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Please Come Home

Published September 2023 by Bookouture

Cornwall, England, 1940. Anna can barely speak as she clutches the letter tight. She wishes her beloved Jimmy was here, to hold her in his strong arms and tell her everything will be alright. But he’s not – so Anna must figure out a way to save him, and her country, on her own.

Alone since her first breath when her beautiful mother died in childbirth, Anna Golding has only ever had herself to rely on. But she’s always loved her country. So, on the eve of war she joins the Women’s Air Force. Her fellow trainees are like the sisters she never had. But, as they all talk of fond memories of home, Anna’s heart breaks. Her past is too painful to share…

Until Anna meets RAF Navigator Jimmy Armstrong. She could lose herself in his deep green eyes. He makes Anna feel properly alive for the first time, and they snatch every moment together even as their duties pull them apart. They don’t have a moment to waste.

But with the bombs of the Blitz making every day dangerous, Anna receives harrowing news from the Royal Air Force that changes everything. With her heart breaking, Anna knows she must do all she can to help her country. But even if she helps win the war, can she save her beloved Jimmy? Or will she lose the only person she’s ever loved?

An absolutely heart-wrenching, powerful and emotional novel about the hardships of war, and the strength of love. Perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Shirley Dickson and Wives of War.

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Be Brave For Me

Published August 2022 by Bookouture

Cornwall, England, 1941. Gazing at the coiled barbed wire and danger signs on this once-beautiful beach, Maddie suddenly hears a frightened little cry. Her heart pounding, she races down the dunes, but knows she will never reach the child in time…

Maddie Brady is overwhelmed with relief to see a brave soul ahead of her rescue a little boy trapped among the landmines on the beach. But thanking the man, Maddie is shocked to hear a German accent. Why would an escaped German prisoner of war rescue an English boy?

As a driver in the Army, Maddie is duty-bound to report Rudi immediately. But when he speaks of his home in a sheltered valley destroyed by Nazis, and how his father was killed for objecting to the war, Maddie feels a deep connection to this lost soul with sparkling blue eyes.

With Rudi hiding out in a farmer’s barn, Maddie can’t keep herself away, smuggling him bread and water. Their passion brings them comfort in the darkest days. But as their love grows, so does the terrible danger of discovery… As her colleagues begin to suspect she’s hiding something, Maddie is torn between loyalty to her country, and the man she’s shared everything with. Helping Rudi flee across the desolate countryside would mean being parted forever – and if he’s captured, he may not even survive. But could she bear to betray her soulmate? As the war tears the world apart, will they survive the impossible – or will their secret love only bring them despair?

An absolutely heartbreaking and unforgettable World War Two story of how the power of love can get us through the darkest days. Fans of Shirley Dickson, Diney Costello and Lisa Wingate will have tears in their eyes.

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Promise you'll wait

Published August 2022 by Bookouture

Cornwall, England, 1942. Their special place is up here on the clifftop, where the gulls cry and the waves crash. Rosie’s heart swells as she gazes into Danny’s deep green eyes. ‘Let’s come back, every year. No matter what.’ But will the war force them to break their promise?

Rosie knows that air force pilot Danny is the love of her life. It doesn’t matter if his family think she isn’t good enough for him, with her factory job and East End accent. And when Danny proposes on holiday in Cornwall, high on the cliffs above the wild blue sea, Rosie can’t wait for him to come home after his next mission so they can be a proper family. They promise to return to Cornwall every summer to celebrate their love.

But in wartime, tragedy is just around the corner. The Missing in Action telegram about Danny shatters Rosie’s heart into a million pieces. Even as the bombs of the Blitz rain down, and orphaned children huddle for shelter, Rosie vows to never forget Danny or the promise she made.

Rosie’s family can’t understand why she insists on visiting Cornwall and sitting by the sea where Danny proposed. Everyone has lost someone in this terrible war. But when Rosie learns a terrible secret, it turns her world upside down all over again. How well did she really know the man she loved? And as she comes to terms with the shocking truth, when she meets someone new should Rosie risk opening her heart again – or, in this perilous time, will her loyalty to Danny tear her apart?

An absolutely heart-wrenching, powerful and emotional novel about the hardships of war, and the strength of love. Perfect for fans of Shirley Dickson, Wives of War and Lisa Wingate.

Ice Cream for Breakfast

Stevie is Head Receptionist and general dogsbody in a quirky Cornish hotel that has sloping floors and dodgy plumbing. The staff are a friendly bunch, if a little wacky. There's a mediocre cook who calls himself a Chef and comes with tattoos across his knuckles that say 'game over'. The young Kitchen Porter breaks out in spots at inconvenient times, but makes incredible weapons-grade coffee. And Doris, the Head Chambermaid, a solid woman - all bust and batwing arms - packs the punch of a small nuclear warhead. Harry, the owner, lapses into a confusing Brooklyn accent and has a spreading waistline thanks to his fondness for the local ale called 'Betty Stogs'. But Stevie sorts them all out and still has time to find her perfect toy-boy.

Reviews for Ice Cream for Breakfast
5.0 out of 5 stars - By Rosa M Dulac on 10 May 2015 Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase.
"...I couldn't put this book down. It had me laughing and crying and by the end of the book I felt like I knew the characters personally. It also touches on two important issues which I feel passionate about. A very good read and I recommend to all my friends who like this particular genre of book!..."

5.0 out of 5 stars. "Excellent read."
By DebJanon 16 May 2015 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase.
"...Enjoyed this book from start to finish a page turner for all . Happy and sad all at the same time..."

5.0 out of 5 stars - "A story to make you smile a lot!" By Hisboss on 18 February 2015 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase.

"...I really enjoyed this book. This is not the usual genre of reading for me but I thought I would give it a try. I am really glad I did. I was well and truly hooked and laughing at the machinations of Harry the hotel owner and boss. A prince of dodgy dealing, being a scrooge, and thoroughly awful management. Stevie is the live in hotel receptionist, early thirties, with her own set of problems. I loved her character as she juggles dealing with customer's problems, temperamental staff, and Harry. Her love life and private life are about to be turned upside down after she receives news from a solicitor..."

Lemonade and Lies

Jill Webster is an optimist. Her mother taught her from an early age to turn life's lemons into lemonade. But when you're a single parent trying to juggle two children, a job, pay the mortgage, fix a dodgy boiler and scrape up this month's child minding fees, you have to squeeze those lemons pretty hard. But that's the easy bit.

Ask her - and she'll tell you she's just an ordinary thirty-something. So why is someone stalking her, threatening her children? She convinces herself it's a case of mistaken identity. But when she's attacked and ends up in hospital, Jilly has to face the fact that her normal life has changed forever.

When she finds out that her ex-husband Bill (who abandoned her for a twenty-one year old computer tech) has been leading a double life on the criminal margins, putting her and her kids Millie and Tom in danger, Jill turns into a ruthless tigress protecting her cubs and taking the man on at his own game. Bill has a dark secret that makes him dangerous to his Russian Mafia bosses and he's dragged her into it.

The problem is Jill has no idea what that secret is. Her search for the truth takes her on a dangerous journey, away from her beloved Cornwall. Her internal Sat-Nav leads her to the fishing village of Maidens in south west Scotland and the dark icy waters of a Norwegian Fjord at midnight.

Just when she thinks she will never be safe again, Jill finds an ally. A man she feels she can rely on and someone who can help solve the mystery. Someone who once again makes her feel vibrant and alive, reminds her she is a woman, and in a hotel in Norway with the temperature below zero, they turn up the heat. It's a glorious, even ecstatic, coupling of two lonely human beings, greedy for physical touch. It's pure sex, lust, carnality. It's unforgettable. But is it love?

The Last Climbing Boy

Tommy Hopkins is a ten-year-old orphan and a Victorian climbing-boy forced to go up into dangerous, dark chimneys with only a small brush and a scraper - often when the flues are still red hot. And he works for a cruel and sadistic master called Old Belter, real name Mr Akroyd. One night Belter goes too far and savagely beats a new climbing boy. The lad, nicknamed Screecher, is only seven and Tommy comes to his rescue. Becomes a hero. Fed up the cruelty and harsh existence of their lives, Tommy trips Belter up on the cobblestones of the stinking old warehouse where they all sleep and thinks he has killed the man. Tommy leads a small band of runaways: his best friend Jimmy, Screecher and climbing-girl Lucy, to the arches under Blackfriars Bridge. He promises to take them out of London, away from the rats and the horrible overpowering stink of the River Thames. It is a sacred trust. A blood oath. And Tommy is a lad of his word..

Walking The Dog

A complete short story - published by The People's Friend magazine

Elaine reminds us that some of the best friends in life have four legs in this complete short story...