Jan Hunter

About Jan

The Scarborough-born writer, who went to the same school as Susan Hill, was the former Head of Drama at Stokesley School. In 2005 she won The Northern Echo Short Story Competition with a story about her mother's battle with Alzheimers, which is now being used by the South Tees Hospital Trust to help carers of people with the disease. Winning the story inspired her to concentrate on writing her first novel, so in 2008, she left teaching to work part-time as a Drama Examiner, and to concentrate on her writing.

Inspired by Castle Howard, [renamed Castle Beaumont in the book] which she used to see on the train journey back to University, she began her research there, taking extensive notes, and absorbing the atmosphere in winter and summer. Christmas at Castle Howard in 1860, was one of her favourite parts to write.

Research took her to old London and the Victorian tours, as well as the Castle Museum in York, and the Museum of London. In order to explore the theory of parallel universes, and to make the book plausible, she took part in a regressive memory session in order to access her own past lives.

My Two Lives by Jan Hunter

A good British writer. Beautifully written and tastefully done. This book is a gem. 5 stars The Kindle Book Review

A fantastic page turner, full of suspense and intrigue, I couldn't put it down. 5 Stars Amazon Kindle

She is now working on the sequel to My Two Lives, which is also set in Castle Howard, which begins at the mausoleum.