Inspired, as a young woman, by watching westerns at the cinema, featuring the late American actor and filmmaker, John Wayne, Lilian Middleton has published her latest novel, ‘The Battle for Paradise Springs’. Having spent 25 years owning and running the Barrow village pharmacy, Lilian began her literary career at the age of 87, during the first Covid lockdown, which gave her the opportunity to write without interruption. Her first novel, ‘Arabella’ (2021) was swiftly followed by ‘Tales from the Dispensing Bench’ (2022), ‘The Pearl Earrings and Other Short Stories’ (2023) and ‘Amber: Eager for Air’ (2024) - an impressive average of a book a year.

Set in the American West, during the 1870s, ‘The Battle for Paradise Springs’ focuses on Captain Jolyon Lawrence, the brave, handsome and successful former head of a troop of cavalry, and his efforts to build and maintain a new settler town by the name of Paradise Springs. Whilst occasionally troubled by cattle rustlers, who are swiftly dealt with by his loyal ex-cavalry men, the idyllic Paradise Springs attracts a band of hard-working professionals and tradesmen and thrives under Jolyon’s calm and fair leadership. Five years pass, bringing with them the arrival of the young and beautiful milliner, Luella ‘Lulu’ Stewart. Transfixed by Lulu, Jolyon soon falls in love. As the couple are preparing to wed, tragedy strikes when Jolyon is murdered, and a devastated Lulu fees town. Plunged into anarchy and extortion at the hands of the new mayor, ‘Honest Harry Jameson’, a grieving Paradise Springs can only be restored to order by the arrival of both Jolyon’s brother, Marshal Dan Lawrence, and the mysterious gunslinger Brett - and by the return of Lulu, who has inherited all of Jolyon’s wealth and land holdings.

Westerns were traditionally written by men for a predominantly male audience and Lilian rightly asked herself, “why shouldn’t a woman write a western” and this certainly proves why they should. Using themes that are familiar to fans of western films and fiction, such as strong masculine characters, antagonists including outlaws and corrupt officials, and the ongoing struggle between the law and lawlessness, Lilian also creates a female protagonist in Lulu who proves herself to be far more than a conventionally passive love interest. Having, herself, defied the gender norms of the time by becoming a qualified pharmacist, Lilian produces a fantastically fast-paced and enjoyable western novel that will not only appeal to everyone but contains a dazzlingly clever twist that readers won’t see coming.

Along with Lilian’s other books, a copy of ‘The Battle for Paradise Springs’ is available at the Barrow Community Library. It can also be purchased for only £10.75 on Amazon using the following link:  https://amzn.eu/d/d3TObzk.

Ruth Miller