A book by Phoebee Tallis and Inessa Burdich
When a battered suitcase of forgotten photographs turns up, it opens a case-file on a family mystery. The author’s grandparents lived a life shadowed by trauma. Their marriage was fractured—but whose hands inflicted the wound?
Saving Ernest unfolds as a detective story that spans generations, delving into both earthly lives and life after death. Part family memoir, part karmic whodunnit, part spiritual investigation, it follows a trail of clues: a stilted photograph, an unknown naval officer, a mother at an upstairs window, an unidentified portrait, a mysterious M.B.E. award…
Guided by contemplative practice and her work with spiritual researcher Inessa Burdich, the author traces her ancestors beyond death. Among them we meet a Gallipoli medic held fast in grief; a career girl bound by love; a lothario ensnared by desire; and a woman killed in the Blitz—yet becoming, unwittingly, a redemptive gateway for other trapped souls.
Rich with compassion, insight, and wry wit, Saving Ernest is no ordinary genealogy. It is a page-turning mystery of the soul—revealing that what we heal in one generation can reach across time to transform both the living and the dead.
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Reader Feedback
“Vivid storytelling, easy style, full of practical, relatable insights.”
“Riveting… I read eagerly, turning each page with anticipation…”
“Beautifully written, each chapter like an embroidery of the characters…”
“I have learned many things of which I was totally unaware. The book has opened doors to new worlds, and brought the spiritual realm closer to me.”
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Saving Ernest: A Family Mystery – Life, Death and Destiny: Table of Contents
| Chapter 1: The Suitcase and the Gathering of Souls | 
| A battered suitcase arrives filled with old photographs, letters, and lives long forgotten. As I begin to explore this accidental archive, a hidden mystery starts to unfold—one that will change everything. |
| Chapter 2: Meeting Spiritual Research | A course on supersensible perception opens a new realm: the soul’s journey after death. Could souls connected to my family be seeking help? And if so, how can I respond? | |
| Chapter 3: How Can We Explore the Lives of the Dead? | Spiritual research is not guesswork—it’s a disciplined, conscious practice. With consent, clarity, and reverence, we begin to uncover the hidden stories behind visible lives. | |
| Chapter 4: The Forgotten Soul | 
| Eric, a sensitive young medic in WWI, dies far from home. A century later, spiritual research finds his soul still lost in sorrow. Can love help bring him home? |
| Chapter 5: Shadows in the Heart | 
| Their marriage is shaped by silence and suffering. After death, they are found apart. Why is Dorothy cocooned in silence, and what fears has Norman locked away? |
| Chapter 6: A Promise Beyond the Threshold | 
| Independent and devoted, Marion’s soul rises with rare purity—until one promise, made out of love, gently holds her back from going further. |
| Chapter 7: Authority and Surrender | Arthur’s brilliance masks control; Lily’s warmth is stifled by duty. After death, he begins to change—while she waits, faithfully, for their lost son. | |
| Chapter 8: A Victorian Bargain | John’s judgement overshadows his sons; Mary Ann survives through quiet self-effacement. What bargains were struck—and what legacy did they leave behind? | |
| Chapter 9: A Marriage of Charm and Consequence | 
| Emmie, artistic and loving, is betrayed by her husband. After death, she faces the pain of forgiveness—while Thomas confronts the truth of his flaws. |
| Chapter 10: The Engineer of Faith | Inventive, devout and upright, John transforms his town—and reaches a luminous afterlife. Yet even he has more to learn beyond the veil. | |
| Chapter 11: A Soul Caught in the Blast | 
| Polly perishes in a 1940 air raid. Her soul lingers in confusion. What hidden strength helps her—and others—to find release? |
| Chapter 12: A Quiet Triumph of Love | 
| Their ‘Jane Austen’ marriage blossoms into true love. When Dulcie dies, Jimmy is bereft. Can their bond cross the threshold and bring them together again? |
| Conclusion: A Bridge Between Worlds | The story closes with a look at the bridges between the living and the dead. And the journey continues with a glimpse into the author’s paternal line, hinting at new wonders waiting to unfold in her second book. | |
| Bonus Chapter: A True Fairytale: The Two Mauds | Maud the elder dies in 1967. A child named Maud is born in 1994. Coincidence—or something far stranger? A story of soul-splitting, love, and return. |
© 2025 Phoebee Tallis
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About Phoebee Tallis
With a background in mental health, the arts, contemplative enquiry, and research, Phoebee Tallis grew up with anthroposophy, but only turned to personal spiritual study after the death of her beloved husband, Lawrence. A desire to support him beyond the threshold led her to study with Inessa Burdich, and to begin investigating the souls connected to a suitcase of old family photographs. What followed became This Life of Wonder. Guided by Inessa and shaped by her own unfolding voice, Phoebee Tallis writes her emergent narrative with lyricism, honesty, and care—bringing the invisible to light, and offering readers stories filled with depth, humour, tenderness, and hope.
Please contact Phoebee via: info@lifeofwonder.co.uk
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About Inessa Burdich
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About the book cover:
Inessa: Several people have asked me how Phoebe came up with the intriguing design for her book cover, so I asked her if she would kindly tell us a little more about it.
Phoebe: The idea that Saving Ernest could be narrated as an old-fashioned mystery came to me one night — bam — just like that. I was awake and meditating, as I often do, with my late husband, who has remained a kind of muse to me.
I found myself asking: How can I give the book a surprising twist? The answer came clearly — make it a detective story, a kind of karmic whodunnit. Almost immediately, a second idea followed: the cover should be an homage to those classic English thrillers — Agatha Christie, for example — whose illustrated covers are scattered with clues and red herrings, teasing the reader to open the book.
In my mind’s eye I saw a vintage photograph of Ernest, my grandfather, in his naval uniform: young, vulnerable, unexpectedly tender. I imagined the image fractured, like a damaged glass plate photograph — a visual metaphor for the psychological distress explored in his story. Around him, scattered motifs would act as clues: threads of the book’s central mystery.
Then reality set in. I am not a graphic designer. My heart, which had lifted at the arrival of these ideas, promptly sank as I wondered how on earth I might realise them.
I quailed at the thought of learning complex computer programmes — but the very next day I happened to read an article by someone who had taught herself Adobe Photoshop with the help of an AI tutor. That was it, I thought. That’s what I’ll do.
I began — somewhat shakily. At first I couldn’t even find the command buttons I was being told to use. Where is this tool? I kept asking. But the AI tutor was infinitely patient, and step by tiny step my confidence grew. Eventually I gathered enough courage to tackle the big challenge: cutting Ernest out of his original background and placing him into a new one.
With a few careful clicks — snip, snip — he was free. Drag, drop, and he stood against a deep sea-green backdrop. Gradually the motifs found their places. Computers, I discovered, are wonderfully clever — once you begin to understand how to speak their language.
I then asked my AI tutor how to enhance the image’s vintage feel: subtle shadows, gentle wear, tiny signs of age on the surface. And suddenly — there it was: a first draft that genuinely surprised me. The final step was to send it to my publisher’s designer, who polished it beautifully and brought it to completion.
The finished cover still pleases me every time I look at it. It feels like a true collaboration — me at the helm, my computer with its tools, a patient AI guide alongside me, and a skilled designer steering us safely into harbour. And, not least, a subtle sense of help from just beyond the threshold, for which I remain deeply grateful.
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