Lime asked Jennifer Ryan:

Hi Jennifer, Thank you for answering so many questions! I also really enjoyed your book The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. My favourite characters are Edwina Paltry and her sister Clara. Could you tell us how you got the idea for Edwina and what or who inspired her personality? It would also be nice to learn more about Edwina's back story...maybe in a future book? Thanks.

Jennifer Ryan What a great question! Edwina Paltry was inspired by a story from my grandmother. She told me that because war was hectic, horrifying, and sometimes deadly, people often began to take morals and the law into their own hands, especially to make a little extra money. The police was far smaller than usual as all the young men had gone to fight, and with all the bombs and chaos, no one was watching what was going on.
My grandmother's pregnant neighbor made use of this. She needed a boy (I don't know the details about why) and promised money to a shady midwife if she could swap her baby for a boy should it be a girl. My grandmother didn't know the details, but her mother told her that the babies had indeed been swapped.
It's a remarkable story, and I wanted to explore it in the context of a story. I loved writing her letters to Clara. She has such a bold, self-serving voice, and I gave her a knack for metaphor to give her extra flavor.
Thanks for your question. I'm so thrilled that you loved the book.

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