Goodreads asked Penelope Janu:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Penelope Janu With In at the Deep End, I knew I wanted to write a strong female character who had something to do with climate change (I'd done some work on the global legal regulation of climate change). At first the heroine, Harriet, was going to be a scientist. In the end she became an environmentalist, and Per, the hero, is the scientist (and naval officer).
Climate change is a serious issue. What I hope In at the Deep End does is tell readers a little about it in a lighthearted, yet accurate, way.
I knew about Robert Falcon Scott because my grandmother was a great admirer of his. The name Amundsen came up when I was searching for a surname for another character in another novel ... Once I started researching Amundsen and Scott together, I couldn't let it go. And after a while I had Harriet Scott and Per Amundsen. The contemporary characters fascinated me just like their namesakes have fascinated historians!

flag