Braver – My Inspiration

Braver – my inspiration

How brave are you? The word brave, as defined by Oxford Languages, the world’s leading dictionary publisher, is ‘courageous behaviour or character’. This implies two things – that either you can behave as though you’re not afraid (even if you are) or that your personality is naturally inclined towards bravery.

I always used to think that bravery was related to confidence, something I’ve never had much of. But looking back, I’ve done things some of my more confident friends say they could never do. These include hitch-hiking round Europe, living abroad, rebuilding a house and more recently writing a book. All these things were adventures that I’m so glad I’ve had but all of them were stressful in their own way. The thing is, I felt nervous about doing them but each time, my confidence levels were raised. They made me braver.

Crucially, all these things were done with others. I travelled with friends, became part of an ex-pat community, worked on the house with family and wrote my book with the support of a fabulous writing network. Pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones makes us braver, but it’s hard to do that without the support of others. For me, community is the spur towards bravery.

With a tendency to worry, I began to wonder what it would be like living with chronic daily anxiety for years at a time. How do you cope when the very nuts and bolts of life are a constant source of stress? Shopping for food; going to work; interacting with others – all these things must have such power to terrify. How do people cope? When life generally overwhelms rather than energises, what support systems are out there to lean on?

Thus, Braver was born. The main protagonist is Hazel, a teaching assistant with a neurodiverse personality who struggles to make sense of the world. Fearful at work, and burdened by her responsibilities there, she feels misunderstood and alone, seeking refuge in chocolate and box sets in her tiny flat at night. Until one day, she literally bumps into unconventional church minister, Virginia, and Harry, a vulnerable teenager. The three of them form an unlikely friendship. As they are drawn into their local church community, each finds strength to face their demons, enabling them to become braver.

After many rejections and ‘non-replies’, I eventually had two offers for Braver. It finally found a home with the wonderful Fairlight Books who are publishers of literary fiction and would, I think, describe it as ‘uplit’. But it has its dark side. One NetGalley reviewer wrote: ‘Not everything is rosy in the garden of Braver: its characters deal with alcoholism, accusations of abuse, mental illness, loss, bullying and fear, but this is a novel of hope and love and the value of friends and community…’

This is one of my favourite reviews because it sums up both the darkness and light in the book. Life is hard for everyone to some degree, full of challenges we must overcome. For some, these are relatively minor but for others they are huge, depending on the families they’ve been born into or, due to circumstances, felt forced to lead. But if we just see life this way, as a series of problems to solve, we miss out on the beauty. We fail to see signs of possibility and hope, the love that is available to us if we set out to find it.

My three main characters, Hazel, Virginia and Harry find this through the friendship and support of people at their local church. I had read several books about people finding a sense of belonging through local community groups – at a swimming pool, among fellow dog walkers, at a café. I loved the messages these stories shared, that a welcome from strangers and a growing sense of belonging can transform us and give us the strength to face our troubles. 

I was advised that it would be very difficult to have such a book accepted for publication because readers don’t want to read about the positives associated with the church. This could be because Christians are not often presented in a good light, portrayed as disapproving and judgy but this has not been my experience. Involved in churches all my life, I have found them to be warm and welcoming, committed to helping others and running many supportive activities such as food banks, well-being cafes, Mums and Toddlers groups, computer classes and lunch clubs. Faith does not have to be loud and brash; it is a lens through which life is seen and lived. There are many thousands of churches worldwide, quietly and often sacrificially, getting on with the job of serving their local communities.

Thus, in Braver, Hazel finds practical help; Virginia finds connection; Harry finds the sense of family he doesn’t get at home. But when an accusation threatens to destroy everything they’ve worked for, will their friendships survive?

I do not think many people are naturally inclined towards bravery, or if they are, their capacity to be brave will at some point diminish, depending on circumstances. But, in my experience, we can behave bravely in difficult circumstances, spurred on by faith in God, people and other community groups. And each time we do, we become braver.

BRAVER

Hazel has never felt normal. Struggling with OCD and anxiety, she isolates herself from others and sticks to rigid routines in order to cope with everyday life. But when she forms an unlikely friendship with Virginia, a church minister, Hazel begins to venture outside her comfort zone.

Having rebuilt her own life after a traumatic loss, Virginia has become the backbone of her community, caring for those in need and mentoring disadvantaged young people. Yet a shock accusation threatens to unravel everything she has worked for.

Told with warmth, compassion and gentle humour, ‘Braver’ is an uplifting story about the strength that can be drawn from friendship and community.

Braver is published on the 30th June 2022 and will be available from UK bookshops and Amazon, worldwide. More details about the book and ordering options can be found here

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Deborah is a freelance writer and primary teacher who has worked in schools in the UK and abroad. She has written several educational textbooks, as well as articles for the TES online and Guardian Weekend, among other publications. Her short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies, and she has also published a novella, The Evenness of Things.

Deborah lives in Sussex, England, and enjoys reading, walking, gardening, travel and good coffee. She writes a blog at https://www.stillwonderinghere.net/.

Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/Loverofhats

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing