With her bright red lipstick, funky glasses, and wicked sense of humour, your first assumption when meeting Rosie Radcliffe might not immediately be ‘retired priest’.
In fact, she admits that she didn’t used to tell people she was a priest until they got to know her a little: ‘I think people can often assume that priests are all very stuffy and proper and you should be on your best behaviour. I’d much rather someone relax and be entirely themselves, swearing and all.
‘The truth is we’re a pretty unshockable bunch in the clergy; it’s a job where you encounter all walks of life on a daily basis, and find yourself thrown into all sorts of unusual situations.’
It also means that writing is something Rosie has been doing for years, with countless weekly sermons to create, as well as wedding celebrations, and eulogies (often on very limited information). She loved to write poems and stories as a child, even winning the school essay prize.
‘I left home at 17 and moved to London where I worked for The Times doing admin and answering the phones, my second job was The Sunday Times.
‘When we moved to Lowther after a few years in the Midlands I had a job in the estate office, then I was a practice manager for an osteopath. I only trained to become a priest in my 40s and got a Masters degree in Theology. When the kids were little I wrote for an American magazine all about life in The Lakes and the history of the area. I’m a wife, mother and grandmother, and during the Foot and Mouth outbreak I found myself a radio spokesperson in Cumbria.
‘You could say I’m not afraid to try new things.
‘In lockdown I dug out the book I’d been writing for years and finally finished it.’
Now living in Freckleton, lockdown was a challenge for Rosie who uses a wheelchair due to a rare condition called psoriatic arthritis which meant she was particularly vulnerable. ‘It causes the immune system to attack itself. Treatment suppresses the immune reaction but it makes me vulnerable to infection. My feet and legs are the worst affected, but it also brings a degree of cognitive impairment and limited energy.
‘Writing is therapy for me as it takes me away into my head where I forget all about any physical limitations. It was a godsend during lockdown to keep me from going stir crazy!’
Rosie describes her first completed draft as ‘terrible’ but says it was the inspiration she needed. ‘I worked really hard to improve my craft. I went on courses and soaked up every scrap of information, I learned a lot about the industry and Frankie and Dot is the hard-earned result. I’m hoping a second book ‘Sitting Tenant’ will be coming out next year.’
Frankie and Dot tells the story of a London socialite framed by her politician husband and wrongfully sent to prison for arson. Once out on parole, she finds herself in a seaside boarding house far from the luxuries she once took for granted. When anonymous messages begin to arrive urging Frankie to ‘keep quiet’ she enlists the help of a new friend to unravel a tangled web of deceit.
‘It’s a mystery at its heart.
‘It’s also a bit of an ‘ode to Lancashire’ because I’m very proud of my Northern roots. I set it in Lytham St Annes because it’s one of my favourite areas and where I spend a lot of time people-watching and getting ideas for stories. My only regret is that the lovely deli featured in the book doesn’t exist in real life!
‘Frankie and Dot is ultimately a book about redemption. In the sense that what you need – and what makes you happy in the end - doesn’t always look how you thought it would.
‘But life can be even more rewarding than expected.’
Frankie and Dot is released November 28 and available to pre-order via major booksellers.
rosieradcliffe.co
