ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT AUTHOR PROFILE
ELLEN HANNAVY-COUSEN
A KENT-BASED AUTHOR , ELLEN HANNAVY-COUSEN HAS ALWAYS LOVED LITERATURE . HOWEVER , IT WASN ’ T UNTIL SHE BEGAN HER TEACHING CAREER SHE REALISED SHE COULD USE HER WRITING TALENT TO RAISE AWARENESS OF CRITICAL ISSUES AFFECTING THE VULNERABLE .
Tell us a little about yourself and your writing journey ? Having spent my childhood immersed in books and reading , I was able to make a career out of my love of literature by spending over 40 years teaching the subject . While bringing up two children with my husband , I studied part-time for a BA and then an MA in English and American literature at the University of Kent . My teaching career took me from London to Kent and East Sussex , where I have taught in various schools both private and state . It was here that I witnessed so many situations and incidents that were far too concerning to be kept quiet . This became more apparent when I took on a volunteering role with Victim Support .
Tell us a little about your latest book , Of No Consequence ; what can our readers expect ? This is a novel based on actual events , though of course all the details are dealt with through fiction . It is fundamentally about a looked after child , a girl called Joanna who was abandoned as a baby , and her life in various foster homes and schools . At age 16 , she fears being rejected one more time and runs away , spending a gruelling winter living on a boat in Kent . In attempting to save the life of a drowning boy , she inadvertently uncovers a slave racket embedded in England ’ s affluent South East . Expect to be concerned about the other characters that Joanna encounters and for the uncomfortable fact that the rule of law , contrary to its intention , helps create ideal conditions for the slave-masters to prosper .
What was the main inspiration behind Of No Consequence ? In my capacity as head of year I met a looked after child of 12 years old . She had to be moved from the school as her foster parents no longer wanted her . She was a gentle , quiet child , but what shocked me most was the fact that in the one year alone that preceded our meeting , she had been in 17 different foster placements . There began the germ of an idea . I was also encountering various situations with other students , recognising that what I was hearing on the news about child slavery was actually happening in the area I was teaching . It was also very clear that there was a difference in approach from the police to those children who went missing from socially deprived areas to those from more affluent homes . Hearing from victims who had been supported by Victim Support gave me authentic evidence to use in my novel .
What do you hope readers will gain from reading Of No Consequence ? A realisation that there is the potential for callous abuse of the vulnerable wherever we live . Every character in my book is important and I hope the reader can care about each one and listen to their voice , but most important of all is to give children respect . I hope that there can also be an understanding of the lengths that people might have to go to in order to survive in a world where compassion seems to be slipping away . Equally , I hope that the novel will grip you to the end .
Ellen ’ s book is available at Waterstones , WHSmith and in independent book shops . Published by The Book Guild Ltd ; ISBN 978 1913913 885 . www . insidekent . co . uk • 29