Surrey Blackburn

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Recently published (March 2009): “Tales From My Grandmother” ~ Memories of a Child in World War II England

What the critics are saying: “From the first page of the book’s twenty tales, the read is like a lovely fall down a rabbit hole where everything has a sort-of Saturday morning feel from the reader’s own childhood. There is however an urgency to discover every next page as it guides the reader into a time in history that must not be forgotten.” ~ Pacifica Tribune April, 2009

What the author’s family in England is saying: “We have found it has brought back so many memories we had all forgotten. We laugh and cry and feel close again.” ~ Joan Murphy

Prestigious invites and acceptances: “Tales From My Grandmother” invited to show at April 09 London Book Fair. Surrey’s book was also accepted into the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

Especially charming place to purchase book: Florey’s Book Co., 2120 Palmetto, Pacifica, CA

Author readings to date: Florey’s Books, Pacifica, CA; Orinda Books, Orinda, CA; Ocean Shore School, Pacifica, CA; Las Gallinas School, San Rafael, CA; Sonoma County Literary Guild, Occidental Radio Station and various Service Organizations.

A quick file of facts on Surrey: Married, mother of two, grandmother to five, she can be seen yearly as Miss Havisham in the San Francisco Dickens Fair. (Note, costume by Surrey Blackburn.) She has worked as a Bay Area educator, ten years as a banker, five years as a Business Valuation Specialist, and seven years as the Executive Director on Angel Island. She has also run a photography business for 18 years capturing the moments of life. As a frustrated photo journalist she finds weddings are a great way to capture those fleeting moments – just those moments that say a thousand words.

Readers will find a collection of stories which grow more sophisticated as the writer ages. Tales that will help stir up memories that are from the pure and simple heart of a child. They will find that in the reading of the tales, they will recall memories of their own childhood and how they felt in adversity and in moments of childlike joy.

There are heroes that were part of your life and part of your book. Do you think of these people often in context with your life during the War?

Everyone was a hero during the War. There is such a need to pull together, to make your own needs and wants subservient to the needs and wants of your family, friends and country. It is a time of such self-sacrificing, that it is wonder that when the urgency is over we do not all become demanding and selfish. However rationing went on for ten more years after the war ended in England and that was hard – especially when we saw the Germans getting a great deal more food and clothing than we got.

I wrote the book for many reasons. One because I suddenly had the time, two because my granddaughter India urged me and three because I thought it would help other grandparents to open up to their grandchildren. Shared memories can give the sense of being part of history to a grandparent and to bridging the generation gap to a grandchild. I do believe that the disrespect for the aging process that seems to be prevalent in America, needs some tender reminders of the value of the wisdom and experience of our elders.

At first it was not at all hard to write. The tales flowed from the pen to paper with very little changes. After I had written fourteen of the tales I got writers block. Strangely, although I knew the tales I wanted to tell, I did not want to go to the memory place. It was too painful and too raw. It took a visit to a skilled hypnotherapist in Pacifica, Susan Bishop, to help unlock the fears and memories and I was able not only to write the remaining six tales, but to rewrite the other tales. I could then add even more details that made them rich in details and feelings.

Evacuation, air raids, gas masks, ration books, endless queues, unexploded bombs, the radio news, VE Day, and sharing and learning ways to do without.

As a grandmother I have realized the importance of sharing with the next generation your experiences growing up. Anywhere! A friend, who is my age, was encouraged after reading the book, to tell his childhood stories to his grandchildren. He found how much joy he shared with them and how much he learned about them from their questions.

Your illustrator, Gabhor Utomo, has very much captured you growing up in World War II England.

Gabhor and I had previously worked together and I knew he would be perfect for this book. Together we worked with my granddaughters, India and her younger sister Annika, who posed for many of the illustrations. India was about the same age I was towards the end of the stories, and Annika was my age in the early part of the book. Gabhor was absolutely committed to presenting this period in history, and in my life, and he did. I would give him books showing the clothing of the period. I sent him to many websites for historical information, such as the history of St. Paul’s Cathedral during the War – and he took it all in and created magic.

Many Brits who are living in the Bay Area and want to share with me their own war experiences. Too many in fact to mention, but possibly material for another book!

Perhaps the most amazing was an order for the book from a long lost cousin. I have not had contact with him in 40 years. He ordered the book from his new home in France. After he read the book he wrote, “I enjoyed your book thoroughly. I found I was able to connect with nearly all the tales, either because I knew the legend or because I knew the places or the people. I shared your great affection for Aunt Rose. She was my favorite too and she worked hard at maintaining our relationship.” That was such a great new discovery. Had it not been for the book we might not have ever connected.

What kinds of comments and questions have you heard from your young readers?

The most rewarding experiences are from the school children. They validated my choice of having my granddaughter India give her comments at the end of each tale. Her questions evoked such a response that even the teachers were amazed at the ‘Imaginary Friends’ and ‘Brave deeds of friends and relatives’ that their students revealed. The comments were all so real and so from the heart that I felt the stories had touched the children in such a way as to evoke that response.

Children adapt so well to any given experience. They accept whatever life doles out, in part because they are not in control of their own lives and in part because their world is just the family. But it was a time for us all to notice the importance of sharing and caring. Not all adults were able to share and care and those became obvious to us kids. Perhaps it made us more tolerant.

I did return and visited my cousin Hilda, who at 87 is glad to share the book with her friends. They too found that it brought back many memories which they shared with each other, which in turn brought up even more amazing recollections, some sad, some happy.

There are more stories you experienced from your childhood in World War II Bristol. Will you write these down as well?

I have written just three more tales about the War, which may or may not be joined by the tales that people shared with me at book readings.

They love the stories and often use them as a reference for some event we are sharing together. My grandson Zane was showing me his new birthday present, a water pistol, when he said: “I am sorry Memos, I know guns must make you feel bad, but this one is just for fun.”