving.
That’s right. Born at the end of one war, living during another! Their character was certainly strengthened 🙏💙🙏
You are so right Luisa. Their character was indeed.
Absolutely love this post, and enjoyed time with fascinating author Catherine Cavendish.
Thank you Shey for introducing her to me. I look forward to reading one of her books. I’d love to see Serafina, she sounds incredible. lol 😃💕
Thrilled you liked it. Cat was with the same publisher when I first started out and a great support. We even met a few years back in Edinburgh. I thought the post was wonderful. SO I am glad you liked it. Cat often shares pics of Serafina on facebook. I imagine oh mighty Bewitched lady that you would love her. xxxxfor the lovely comment and for coming by.
How wonderful, I will look for her on Facebook. 🥰
LOL, Mighty Bewitched Lady sending hugs to The Incomparable Bonnie Shey! 😂😂😂♥️♥️♥️
Yir too kind. SO all love to the incomparably always sparking, amazingly uplifting Mighty Bewitched lady. The name Serafina does indeed remind me of Bewitched.
Thank you for the lovely comments, Carolyn. Good to meet you. Serafina sends purrs. She is busy getting ready for Halloween and is manicuring her claws…
But of course, we expected no less xxxxxxxx
Happy that two fav authors have met here x
Lol, Serafina sounds delightful, I’m looking forward to meeting her one day.
Thank you for connecting, Cat, I enjoyed your interview on Shey’s blog and look for forward more of your posts. 😃💕
Cat is dude enemy number one actually cos they just get antsy over nothing so there’s been a few posts that way but I felt this one was the dawning of an era where they shut up and were nice, as opposed to expecting her to help Hamster Dickens get published……. x
Well done. Xoxoxo
Cat had a wonderful mum. This brought back many thoughts. I have one old b&w photo of my mum as a young woman her ww2 uniform. Never did ask her about that part of her life, so wish I had. xxxxxxx
You know Gary? The best bit was how they never really spoke of it and we all just thought it was nothing special. I wish I had asked my mum and dad so much. I sometimes did and they just brushed it off. I know they both had very hard upbringings, my mum was keeping her family at aged 14 cos her father who was
a tailor to trade and the fact he only had one leg…don’t call him disabled… meant he could not get work in the depression. So maybe this was just one more thing for them to deal with and therefore no big deal. But seeing Cat’s pic of her mum so young and all her life before her, it really brought that home to me. Wonderful to see you and read your comment about your mum. Thank you for coming by.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Gary, and Shey. Mum always used to say that, in her experience, those who had it the hardest during the two world wars rarely spoke of their experiences. Her father had been in the infantry during WWI and had been at Ypres, the Somme and elsewhere. She knew virtually nothing about what he went through except for a few anecdotes. He would change the subject if she tried to raise it.
Wonderful post…read with interest. Best wishes for the newly published memoire by her Mom.
Many thanks, Michael!
We must ask Cat fro more on that one too. Lovely to see you Michael.
Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
Thanks for introducing to a new interesting author, Shehanne! The book sounds really fascinating. Thanks also for sharing the information about it. Best wishes, Michael
You are welcome and thank you for the reblog.You are so supportive that way. Cat is indeed an interesting lady. And a first already published author friend when I started out.
Many thanks for sharing. Much appreciated!
OMG! I read this, then got distracted before commenting.
Adore the tale of your mum! I’d say you caught the writing bug from her.
Dark Observation sounds like a winner. Also, a timely release, in a sense, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Her story has beginnings during the war years.
Congratulations, Cat! I would like to read one of your books one day. Will you ever publish on Kobo?
Okay, your cat Serafina sounds like my cat Jeep. She knows she’s royalty. Once they catch on, they never let us forget!
Hi Resa. Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, I am published on Kobo. Here’s the link: https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/search?query=catherine+cavendish
You’re right. Cats know they’re royalty. Serafina is a queen and that’s just the way it is. I know my place – directly under her paw
Thank you! I’ll check it out. I’ve been buying ebooks from there. I got a free reader, and they take Paypal!
MEOW!!!
Cat…Resa…? I can only say that as with Carolyn YOU are favs and thrilled to introduce you. Cat was the first writer to welcome me to our then publisher, despite the fact we wrote diff genres. I met her a few years back in Edinburgh when she came up here and it was epic actually. I know from all she said she and her mum were so close. And one thing she doesn’t do is write slasher horror. It’s more my style of gothic xx Cat?? Resa is the most amazing and generous with her time TV and film costume designer going. In terms of generous she makes her gowns from whatever is to hand, auctions them for charity, takes hours to draw and even better capture friends with an effortless pen stroke. So? As with Carolyn?? Glad to introduce you xx
Hi Shey – Resa has an amazing talent. I know you’ve shown her designs before and they are breathtaking
They are and she makes her art gowns for charity, from whatever she finds and gets inspiration from. (I understand she auctions them for one night’s wear so they can raise a fair bit) She’s also extremely generous with her time.
This is a beautiful post! Your mom amazing, how blessed you are.
Catherine had and was there for her mum until a few years ago and I found the post so moving to read. Lovely to see you and thank you for the also lovely commnet. There’s no-one quite like your mum x
You’re welcome💜
Thank you so much, Belladonna. She was indeed amazing. I miss her wisdom
💗
Bonjour SHEHANNE
Le jour vient de se lever c ‘est l’heure du petit déjeuner
L’occasion pour moi de te rappeler notre amitié
Je voulais mettre un peu de sucre dans ton café
En te souhaitant une bonne journée
Le soir après ce petit écris pour toi
Me rends heureux en pensant que tu es pu le lire
Tu es un ami ou une amie merveilleuse
Je te destine un petit bisou
Ton ami BERNARD
Bonjour mon ami. Comme il est bon de voir vos paroles ici aujourd’hui et de savoir que vous êtes là.
Two things caught my attention
1. 98 years of life. Very nice.
2. This line of yours…I especially hugged my inner creative embryo when we were given no clear parameters as to what that essay would centre on.
Well, Catherine usually does a ‘spooky’ post about a place that is haunted. So this was completely different but she had her mum until a few years ago so it was very moving to read and see these pics of her as a young woman, one of a generation whose often quite already hard enough lives went upside down and never really talked about that. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Thanks for presenting another great book, with an captiving cover, Shehanne. Will go closer soon, because it sounds very interesting! xx Michael
Aw xxxxxx Michael. AND thank YOu for the reblog xxx
Thank you!
I so enjoyed this post, it’s beautifully written about Cat’s Mom during war time, her writing and the short courses she took after her small pools wins. My parents also didn’t speak very much about their life during the war, they just got on with it. Dad would now and again mention leaving Ireland at 14, changing his DOB and joining up and some stories of life in the forces would eek out from time to time. I’m so glad the notebook was found and the book published, how perfectly satisfying xxx
It is a wonderful post actually Dawn. I’m so glad you liked it. And I see your folks were similar in terms of not talking much. and jsut getting on with life as if it was nothing remarkable. I found ti a very moving post xxx
I agree, it’s an emotional post, I loved it, it was really written from the heart xxx
My parents were of that generation. I know Cat had her mum until a few years ago. SO that was also emotional. But it was atru from the heart post.
Thank you so much, Dawn and Shey
You’re more than welcome. Dawn looked after her mum and dad for a long time. She’s a wonderful singer and now following her dream that way xx