The sister who takes her brother's place in war - Chichester novel

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Chichester author Kate Wiseman offers her first book for adults with The Red Tunic (Neem Tree Press, £9.99).

Kate, aged 60, said: “The Red Tunic is about twins Nina and Alfie, growing up before the First World War. Neither fits in with society’s gender expectations: Nina is outspoken and troublesome; Alfie is gentle and nurturing. They find their own ways of expressing themselves and are heavily reliant on each other. On their 18th birthday, Alfie receives his call up to fight. Nina conceives a plan to go in his stead and to send him to take her place as a nurse in a military hospital.

“It might sound far-fetched, but I did a lot of research and was amazed at the number of women throughout history who have fought as men. There were hundreds in the American Civil War, for instance, and they found ingenious ways of hiding their true gender. There was also one British woman who was admitted into the Serbian army as a woman during the First World War and ended up on Serbian stamps!

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“I hope that people will be intrigued to read about experiencing battle and life in the trenches from a woman’s point of view. There’s also a love story, which is largely based on someone I had a huge crush on as a teenager. I hope he doesn’t read it! The gender subject is very topical at the moment, and I’m hoping to present it from a new angle. There is so much anger around the subject, which saddens me. We’re all human beings, trying to make the most out of our lives.”

Kate added: “I’ve been fascinated by the First World War for many years and have visited the Western Front several times. I was there for the centenary of the Battle of Paschendaele and that inspired me to start writing The Red Tunic. I’m amazed at the artistic output inspired by such a catastrophic event. It also seems to represent some kind of cut-off point between the old fashioned ideas of duty and empire and gallantry, and a modern, realistic concept of life. There was also an element of Twelfth Night – my favourite Shakespeare play – in there in the idea of twins assuming each other’s roles.

“I hope that The Red Tunic will appeal to people interested in war and in the way women’s roles have evolved. Nina’s suffragette Great Aunt Julia is one of my favourite characters in it! And of course, there’s the romantic element too.

“I loved researching and writing this book. There was so much I had to check on. It would have been very easy to make an assumption that would destroy the credibility of what I was writing. Even things like the noises people heard on the battlefield and the order in which they would hear them, had to be checked. I got very involved with the characters and loved working on their development. They kind of took over the story after a while and led me rather than the other way round. I was sorry to end the story and am hoping to write a sequel

which I can’t say too much about.

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“The book starts with Nina waiting to go into battle for the first time. She looks back at key events during hers and Alfie’s childhoods that have led them to their current situations. Lots of things happen after that, both good and bad. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster. At least I hope so. I hope there will be a sequel, but I can’t give any details because they would give away a crucial plot point.

“This is my first book for adults, and I hope to write many more. I have written several books for children and young adults including the Gangster School series of comedies and a fantasy for teens called Icarus and Velvet. I’m a dedicated mudlark, which basically means I have a permit to search the foreshore of the Thames in London for artefacts and treasure. Based on that I’m currently writing a children’s series called The Mudlark Mysteries. They’re set in Victorian London and feature a group of youngsters who find all kinds of strange, valuable things that lead them into adventure and peril.”

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