Welcome. I’m Jeni Whittaker, a Writer, Teacher, Mum and Gran.
I am a lucky woman to live in Cornwall, which is a return to my roots and where I can immerse myself in the wonderful countryside around me. Here I walk my black Labrador, play my musical instruments and enjoy my young grand-children and many friends.
For many years I have been an academic writer about all things theatrical, including plays. Now I have turned from academia and had my first novel published, The Courage Game, which is based on the life of my Great-Aunt. It is about love, family, sisterhood and the terrible fall-out from her becoming a suffragette.
The Courage Game
The Novelised Biography of Gladys Mary Hazel, a Suffragette and my Great Aunt.
Gladys grows up in a large family, convinced she is the odd one out. Her brother Jim invents a new game, the Courage Game, in which all seven children are tested for their ability to keep a stiff upper lip.
Little does she know she’ll recall this game years later, comparing his little hand-made badges to those handed out by the W.S.P.U. – the Suffragettes.
Gladys sacrifices everything: the job she loves as a teacher, her love-life, her close-knit family, and even her health.
