EVE QUESTED

Some houses have secrets.
The Stoneway remembers.

The Stoneway — a novel inspired by a house, family history, and the lives that shaped them.

When Gabbie moved into an old rambling house, she could never have imagined that it would take her through centuries of its own past—and into the lives of the people who had once called it home.

The Stoneway

When Gabbie moves into Stoneway House, she expects an old rambling house full of history and perhaps a few secrets. She does not expect to discover a hidden way into the house's own past. As she shares in the lives of its former inhabitants, she witnesses the layers of change that have shaped it over the centuries.Drawn into five moments in the history of the Stoneway, Gabbie finds herself living alongside the people who once called it home: a lonely evacuee from London; a family whose future is threatened by a militia ballot; a prosperous clothier facing difficult choices in changing times; an ordinary farming family whose livelihood is put at risk by events beyond their control; and a young man carrying a charter containing words that would change England forever.As Gabbie becomes part of their lives, she begins to realise that history is shaped not only by kings and battles, but by ordinary people making difficult choices. As she learns to trust her instincts and play her part in the survival of the Stoneway, she discovers that home can mean much more than simply the place where you live.

Why I wrote The Stoneway

My family lived in the Weald of Kent for many generations. For over 160 years, they lived in a rambling house in a parish south of Maidstone. As I learned more about my family history, I became fascinated by the house itself: how we came to own it, and, much later, how we came to lose it, and by the history of the house in its own right. What had stood there before? How had the present house come into being, and how had it survived and evolved over many generations into the building it is today?As I explored the house's history, I discovered that beneath the familiar story of ownership and architecture lay something much more interesting: a chain of human lives, each shaped by the decisions, opportunities and misfortunes of those who had gone before.This led me to a simple question. If it were possible to step into the past of a single house and meet the people who had once lived there, what would we learn? More importantly, what would we discover about the way history itself is made?The Stoneway follows Gabbie after she moves into Stoneway House and discovers a hidden way into the house's own past. Drawn into different moments in its history, she becomes part of the lives of the people who once called it home and discovers that her own actions help to secure the future of the house that survives into the present day.Although the novel contains a fantastical element, I wanted the historical world itself to feel entirely real. Wherever historical records allowed, the people who inhabit The Stoneway are based on actual individuals who lived in and around the house. Although their family names have been changed, their relationships, occupations and circumstances have been drawn from historical records, while the events that shape their lives are rooted in real history. My intention was not to write a fantasy set against a historical backdrop, but to create a story in which the extraordinary emerges from the ordinary lives of real people.At the heart of the novel is the belief that history is not only made by kings, generals and famous events. It is also made by farmers, servants, craftsmen, children, labourers and families making decisions in circumstances they cannot fully control. The lives of ordinary people leave traces that extend far beyond their own lifetimes, often in ways they could never have imagined.I also wanted The Stoneway to reflect the experience of living in an old house. Historic buildings are not simply collections of bricks, timber and stone. They are places shaped by memory, continuity and change. Every generation inherits something from those who came before and leaves something for those who follow. In many ways, the house itself became one of the principal characters in the novel.While The Stoneway is written for younger readers, I have tried to create a story that can be enjoyed by adults as well. My hope is that readers of any age will recognise something familiar in Gabbie's journey: the gradual understanding that home is not only a place, but also a connection to the people whose lives, choices and experiences have shaped the world we inherit.Ultimately, The Stoneway is a novel about continuity, responsibility and belonging. It is about the way ordinary lives become history, and how the past remains present in places long after those who lived there have gone.

About Eve Quested

The Stoneway is my first novel and grew out of many years of research into my family history, particularly their connection with a former Wealden hall house, that they called home for more than four generations.Alongside writing and historical research, I enjoy exploring the beautiful landscapes and rich history of Britain, spending time with my family, and my two Vizslas: Kite, my old girl, and Réka, the newest addition to the household.

© Eve Quested 2026
Contact: [email protected]