Member Profile: First words

07 Jun 2017

Ill-health hasn’t stopped Barbara Playle from publishing her first novel at the age of 83. The River Runs Deep marks another notch of creative success for the Probus Club of Narrabeen Lakes member.

Publishing a novel has long been on Barbara’s bucket list. “We’ve all got one of those,” she says. Her first novel follows the life and emotional turmoil of a corporate lawyer in New Hampshire in the United States.

Growing up in England during the middle of the Second World War, Barbara missed out on a lot of her earlier education, so writing her own novel is an impressive feat.

But it wasn’t intended as a novel to begin with. “This one started off as a short story, my stories are usually only about three or four pages, but it just went on and on. It kept going,” says Barbara.

Like most life goals, publishing a novel turned out to be more work than Barbara expected. She proofread it five times herself before it was edited and published by a small local publisher.

Set in the period between 1926 and 1945, and running in reverse chronological order, The River Runs Deep explores what happens when work and family collide. Passion, betrayal and love are key themes in a novel that proves that such emotions aren’t only for the young and spritely.

Writing history

Despite being a big fan of historical novels, Barbara insists her writing is anything but historical. “It’s purely in my imagination,” she says. While Barbara has been to California, on America’s West Coast, she has never been anywhere near New Hampshire. She researched the time and place in which her novel is set using encyclopaedias, with significant help from her television.

She says her ability to empathise with the emotions of characters on the screen helped her tap into the emotions of her characters. “I’m quite an emotional person. If I watch a movie I’m in the story.”

So how did Barbara decide where in the world she would set her debut novel? “I just picked a spot on the map and made a story around it,” she says.

You might be wondering how Barbara managed to write a story about a place she’s never been. Well, you can thank her imagination for that one. Barbara considers her imagination one of her greatest strengths, tracing it back to art classes as a schoolgirl.

An artistic temperament

As a child in wartime London, Barbara set herself apart from her fellow students with her ability to create unique and thought-provoking works – such as the art assignment where students were instructed to paint a bomb-ravaged building. Barbara was the only student to paint the building from the perspective of someone inside, as the building caved in on them.

Barbara was a painter long before she was a writer, and she chose one of her favourite pieces for the cover of The River Runs Deep. “I’ve always liked painting, but I only ever took up writing after my husband died about 10 years ago. I started attending a creative writing class. I hadn’t written anything before that.”

Health hurdles

One barrier to Barbara’s creativity has been her health. As a child, Barbara suffered from recurring bouts of scarlet fever, and things only got worse with age. Multiple battles with cancer and a stroke all took their toll.

But Barbara is a survivor, and hasn’t let any of her health problems get in the way of reaching her dreams. “I’m not a healthy person, but my mind’s quite sharp,” she says.

Barbara moved into a new home in Warriewood following her husband’s passing, and is a valued member of the Narrabeen Lakes Probus Club. She values the friends she’s made there. “As you get older you start losing your friends because unfortunately they aren’t around anymore. So you have to try and make more friends. And Probus has helped me with that,” says Barbara.

Barbara’s next steps

Despite the satisfaction she’s found in writing The River Runs Deep, Barbara doesn’t think she’s likely to publish another book any time soon. “It took me two and a half years to write this one,” she says.

And while it didn’t stop her publishing her most recent novel, Barbara suspects her ongoing health issues will continue to present a challenge. “I’m in remission with cancer at the moment. I’ve got to consider that perspective – whether I could finish it or not. I think I’ll probably just go for more short stories.”

She also plans to attempt some more difficult painting subjects. “I do a lot of still life, and I’m just challenging myself now with trying to do a portrait.”

For now, Barbara’s content to tick another goal off her bucket list – living past the age of 84. “At the end of the year, I will have survived my mother, my husband and my brother,” she says. Barbara looks forward to being the oldest member of her family in recent memory.

But most of all, Barbara hopes to become an inspiration to others and to show that you’re never too old to pursue your dreams.

THE RIVER RUNS DEEP

It is 1926. On a train travelling to work, Phillip Henly, corporate lawyer, bumps into a young lady, Rachel Penshurst. Brought together by an art fraud investigation, Phillip and Rachel’s friendship turns to romance. But their marriage is one of passion and betrayal. A murder investigation brings feisty Gabriella Lamonte into Phillip’s life. With an international client on his books, Phillip feels the sweet taste of success, but tragedy and death are not far behind. A roller-coaster ride from happiness to sadness leaves him emotionally drained. With grit and determination, he beats his demons. But happiness is a fleeting emotion. A windy road and a car crash will affect all their lives.