'Face at the Window' - the e-book

It was the briefest of mentions on the TV many years ago, but the image of figures walking out of the forest remained with me. They were Jews and for years they had hidden deep in the forest, and had somehow survived despite the terrible winters and the lack of facilities we take for granted.
I had vaguely looked on the Internet for more information, but it wasn't until a few years ago when I was visiting Sedbergh, the Book Town in northern England, that I came across a great pyramid of newly arrived paperbacks.  As soon as I read the cover description I knew this was the book for me!
"The true story of the Bielski brothers who built a secret town in the heart of the forest to save their people from the Nazis'.
The book contains quite a lot of photographs, so I felt quite familiar with this amazing impressive, swarthy family.

Not too surprisingly I was hugely disappointed in the subsequent film.  Daniel Craig was no Tuvia!

I wanted to retell this story, but in a way that was suitable for a young reader - preferrably a boy aged between 9 and 12, who thinks reading's boring!
I felt particularly strongly about this after reading that Tuvia, this fantastic leader of men, had ended up living in America, but had died almost penniless, with few people knowing of his truly remarkable achievement.

More than 1200 people Jewish people lived because of this truly remarkable man, and the story needs to be remembered

My book is available by clicking here

 

'Oil Under Sherwood Forest' - the e-book

For years I have been fascinated by the story of the discovery of oil under Sherwood Forest, here in the heart of Nottinghamshire.

This is my previous blog.

I've now converted the amazing story into an e-book, but by necessity it has fewer illustrations. 

You can find it by clicking here

Coming Home - the e-book

Fortunately fairly rarely newspaper headlines tell  that a child has been abducted by an estranged parent, usually the father. They are then taken to some foreign land, and it appear very difficult to get them back.  (Amazon is full of such stories.)

This was certainly the theme, several decades ago of Deborah Moggach's excellent book 'Stolen' and the subsequent TV series of 1990, in which I remember Art Malik the most!

I wanted to write a book about the situation from the view point of the abducted child.  What must it be like to suddenly loose not only your other parent, but your friends, school, way of life and in fact everything that you are familiar with.  It must be a nightmare.

In this story 10 year old Tom is taken by his drunken father to a remote part of Poland, in order that he can work their smallholding.  From the very first night the child is determined to run away, and somehow or other, get back home.

However, he has no money, no foreign language skills, no friends and in fact little ide in what direction to go!

I think if this was real life, rather than a story aimed at  9-12 year old boys who think reading's boring, evil people would soon find the child, but I definitely didn't want to go down that path.

So this is a story about courage, determination and the goodness of strangers.   It can be purchased by clicking here

My other blog is Nottinghamshire Notes

The Boy & The Monkey - the e-book

As a youngster  I just loved the books by Nevile Shute - he was just such a wonderful storyteller.  It was the novel 'A Town Like Alice' where I first came across the amazing story of European women who had been captured during the Second World War, and because the Japanese didn't know what to do with them, simply marched them, often for years.

Then in the early 1980's I became addicted to the TV series 'Tenko' which told the story of women who had lived in Singapore, often with very comfortable lifestyles, until the colony was suddenly over run by the Japanese during the Second World War.  They marched, and eventually settled in a rough POW camp, suffering awful deprevation.  (Recently I saw a repeat of one of these programmes, and was amazed at how harrowing it was!)

I then read 'Women Beyond the Wire' by Lavinia Warner and John Sandilands, and it is from their extensive research for this book that they went on to create Tenko.  It certainly makes for fascinating reading.

By now I was determined to write a novel aimed at boys aged 9 - 12 who think reading's boring, but set in this strange environment.  I wanted to see the women's imprisonment through the eyes of a child, who spends his formative early years as a Prisoner of War.

In my story the last guard has just died, and the women decide to just try and sit out the war.  As 10-year old Lawrence is the oldest boy in the group he is the one assigned to learn to fish with the help of the locals.  The health of the entire group depends of his skill.

Having lost his mother and baby brother when they are evacuated from Singapore, Lawrence has difficulties forming close relationships, but increasingly he decides what he really wants is a pet monkey.  After all you might be able to train the monkey to fetch and carry, just like a dog.  And who knows what adventures might befall the pair!

Little does he realise that his somewhat foolhardy actions put the entire group at risk.

To read this novel just click
here

Secrets - the e-book

I've decided to change the title of my novel for 9-12 year boys who think reading's boring!  It was going to be 'The Secret' as it deals with the French Resistance, and refers to the diary the boy keeps in the bottom of his wardrobe.  However, on uploading it I found that there is a whole industry related to this idea on how to manifest abundance.

It's now just called 'Secrets' which I think describes the situation better anyway.

It's available from Smashwords by clicking here

The Secret - the e-book

I have always been fascinated by stories of the Resistance Movement that formed in France during the Second World War.  However, when I came to write a novel, aimed at boys who think reading's boring, I realised that I actually knew very little about it!  Was there rationing during the war in France?  What happened to all the French men after Germany invaded, and what were the Papers that had to be constantly shown?

Consequently I read everything I could find, just to form a background to this novel.  A book I particularly enjoyed was 'And There was Light' by Jacques Lusseyran.  Blinded as a child, he lived life to the full, and, although only a school boy when war broke out,  he organised the printing of a secret, informative newspaper.  This was distribued throughout Paris, and beyond.  One of his many tasks was interviewing prospective helpers, as it was felt his blindness gave him intuition.  The one person he didn't personally chose was the one who betrayed the group, and they were all sent to concentration camps.

Another book, that  I'd read decades ago, but which was still vividly in my mind, was this inpiring tale by the remarkable Dutch woman Corrie ten Boom.  When the war broke out she and her sister, and their clock-repairing father, never hesitated for a moment, in their commitment to help Jews.  The Resistance Group came and built a false wall in their attic, and the Jews hid in this special little place.  Tragically this family were also betrayed, but the Germans never found this false wall.  

Another book that was invalubale was a slim one by Terry Crowdy, although the reprisals they describe were just beyond belief   Another essential was The Forger by Cioma Schonhaus.

One thing that had always struck me was the fact that whilst it would be possible to hide someone briefly until they were moved along, there must have been a very good chance of getting landed with an airman who was very seriously wounded - after all they'd literally fallen out of the sky!  If their plane had been hit, there was a good chance they would be injured too, and then how would you hide them?  They could hardly go into a grubby barn, and if nursed in the main house by inexperience people, their groans could hardly be concealed. It must have been a nightmare scenario.

My novel is now available from Kindle  

it is called 'The Secret'. 

 

Every 4 Minutes - the e-book

My interest in leprosy started decades ago when I was sailing from Liverpool to Quebec.  We hit the end of a hurricane and the crossing was appallingly rough.  Unlike the vast majority of the passengers I wasn't ill - just terrified!  To try and pass the endless days I curled up miserably in the corner and read anything I could lay my hands on!  One of the little books the steward threw me from the locked cupboard was 'Who Walk Alone' by Perry Burgess.  Although written in the style of a novel, it was actually the true story of an American who Perry had met in his role as President of the American Leprosy Foundation.  'Ned Langton' as Perry called him, had served in the military in the Philippines, and after returning home, was diagnosed with leprosy and he spent the next 25 years confined to a leper colony there.

I became very aware of the awfulness of having hands that failed to respond properly when at 36, a single mother of 3 children, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and all of me, including my hands were affected.  Not being able to lift the roast from the oven, drain the potatoes, open the ironing board or turn the taps on over the bath, was a nightmare.  But I recovered, unlike the poor soul in this picture.

Charities like Lepra can offer remedial surgery and physiotherapy which give a degree of improvement and thankfully leprosy is now curable with multi-drug therapy.  However the numbers affected are staggering and the cost of finding and treating them immense. Lepra, the excellent charity that works in this field, has been as hard hit by the recession as every other charity.

Consequently my small contribution was to try and get 'Who Walk Alone' republished but this proved impossible, so I've ended up writing my own novel.  In it Clifford Harrison travels to India, falls in love with a beautiful dusky maiden, but as she's part of an arranged marriage, heartbroken he returns to England.  Two years later he discovers a strange white patch on the top of his foot, which is eventually diagnosed as leprosy.  His immediate reaction is that this must be a mistake - after all he's white, British, educated, not like the poor beggars he's seen dragging themselves along the roadside.

But the diagnosis is true, and so he returns to India.  The story tells of his life, his successes, his loves, his heartbreak and his joy. 

Why the title.  Because in 2011 Every four minutes, a person is diagnosed with leprosy

You can download the e-book of this engrossing story by clicking here  

Please do - and pass on this blog too!

Many thanks!

'Oil Under Sherwood Forest' Booklet

Yesterday another 100 copies of this booklet arrived from 4Edge 
who I find most satisfactory printers.
This booklet came about after I went for a walk in Duke's Wood in Nottinghamshire, which is situated in the village of Eakring, not far from Southwell.  I was puzzled that as I strolled through this 20 acre site I was sure, through the undergrowth, I could see what appeared to be the base of a large statue - certainly not something I was expecting!

On reaching the end of the path I saw a large glade, and sure enough at the end stood this impressive, large statue.  My first reaction was that it must commemorate some plane that had crashed during the war, but on approaching I saw that in fact the man was holding an out-sized monkey wrench!


What puzzxled me even more was the inscription on the base which stated that it was a memoral to the 12,000 local people and the group of Americans who had extracted oil from this site during WWII.

By now I was seriously puzzled, and contacted the local newspaper for more information.  They advised I put a letter into the paper, and for months afterwards I was visiting marvellous, generous people who were telling me the most amazing stories about this incredible time.

Several directed me to this book, which I found in the local Reference Library.

I could well understand that at the time it was of the upmost importance that the site, and the activity within it, had to be kept absolutely secret, or of course it would have been destroyed by the Luftwaffe, but what has always puzzled me is the fact that even today so few knew the amazing story of how Nottinghamshire oil contributed so much to the war effort.

Consequently I wrote a 49-page booklet, which both retells this incredible story but also brings it up-to-date.

To find out more just click here

Lepra fact sheet

Today I received the fact sheet from Lepra, and was able to complete the last page of my novel.If I had any doubts about donating all the profits from my novel to this cause, this informative document resolved the matter.

It really is so sad that due to the enormous stigma still attached to leprosy people hesitate to seek medical aid, although of course the longer they postphone treatment the more damage is done to nerves which control the muscles that allow movement of the hands and feet.  Then the hands lose the power to move, grow stiff and can eventually close up, forming what is known as a 'claw hand'.

It really is staggering to think that every year around 300,000 new cases are diagnosed, but because of the stigma attached to it many more cases go undetected.

And yet the great news is that leprosy is now a totally curable disease thanks to multi-drug therapy (MDT.).  If started early and taken completely and regularly, MDT cures leprosy and prevents deformity.
For more information just click here

'Saving Thoresby Hall' booklet

Yesterday I went into Derbyshire to collect another thousand booklets. I use County books

and have been well pleased with the service I've received.

The present Thoresby Hall is the third in this vicinity and was built between 1865-75 by Sydney, 3rd Earl Manvers and his half-French countess, Georgine.  The architect was Anthony Salvin.
However, this lovely building has had a most chequered history, and by the late 1990's it was on the English Heritage's 'At Risk' register, and was probably within six months of collapsing completely.

Very fortunately Warner's Holidays Ltd bought it and I just telephoned and spoke to the General Manager and said I thought visitors would be interesting in learning about the transformation of the place.  To my considerable delight he immediately invited me over - the only restriction being that I had to be prepared to wear a hard hat!
For nearly a year I visited regularly - a most wonderful experience.  Probably the most interesting was meeting the team from Herbert Read who had just finished restoration work at Windsor Castle following the devasting fire.

 The result was a 24 page booklet, heavily illustrated with before and after pictures. This can be purchased by clicking here

Maybe an e-book cover

After a day out yesterday (see my other blog) now it's time to settle down and get some work done!

I rather fancy trying my hand at creating an e-book cover, since I have a picture so clearly in my head!  I intend to use the info from here,

As can be seen from the somewhat grubby photo, I work so hard I've completely worn off some of the letters on the keyboard!

Off to Chatsworth today - just about my most favourite place.
Deborah, Dowager Duchess of Devonshire lived here from the 1950's until the death of her husband in 2006.  She more than anyone has had a huge influence on the success of this lovely place.  She has been a prolific writer as can be seen  here.
Her son Peregrine inherited on the death of his father, and the Dowager Duchess now lives in the nearby estate village of Edensor.  During the summer she sometimes opens her garden for a charity party when she spends all the afternoon meeting and greeting the many visitors!  She is now 91 and troubled by macular degeneration, but is as wonderful as ever.

It just goes to show you are never too old to write!

Found a Proof Reader

I'm having such an exciting morning!  Just had a long chat with my dear son, and he thinks his father-in-law might be prepared to proof read my book!  What a brilliant idea.

I find proof reading so difficult.  I've tried reading the text slowly, reading it out loud, but still I just know there are typos.  It really does need new, fresh eyes.

T has also agreed to create a cover!  Isn't that just marvellous - I'm so pleased.  Already ideas are pouring into my inbox!

Things are definitely moving!

At last it's finished

After months of work my novel is completed!  Long-suffering friends have read, reviewed and given valuable advice and criticsm.
Now I'm waiting to receive a pdf document from Lepra so I complete the final, information page.
Progress at last!