Published on 23 September 2016
2015 following a three-year illness, her husband John Ward, OBE, was determined to see a manuscript she'd been researching and working on in her final months finished.
With the novel almost complete, but with chapters and notes still needing to be pulled together, John turned to the University of Sunderland for help, where he is honorary treasurer on the Development Trust Board of Trustees. He was then put in touch with Amy McLean, an English Literature graduate, who has already successfully penned three of her own novels at the age of just 23.
The pairing proved a huge success and after several months of meticulous editing, Yours in Sisterhood - which interweaves the lives of two extraordinary women over a 200-year time span - has now hit the bookshelves. And just like the connection between the central characters in the book, Amy has effectively channelled and interpreted Eileen's own words and thoughts.
"When I read through the manuscript I didn't hesitate to support this project," explained Amy. "Anyone familiar with my own work will know that I have always loved looking at the ways in which events in the past have shaped the world today and in particular our outlooks and attitudes towards life.
"It's certainly been a wonderful, emotional journey and a big part of my life over this past year."
She added: "It was the first time I had thoroughly edited someone else's work. I have written my own novels, but working on someone else's journey is so different, you are trying to work out what they're saying and how they perceive things. But we got to the point where John and I were happy, more importantly we believe Eileen would have been happy with the finished novel. Making sure I translated her work to a standard she would have been satisfied with was a very big deal to me."
John, from Whitburn, a retired Regional Director at Barclays Bank, is delighted with the results, he said: "All I ever wanted was to see my wife's labour of love in her final years completed.
"I think she will be very proud of what we have achieved in her memory, and delighted that others will be able to read her work."
He added: "I am so very grateful to the university and Amy for the marvellous help and advice they provided - without which this historical novel might never have reached the publishing stage."
The official book launch for Yours in Sisterhood was launched during the summer at Waterstones in Newcastle. It's also available to buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yours-Sisterhood-Eileen-McCabe/dp/1533121834
Yours In Sisterhood - synopsis
As Russian ambassadress to England for 25 years from 1812 to 1836, Princess Dorothea Lieven was a pivotal figure in diplomatic circles, a courtesan who engaged kings and emperors and prime ministers. This story is the life of an exceptionally talented, if unlikeable, woman who was able to mix amorous and political intrigue as a matter of course.
Two hundred years later, fictional Marcia Winter, the Prime Minister's Director of Communications prior to the 2010 General Election, writes to Dorothea. As her story unfolds, she provides comments on Dorothea's antics and on contemporary political UK issues.
As their stories interweave across a two hundred-year time span, attitudes and opinions towards women are explored by two extraordinary individuals, utilising their skills and influence to great effect.
Eileen McCabe - Author, journalist and broadcaster
Eileen McCabe, died at the age of 69 in 2015, after a three-year illness.
Once a familiar face on TV screens across the region, Eileen worked for the BBC for eight years and then joined commercial rival Tyne Tees when it was based on Newcastle's City Road.
She produced and presented arts programmes and then became a news reporter and presenter on Northern Life, the station's evening news magazine programme.
Born in Murton, County Durham, Eileen had worked for the Darlington-based Northern Echo before moving into local radio – first Radio Durham and then Radio Newcastle's Sunderland office – and then television.
In 1988 she moved into public relations, working briefly for the Tyne Wear Development Corporation before setting up a media consultancy with former Tyne Tees colleague Rod Griffiths.
As well as running her own PR business, Eileen continued to work as a freelance broadcaster and, on Tyne Tees, presented a series of interviews with influential women called A Woman's Place.
In 2009 Eileen launched her book 'We Don't Do God,' about the religious beliefs that had motivated Tony Blair when Prime Minister. The book was co-authored by Mr Blair's former agent, John Burton.
For 16 years Eileen had been married to John Ward OBE, a former regional director of Barclays Bank.
Amy McLean - Author
Amy McLean, who was born in Aberdeen, and spent the first 10 years of her life in the North East, has made the region her home. She graduated with a first-class English Literature Degree from the University of Sunderland in 2014.
While studying for her degree she penned her first book 'Walk On', self-published through CreateSpace in 2013, and her second, Celestial Land and Sea, was published by Open Books in February 2015.
Amy's writing is heavily influenced by the conversations she has with her Auntie, a Spiritual Messenger. She said: "I've grown up around spiritualism and the knowledge of spiritual presence. Not only did it seem natural for me to incorporate this into my writing, since it's something I've been fascinated about since my pre-teen years, it's a very intriguing approach for me as a recurring theme in my books."
Amy's latest novel, Hallow Be Thy Name, tells the story of Lucy Hallow, a Spiritual Messenger who uses her gift to help others. Set between present-day Hampstead and Victorian London, spirits are brought forward to offer counsel to the earthly characters, and Lucy provides a bridge between the two timelines through her abilities to see and hear spirits.
The book is the second of the young writer's to be self-published through CreateSpace, and the first in the new Hallow series Amy is currently working on. It incorporates the Spiritworld to portray layers of guidance to the living from those no longer on earth.
Amy said: "Studying Literature at the University of Sunderland invited a range of genres and writers onto my radar, and such a varied mix finally enabled me to find a writing voice that I enjoy and one with which I feel comfortable working with."