A special birthday blog for my latest book IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER, published in hardback, August 2011.

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER is published this week  with the paperback published in two months time, October. I'm very proud of MIDWINTER, as the book took a lot of crafting, as the topics I wrote about were very hot at the time it was set in 1918. And are reflected in many societies since. Simon&Schuster, have chosen this blurb for the back cover. “Shivering a little in the cold, Birdie paused to watch the boats tied up along the jetty. ‘Stay where you are!’ A sharp command brought her out of her thoughts. ‘If you want to see your brother alive, you will do as I say.’ Birdie’s heart raced. She turned, only to jump half out of her wits as she saw a woman standing beside her. A pair of dark, fierce eyes were almost hidden under the peak of a cloth cap. Then with another sickening lurch of her heart, she saw the glint at her side and felt the tip of a blade as it pressed into her.” It’s the East End of London, and the Great War is just over. Millions have died, as many are left crippled. There are other casualties too, bearing emotional scars that will never heal. There are young men who are unjustly accused of cowardice by their own commanders and Birdie’s brother is one of these. Birdie is my resilient half-Irish heroine, who quarrels with the British legal system and an equally unbending gang of terrorists, biding their time to kill. Birdie is one gutsy lady, facing two massive Goliaths. Will she achieve a victory, or none? Has one woman the power to change the course of her family’s history? I like happy endings, but the odds seem overwhelming against Birdie. And yet…there is always the power of love to be reckoned with. Love being the greatest power of all. Happy birthday MIDWINTER!