In the early months of 2003, as the United States of America and the United Kingdom were forging a coalition in the face of war with Iraq, two citizens of those nations were contemplating a collaboration of a very different kind.

The American artist (and writer) Roger T. Vorhauer was idling away a few minutes in an Internet chat room when he happened to read the profile of an English lady there. He introduced himself to the poet (and water colour painter) Susan Allan, and an on-line friendship developed that culminated not only in an art project but also a joint writing partnership of which The Mayflower Maid , Jamestown Woman and Restoration Lady are a result.

For Susan, the writing of this novel was her way of  paying tribute to her heroes - the Separatists- and their great courage when faced by persecution. For Roger,  just a regular American family man, it was a voyage of  rediscovering the story of the Pilgrim Fathers and learning  afresh how they came to be driven from the shores of England. Both dream of being able to help obtain and to finance refurbishments to  Pilgrim sites of Heritage in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire to help keep the story of the Pilgrims alive. 

Now their dream is on the brink of coming true! In the past few years they have not only witnessed their first novel win acclaim but also a dramatic revival in interest in The Pilgrim Fathers in the land of their birth and the recent formation of The Pilgrim Fathers UK Origins Association of which they are founding members.

Why they wrote their New World Trilogy together...

In 2003, Sue Allan and Roger Vorhauer were dismayed to discover that most people in England had very little idea of where the Pilgrim Fathers originated. Then, the subject of The Pilgrim Fathers (or Separatists) was not widely taught in schools. Even in the areas closest to Scrooby, Austerfield and Gainsborough, the majority of ordinary people had little or no knowledge about them or even recognized names such as Brewster, Bradford, Carver, Robinson or that this hallowed company hailed from that part of the country.  

To Sue and Roger, this was a travesty that just had to be set right and so their personal ‘crusade’ began. But just how do you set about reclaiming the Pilgrim Fathers as ‘local heroes’ and re-educating and invigorating  an often indifferent  population into being inspired afresh by this story of courage and persecution? That was the difficulty they needed to overcome. 

The pair started by thoroughly immersing themselves in researching the history of the Pilgrim Fathers. In doing so they quite literally retraced the footsteps of their subjects, even going as far as to walk overland to Boston, camping out under the miserable autumn sky at Fishtoft to being locked inside the Guild Hall jail. It was not enough for the two to simply to learn the history. They wanted a glimpse inside the experiences of these people too. 

As a result, two quite different things came about, almost by chance. Instead of writing a conventional history book, Sue began instead to create a novel aimed at the mainstream market. The title of this book was  The Mayflower Maid (domtom publishing), first published in July 2005 and subsequently voted amongst the ‘Best Reads’ of the year by the prestigious BBC Open Book show.  For the book’s launch at Gainsborough Old Hall, Sue cleverly invited a host of local government officials, dignitaries, and tourism officers. Instead of ‘pitching’ her book to them, she used the occasion instead to launch into a rousing speech about the importance the Pilgrim Fathers and how more should be done to promote them. As a direct result, the excellent and hard-working Pilgrim Fathers UK Origins Association was formed shortly after with local government backing and a remit to do just that. 

 The sequels to The Mayflower Maid, Jamestown Woman and Restoration Lady continue the theme of the first novel in sublimely expanding the readers grasp of the religious and social forces leading up to and after the self exile of the Pilgrim Fathers, whilst entertaining with one continuous, exciting and often moving subplot. 

Apart from writing, Sue and Roger also began their voluntary programme of going out into the community’s schools, history groups, libraries and adult education organizations giving their ‘hallmark’ lively talks about the Pilgrim Fathers. The result has been an avalanche of press coverage, magazine articles (including the Smithsonian), TV and radio interviews which have fuelled a now rapidly growing pride amongst local people. The pair also raise donations for several charities concerned with the upkeep and conservation of local Pilgrim Father sites,  and Stow Minster in Lincolnshire which along with Gainsborough Old Hall feature heavily in their plots. They are also involved in trying to  raise funds for an archaeological project involving William Bradford’s and George Morton’s ancestors.

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domtom.co.uk