I first became aware of Etheldreda when I visited Ely Cathedral in 2002. I was working on a novel about a girl from Ely, in which my main character formed a relationship with the saint. Most of that novel was jettisoned and I went on to a new project, but the connection stayed with me and became the backbone of East Coast Road.
When I started writing about Jen and Ethie, I knew some of the places on their journey already, but there were stretches of the journey I was unfamiliar with and I wanted to get a feel of how it actually felt to walk that far. I applied to the Arts Council in 2015 and was delighted that they agreed to fund my walk as research for my novel. I didn’t walk the 500 miles in one go, or even quite in the right order – but I did it. I dragged along various family members for company and met some great people along the way. More information about the journey can be found on my website at www.annachilvers.co.uk/eastcoastroad.
Those of you already familiar with Etheldreda’s story – or those of you with eagle eyes glancing at her timeline – will realise that I have taken liberties with her story. I have created a love story between Etheldreda and Egfrith, although history suggests that no such thing existed – quite the contrary, in fact. I have also completely erased one of the most important people in her story – her steward, Ovin. This is because East Coast Road isn’t a novel about St Etheldreda: it’s a novel about Jen, a twenty-first century girl coming to terms with loss, loneliness and growing up. The Ethie in this story is Jen’s own invention, made up of fragments of Etheldreda’s story that she remembers, or misremembers.