Editing Valerie Anand (section)

==Early life==
Anand spent her early childhood in Kent before the [[Second World War]] broke out, after which her father joined the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] while she and her mother went to live with his Aunt Clara in [[Leatherhead]], Surrey. Her father's anecdotes from the war inspired Anand to later learn to fly a plane herself, training at [[London Biggin Hill Airport|London Biggin Hill]].<ref name="flj int">{{Cite web|url=https://faithljustice.com/readers-resources/interview-valerie-anand/|title=Author Interview: Valerie Anand (a.k.a. Fiona Buckley)|work=Divi|first=Faith L|last=Justice|accessdate=25 March 2025}}</ref>

Initially disinterested in history as a subject, Anand was influenced to write medieval historical fiction after seeing the film ''[[Ivanhoe (1952 film)|Ivanhoe]]'' (1952) in cinemas as a teenager.<ref name="flj int"/>