The Inspiration Behind The House at the End of the Moor

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is my favorite book of all-time. So rich in character development. So emotionally satisfying. The mystery. The intrigue. The heart-wrenching choices Jane must make. But there is one thing I never really understood when Jane goes running off to the moor.

What the heck is a moor?

Being I live in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, I had no idea. Of course I looked it up, read about it, saw pictures, yet none of those really did it justice. So when I went to England, naturally I had to see one for myself…and I was hooked forevermore.

Moorland is characterized by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Usually they have big rolling hills and are quite rocky. The UK hosts an estimated 10-15% of the world’s moors, which is quite impressive considering that it’s not that big to begin with. Some regard them as lonely, desolate places that are best to be avoided. I think they’re wonderfully atmospheric and so vast that you feel like nothing more than a speck of dust, which is always a humbling experience. 

I was first inspired to write The House at the End of the Moor when I hiked part of the Pennine Way near Haworth—the very same stretch of land that Charlotte Bronte used to walk. Sunset neared, casting long shadows and kicking my imagination into high gear. My husband had wandered off, as he often does, so I was alone. For whatever reason, I wondered what it would be like if I stumbled across a body. Not a dead one, mind you, but someone who needed help. How on earth would I do so?

And so began the seed of the idea for a story. It was on another trip when I hiked around Dartmoor and visited the Dartmoor Prison Museum that the rest of the story fell into place. And when I visited the small town of Lydford just outside of Dartmoor on yet another trip, I knew I had to write it.

Here’s a blurb for The House at the End of the Moor. 

What Can a London Opera Star and an Escaped Dartmoor Prisoner Have in Common?
 
Opera star Maggie Lee escapes her opulent lifestyle when threatened by a powerful politician who aims to ruin her life. She runs off to the wilds of the moors to live in anonymity. All that changes the day she discovers a half-dead man near her house. Escaped convict Oliver Ward is on the run to prove his innocence, until he gets hurt and is taken in by Maggie. He discovers some jewels in her possession—the very same jewels that got him convicted. Together they hatch a plan to return the jewels, clearing Oliver’s name and hopefully maintaining Maggie’s anonymity.