In creating the characters you now find in this fictional mining town, my mind was drawn to my youth in 1970"s England, when the fashion for flared trousers and wide collars abounded and disco music was coming to the fore. It was a time of change, when motor cars and television sets were becoming more affordable for the working class, and freedom of expression was encouraged in all walks of life. Homes were being bought instead of rented and a new craze for packaged food was beginning to grip the nation.
I decided to set the scene for this particular novel in 1975, a significant time for miners in Britain, as it was the year in which they received a 35% pay rise from the Government, to align their salaries with the average wage. Spirits were running high and there was a great sense of com
