How History Inspired THE SECRETS ACT Alison Weatherby

How History Inspired THE SECRETS ACT

Alison Weatherby

When I visited Bletchley Park with my family, I was supposed to be taking a much-needed break from writing. I’d recently broken up with my US literary agent and had put my YA mystery in a virtual drawer. It was also a tense time for women, as I was anxiously following the first US election with a female presidential candidate. Regardless, when I stepped into the museum and read that more than 75% of Bletchley’s workers were young women an idea took root in my mind.

These young women, most under the age of 30, worked long hours, sometimes overnight on what was an impossible task – breaking an ‘unbreakable’ code. Their resilience, their work ethic, and their willingness to do hard things was so admirable. I didn’t want my own girls to forget what these girls did, and I wanted other teens to know they had the potential to achieve the unthinkable, just like the young women of Bletchley. 

I’d never written historical fiction before and I will be the first to admit that my research methods were disorganized at best. Every idea was fascinating and until I had a decent idea of the plot, characters, and mystery, I followed every thread. While fun, this ‘process’ was time very consuming. I would not recommend it! Thankfully, my books tend to be character driven and I knew immediately I needed two strong girls as my protagonists.

I wanted The Secrets Act to be a friendship book as well and the two friends had to be as awkward and insecure as today’s teens. But I also needed them have roles and responsibilities at Bletchley that worked for the story and mystery. I listened and read many accounts from actual Bletchley employees both on Bletchley’s Roll of Honour and at the Imperial War Museum’s website. Through these resources, I was able to find inspiration for Ellen and Pearl’s characters. And I also gained an understanding what it was like to live during war times – how these young women dealt with uncertainty and death.

Surprisingly, it reminded me a lot of what teens today are dealing with, growing up in a pandemic. The cloud of uncertainty, changing anxieties, and rigid rules of WW2 England had a familiar tone to what teens faced in 2020. Making that connection was key for me, as it allowed me to truly understand the longing for yesterday mixed with the knowledge life would never be the same again. 

I also was fortunate enough to visit Bletchley Park after the first draft of the novel was done. I tried to time my visit for roughly the same month in which the novel takes place, which was brilliant. I was able to feel the weather, get a sense for the foliage, understand how cold or damp or drafty the huts might be during autumn. While I had also researched the exact temperature of the time period, it was so valuable to feel what it was like in the actual location.

In addition to finding more details on the motorcycles ridden by dispatch riders and getting a feel for the size of the hallway in the mansion, I also was able to stroll the path and imagine I was Ellen or Pearl. It helped me find a sense of place that I tried hard to convey in The Secrets Act. In addition, I took so many little details about clothing, food, and culture from my visit. Bletchley’s employees were humble, but also proud. Even if they didn’t know what part they were playing, they knew they were helping with the war effort.

Through a contact at the Imperial War Museum — a librarian who generously read an early draft of the book for historical accuracy – I planned a visit to the Imperial War Museum in London for further research. In the Archive and Research rooms, I was able to read handwritten accounts and letters of Bletchley workers, helping me better understand how people in that era spoke – what terms they used, how formal they were, and so on. While I did make some adjustments on the advice of my editor – mostly around the use of contractions – I did try to keep the dialog as formal as it would’ve been back then. 

The hardest part, in my mind, about writing historical fiction is saying goodbye to all the ‘good’ bits that didn’t have a place in the story. At one point, there was an entire side plot involving Pearl’s deaf brother who works at the aviation factory in Coventry. I wanted to include something about Coventry and the theory that people knew about the attack before it happened, but early on, I had to decide what facts were necessary to move the plot. Another change was made around the allegiance of the spy ring after my editor pointed out that the historical leaps needed to make were too complicated. I was gutted for days, moping about how I couldn’t make the change and it wasn’t right for history, but I figured it out and my editor was right (she always was). The history, correct or not, doesn’t add anything if it is confusing to the reader. 

The benefits of writing historical fiction are, in my mind, worth the time and effort it takes to do the research. It also helps to know that everything I read for one book tends to spark several ideas for future stories, so I’m never at a loss for inspiration. However, the key for The Secrets Act was finding links to today, not only so I have a better understanding of my protagonists, but so my story really reaches today’s teens.

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Alison Weatherby is the author of The Secrets Act, which was discovered through Chicken House’s 2020 Open Coop. 

Alison writes young adult mysteries from her soggy home in Dublin, which is surprisingly not very different from where she grew up in rainy Seattle, USA. She likes to run, listen to funny podcasts and curl up with a juicy spy novel in front of the fire (when her two kids, husband, and giant dog allow her, that is). 

Find out more about her on her website https://www.alisonweatherby.com/

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THE SECRETS ACT

Codebreaker. Friend. Spy?

A thrilling, nail-biting YA mystery with themes of friendship, loyalty, secrets, and a dash of romance.

‘The appealing setting, nuanced and flawed heroines and engaging plot make this a gripping read’ THE IRISH TIMES

‘A tense and gripping period piece.’ CHRIS SOUL

‘Absolutely brilliant’ FIONA SHARP, Waterstones Bookseller

Wartime.

Pearl and Ellen work at top-secret codebreaking HQ, Bletchley Park.

Pearl is the youngest. A messenger at sixteen, she’s untidy, lively, bright, and half in love with the wrong boy, Richard. Her circle of friends overlaps with his – the dashing young men on their motorcycles who courier the secrets that Bletchley deciphers.

Ellen is a codebreaker. Reserved, analytical and beautiful. She never expected to get close to a girl like Pearl – or fall for a chap like Dennis.

But when tragedy strikes, their logical world is upended, with both friends caught in a spy plot that rocks the very heart of the war effort. Who can they turn to now? Who can they trust? And above all, can they unmask the traitor in their midst before it’s too late?

• Follows two young women, Pearl and Ellen, who are recruited to work at Bletchley Park during the Second World War
• Set in atmospheric 1940s England, The Secrets Act also explores serious historical themes
• Perfect for fans of Code Name Verity

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