Anna Chilvers: A knight's tale inspires novel's modern twist on old dilemma

Like all first-time writers Anna Chilvers gets a huge thrill from seeing her first novel on the bookshelf at home.

For Chilvers there is an extra frisson of satisfaction thanks to the fact that the novel sits on a shelf next to a pile of rejection letters.

The author's first published novel, Falling Through Clouds, is released this month by Bluemoose Books, based in Hebden Bridge.

Chilvers first met Kevin Duffy, who runs and owns Bluemoose Books, when she was organising an event for another author.

Chilvers's day job as a reader development officer for Calderdale council brought her in to contact with Duffy while she was organising an event for Bluemoose author Stephen Clayton, whose book The Art of Being Dead, was published last year.

Having a publisher presented to her like this was a moment of serendipity. Her first unpublished novel had been sitting in a drawer at home, having been finished, sent out, and rejected. Falling Through Clouds was her second.

"I was just at the point of getting it ready to send out to publishers and agents, the same way I had done with my first novel," says Chilvers.

"I had been scouring the Writers Handbook and drawing up a list of people who I was going to send this one to and then met Kevin at the author event.

"I mentioned that I had written something and asked if he wouldn't mind taking a look at it. I was just getting ready to send it out and deal with all the rejection letters again, so Bluemoose publishing it saved me all of that hassle and a lot of money on postage."

Duffy says: "Her writing immediately impressed me and I fell in love with the novel straight away."

Falling Through Clouds, which takes its title from a quote in the movie Before Sunrise, is a contemporary retelling of the medieval English tale Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

While writing a novel was at the top of her list of things she wanted to achieve, after dropping out of university Chilvers found herself working as a conference organiser. She realised that, were she ever to achieve her dream of writing a novel, she would have to give up work and finish her education.

She completed a degree in English literature, which is where she first came across the story of the Green Knight.

"I found it incredibly hard going, I hated it while I was studying it. But eventually I absolutely fell in love with the tale," says Chilvers.

So much so, that when she pursued her love of writing with a masters degree in creative writing at Sheffield Hallam University, she began working on an idea of turning the tale of Sir Gawain into a contemporary story.

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is one of the jewels of English literature. The story begins in the court of King Arthur, when a green knight on a green horse challenges the Round Table to a gruesome wager – chop off his head, but allow him to return the favour a year and a day later. Gawain performs the deed, then looks on, astonished and dismayed as the Green Knight picks up his head, gets back on his horse, and orders Gawain to be sure to seek him out at the Green Chapel for the return hit.

This Gawain duly does, but stops to get his bearings at a castle and is welcomed warmly by the lord and his wife. The Green Chapel is just a short ride away, so he remains there for three days, feasting at night and resting during the day with the lady of the house.

Another wager follows and at night Gawain and the lord must exchange whatever they have gained during the day. But as Gawain's winnings are kisses from the lady, it's a tricky situation.

In Chilvers' story, Gawain became Gavin, a journalist returning from Iraq with post traumatic stress syndrome.

"It was something that I just wanted to do for my own enjoyment, to re-tell the story in a contemporary setting," says Chilvers. "It's a story I love and I really enjoyed being able to play with it."

At first the beheading theme was a challenge .

"At the time I was talking to a friend about trying to find a place in my story for the beheading. I was writing it at the time that Kenneth Bigley was kidnapped and people were worried he was going to be beheaded and my friend said, 'it is a modern story, look in the papers'."

Falling Through Clouds, published by Bluemoose Books, is available now.