The 1970s might seem like a very long time ago, but – for me – it’s not so historical. This story is set in February 1974, when I was four years old. I can’t remember much about that actual month, but I do remember a lot about the decade and, with a bit of help from others, I was able to write this book.
So what was it like in Britain in 1974? For one thing, there was rationing. Yes! Just like with food and clothes during wartime – but in this year it involved energy. People couldn’t turn on their lights or run a bath whenever they wanted. There were many reasons for this – long, complicated reasons – but the one most related to Jason’s story is that miners went on strike for better pay and safer working conditions. This meant that there wasn’t enough coal to produce electricity and heat buildings so, while the government and miners were trying to reach an agreement, many businesses ran for only three days per week.
Those hard times meant that Jason and Richie needed money. And each of them chose a different way to get it. For Jason the newspaper reward seemed like the answer. By today’s standards, £100 (even though it’s still a lot of money) might not seem enough to help pay for a house. But … remember … in the 1970s you could buy things for ½p. Yes, half a penny! Not a house, obviously, but more than one sweet!
All this was the backdrop for my story, but what I wanted to write about most of all was a group of friends who search for something and who, in the process, learn new things about themselves and each other. But … what could they search for?
I’ve always been interested in people who claim to have seen strange creatures – like a large wild cat – in unexpected places. Now we call these urban myths – tales which people insist are true, saying that it happened to someone they know. The Welsh valley setting fitted this well – I know from growing up in one that they’re brilliant places for rumours to spread! The quest could begin …
I hope you enjoyed journeying back to the 1970s with Jason, Catrin, Jinx and Tam, and being part of their adventure.