Liz Gifford – The Mischief Makers

Daphne du Maurier grew up with J M Barrie a familiar presence in the nursery, spinning tales of Peter Pan, just for her and her sisters Angela and Jeanne. Years later, Daphne realised that Barrie was not the benign influence she imagined. In The Mischief Makers, Daphne struggles to untangle herself from his shadow and tries to save her marriage to her beloved ‘Boy’ Browning, – she also endeavours to understand the dark tragedies that came from Barrie’s adoption of her five cousins, the ‘Peter Pan boys’.

Elisabeth Gifford has written six historical novels set in Scotland, Cornwall and Poland. She worked for many years as a teacher for dyslexic children and has a Masters in creative writing. For the last few years, she has been researching the life of Daphne du Maurier and enjoyed spending time in Fowey and in a cottage in the grounds of Menabilly, the inspiration for Rebecca’s Manderley.