by Jon Hartless
Poppy, however, quickly learned all Simeon could teach her and the liaison burned out rather more quickly on her side than his, despite his efforts to the contrary. Besides of which, Poppy clearly viewed her friendship with Helena as being rather more important than the affair – and she certainly had no intention of being Simeon’s self-appointed ingénue.
Of course, the media didn’t stop there in their attempt to discredit the revelations against McArdle; their second line of attack lay in disinterring – once again – Poppy’s alleged treason, as well as casting aspersions upon the reputation of Dewsbury Publishing and my own scholarship. The accusations against Poppy will be thoroughly refuted by this series of books on her life, while the last is worthy of nothing more than a sharp rebuttal and a brief explanation on the publishing history of these volumes.
While it is true that a biography is normally a dry, factual account on the subject’s life, it must be understood by the reader that other forces are always at work. Not one publisher in over a hundred was interested in telling the full story of Poppy’s life; Dewsbury, almost the last publisher on my list, only agreed on condition the book be presented in dramatic rather than scholarly form.
I agreed – albeit with reservations – and since signing the contract for the series I have battled constant editorial infringement demanding virtually all the clichés of cheap fiction be emphasised within the work; the drama, the romance, the final kiss and so on. Even the title of book one was imposed by the marketing department as “something they could work with.”
Do please be assured, (as stated in Full Throttle), that everything within these volumes did take place, though some scenes have been compressed or moved for varying reasons. If I have glossed over any aspect of Poppy’s life, it is only because I must be careful not to antagonise the prejudices of the press or any other self-appointed moral guardians. And here I must openly offer my thanks to the staff at Dewsbury Publishing for all their work – Poppy’s story would not be told without them.
Other accusations against me are scarcely worth consideration. Yes, I acknowledge the debt to Rona Langston’s excellent – though brief – biography, Poppy Orpington, a Life Revealed, published by Lincoln Women’s Press in 1978, a few years after the discovery of Poppy’s arm in France, while Tara Copeland’s Infamous Woman, 1982, Cheswell Books, has already done much to exonerate Poppy from the claims of treachery. However, neither writer enjoyed a large public platform; nor did they have access to the huge archive of private papers I have been able to draw upon.
I hope this brief explanation has clarified some background details and helped bring calm to the reader.
Volume III, Fall of the Petrol Queen, is well under way and should see print next year. Its topic is the Le Mans 24 hour endurance, so integral to the myth of the Thunderbolt Team, and also details the end of the original Thunderbolt Motor Company, which would rise and fall spectacularly over the following few years.
May I meet you again for the final blaze of Poppy’s vibrant life before tragedy engulfed her.
James Henry Birkin, editor.
Full Throttle
Jon Hartless
As expensive steam-powered automobiles speed across the land, Poppy Orpington is trapped and going nowhere – until her father reveals his secret project, a petrol-fuelled car ready for the race track. But will they even be allowed to compete?
Racing is the preserve of the wealthy elite and few will welcome a working class family onto their hallowed ground. Can Poppy overcome social prejudice and conformity, or will her one and only chance of a better life be crushed before it can even begin?
About the Author
Jon Hartless is an avid fan of steampunk, racing and pulp fiction. He lives in rural Kidderminster and spends much of his time in the Black Country, which serves as an inspiration for the settings of his books.
He’s written several books under a handful of pseudonyms, and made his YA debut with the first in The Poppy Orpington Chronicles, Full Throttle, in Summer 2017.
Rise of the Petrol Queen is the second in this series.
Published by Accent Press Ltd 2019
www.accentpress.co.uk
Copyright © Jon Hartless 2019
The right of Jon Hartless to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher: Accent Press Ltd.
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ISBN 9781786156938
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