Justine writes fiction wrapped around real life stories.

ARE YOU A DOWNTON ABBEY FAN or A GILDED AGE fan?

DO YOU LOVE IMAGINING YOURSELF IN A LIFE OF SILVER CANDELABRA AND FANCY GOWNS?

As most of us don’t live to the manor born, the escapism in these books and series is appealing, especially as we know they are loosely based on historical fact. But truth – as they say – can be stranger than fiction, and by the time a bustle was out of fashion, cars and large mansions with servants were still very much in.

The 1929 Wall Street Crash made the divide greater between rich and poor, much as has happened today. One of my ancestors lived on the Hudson River Valley, New York, on a large estate called Wilderstein in the small town of Rhinebeck. Their family lost everything in the economic downturn. But they managed to keep the house, thanks largely to Daisy Suckley, the eldest daughter, who took employment with her cousin – Franklin Roosevelt.

In researching this story, I found out that a great deal more than employment was involved and I turned it into a novel, called DAISY CHAIN. (Due to be published 2023). You could call it a sequel to the current TV series!