When I was first planning the Saltbury series I had four main characters in mind.  First, there were Debbie Stewart and her beloved wife, Martine.  These two were meant to be the central figures, but somehow Hazel, the younger of their two daughters, muscled in and rather took over.  The fourth character was Hazel’s girlfriend.  She was originally going to be called Anna: a cool, refined beauty who Haze could hardly believe would even look at her.  She’d lived all over the world with her engineering trouble-shooter parents and had an urbane sophistication well beyond her seventeen years.

But then a close male relative of mine got engaged to a girl called Anna and I didn’t want her to think that my character was based on her, so Anna changed her name to Annie.  I wasn’t sure I liked it at first, but it grew on me, and the funny thing was that as soon as Annie settled in, her character started to change.  Anna’s rather serious nature evolved into a figure of mischief, with a sarcastic tongue and a streak of irresponsibility.  Oh, she’s still spectacularly beautiful.  She still has her sophistication, her mid-Atlantic way of speaking and air of worldly wisdom, and Hazel still has trouble believing how in love with her Annie is.  But she’s a lot more fun now; a lot sportier and, I’m afraid, a lot more dangerous to know.  I prefer her this way, but I don’t have to live with her.  I sometimes wonder if Hazel might not have been safer with Anna.