Jimmy O'Dea and Maureen Potter

I have just been reading a biography of Jimmy O'Dea, who was a comedian and actor in Ireland in during the 20th century. When I was a kid, my parents would take me every year to the Christmas pantomime, in the Gaiety Theatre. It was great fun, and the star of the show was Maureen Potter who had worked with Jimmy. He created a "dame" character, Mrs Mulligan, who was an old Dublin woman who sold vegetables at a street stall. He was very funny and topical as was Maureen Potter. We didn't get to the theatre much but my parents liked the comedy of the pantomime. As I grew older I began to go to the serious theatre, and dabbled in acting. But my first experiences were at those Christmas pantos. Jimmy died in 1964 and Maureen died some years ago

Frances Hodgson Burnett 1849-1924

Burnett was a well known writer in the Victorian age, whose books for children became best sellers. She was born in Manchester to a business family. In her childhood, the family lost money, after the death of her father. They moved to America, to Tennesee. She liked writing and began to earn some money writing stories... She loved flowers and that led, later to her book The Secret Garden. She grew up partly in Manchester, but had relatives in America who took her in when her family lost its money. Then her uncle's business in Tennessee failed and she was forced to rely on her own resources. She married Swan Burnett, who was training as a doctor, when she was just 22. They spent a couple of years in Paris, where Swan completed his studies. They had two sons, Lionel and Vyvyan, whom she loved and dressed in fancy clothes. They returned to America, and Swan began to make a fair living as a doctor, but they had money problems and Frances continued to write, and earned quite well, but her husband resented her being more successful than him. Tensions built up in her marriage, and she became exhausted with looking after her children, writing and being a literary hostess. In 1884 she wrote her most successful novel Little Lord Fauntleroy, about a child who turns out to be the son of an English lord... While some critics mocked the work, especially the bits about young Cedric wearing velvet suits and having long curls, it sold very well and she was comfortably off. But her elder son Lionel died of TB and her marriage was on a downward slide. She lived partly in England and partly back in America. She and Swan divorced in 1898 - on grounds of desertion by her husband.. but it was a mutual decision. She had met an actor, Stephen Townsend and in her house in England, she moved him in, calling him her secretary. There was gossip about this, and she then married him. But he was much younger than her, and it was clear that he had married her for her money. She soon discovered that the marriage was a big mistake. Another of her better known novels was Sara Crew, also known as The Little Princess. It is a story about a young girl whose father has to go away, and he puts her in a girls' school. Sara then learns that her father has died, and she is left very poor. Her headmistress keeps her but makes her take on the duties of a servant. Sara retains her dignity and shows that she is a "little princess" in character.

Publishing stories - Update

Due to illness I've had to stop publishing my stories at present. I'll update in case people would like to read some of them. Still ill....

Roman Bride

Its a short story, by Nadine Sutton available on Amazon. A story of a British soldier, part of King Arthur's band, who marries a Roman lady. She finds that one of the women in the Fort seems to be chasing her husband.

Roman Bride a story by Nadine Sutton

This story is available on Amazon... I may publish some more in due course but Im not in great health. Hope some people will like my historical romances. I've enjoyed writing in different eras.

The Kitten lady and her kittens

Hannah is busy with Kitten Season and looking after tiny cats who need care and love. People can help by fostering little kittens till they are old enough to go to a forever home.

Roman Bride By Nadine Sutton.. a short novella.

A story I've republished, which is available on Amazon. Its a short romantic story set in the time of King Arthur, about a British soldier who marries Flavia, a Romano British lady.. who is not sure she wants to be married to a British man. She finds that a lady of Arthur's court seems to have an interest in her husband. Available on Amazon by Nadine Sutton.