Serendipity Strikes Again
Lincoln cathedral, nave
This week David and I are on a working holiday revisiting the locations of the Eleanor crosses in the Midlands. I’m making contacts for author events for The Twelfth Cross (coming soon) and also shooting footage to help promote the book. It’s an exciting and scary adventure beyond my comfort zone; pushing myself to speak to librarians and bookshop owners about the novel and potential events. Most people have been warm and encouraging. But a couple of encounters have been ‘serendipitous.’
Yesterday we were in my favourite cathedral, Lincoln, filming at the tomb of Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I. The main character in the medieval part of the story is her scribe, Brother Clément. Wandering around the cathedral I spotted a young priest dressed in a long black robe, as if a monk. He put me in mind of Clément and I wished I could photograph him. Minutes later, he walked right past me and suddenly I found myself asking if I could film him. He graciously agreed and became enthusiastic as I explained a little about the book. Eventually he revealed that he too is an amateur writer of medieval historical fiction! What are the odds? I shot some video and we nattered away until he suddenly realised he was late for saying afternoon prayers and rushed off. It was a lovely encounter that felt to me like a ‘divine appointment.
To my astonishment, this was shortly followed by another equally remarkable ‘coincidence.’ In Lincoln, I planned to visit two bookshops and the library. Unicorn Tree Books was closed and in Lindum Books, the owner was busy but gave me her contact details. I was slightly disheartened. Looking for the library, we stumbled upon a bookshop that hadn’t come up in my online searches. I seized the moment and walked into Lark Books. At the desk, a customer was asking, ‘What was the name of that coffee again?’ The owner replied, ‘Blind Byard; he was a legendary horse – all the coffees in this selection are named after local folklore.’ The customer moved away and I was able to open with, ‘I retell the story of Blind Byard’s Leap in the book I’ve come to talk to you about.’ She was all ears. The bookshop opened just this week and Liz is eager to venture into author events.
Again, what are the odds? I ‘chanced’ to walk into the shop at the very moment the owner was telling a customer about something in my novel. Truth surely is stranger than fiction!
To some, these two chance encounters would be just that – chance. Many would say, ‘It was meant to be.’ To me, ‘meant’ implies some kind of intention and intention points to a divine being, not an impersonal force like fate. I took these two brief encounters to be divine appointments and came away from Lincoln with a sense of joyful wonder.
Have you experienced any serendipitous encounters? Please share below.
