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Though living in a village near Bedford, Diana Jackson's writing is influenced by her family roots in the Channel Islands, UK, especially the tiny island of Alderney. Imagining her great grandmother's life on Riduna (the Roman name for Alderney) in the late 19th century, inspired Diana to begin The Riduna Series. Purely fiction, her family sagas will follow Harriet's life through to the 1930's - weaving love, loss, heartache and joy through historical events which alter the lives of three generations of the Newton family. 'Riduna' and 'Ancasta Guide me Swiftly Home' are already published and Diana aims to complete the third by spring 2015.
As Diana takes a break from teaching sixteen to nineteen year olds to focus on her writing, her passion for social and family history has stirred her to write in other genre.
Firstly she has compiled the memoir of a dear 103 year old friend, Norman. 'The Life and Demise of Norman Campbell' (Norman's choice of title) is full of his dry humour, his views on an ever changing world and the exciting tales of his life.
Secondly, Diana has recently dabbled in murder, a worry to her husband, as she is soon to launch her first murder mystery, 'Murder, Now and Then,' set in the heart of Bedfordshire.
Reviewed by Michelle Randall for Readers' Favorite
Ancasta is the continuation of the family saga that began in Riduna. Harriet is now a widow with four grown children. Edward is still traveling the seas, enjoying his freedom. As the world starts to change and a war looms, we follow the former childhood friends and sweethearts as they deal with the ravages and realities of war in England. No one is untouched by the war, as Harriet will watch her twin sons both volunteer for service along with her daughter's husband. It will also be a time to reunite with old friends; Jane, with whom she had lost touch will become the steady rock of a friend that Harriet leaned on before she had Joe. Now with Joe gone, Jane will again become that rock. Diana Jackson doesn't pull any punches with the tragedies and realities of war and what it was like. Still, that does not diminish the glow of the story of a family once again facing the idea that dreams change and life goes on.
In first Riduna and then Ancasta, we follow Harriet and Edward, who always thought their path in life would be together, but the reality of life was that it was not meant to be. Finally, in their retirement years, are they able to realize that it wasn't them who changed but the world around them and that things happened to them to make the dreams change. Diana Jackson weaves a story that is real and true and makes you feel that you are right there living it. It is a wonderful mix of the romance and realities of life with some of the technological advances of the historical time period of the novel. It is definitely a novel of moving on and never giving up, one any reader will enjoy.
